Function
The focus of this position is
to quantify the effects of pruning and soil nutrition on growth and yield of
cocoa trees in plantations. A combination of field experiments and an
innovative 3D modelling approach will be used. The selected candidate will construct
and use a simulation model of cocoa growth and development and conduct
ecophysiological and agronomic field measurements and experiments to test the
model. She/he will also use this model as a demonstration tool for local
farmers and other stakeholders. Two
periods of 6-8 months in West Africa (Ghana and/or Cote d’Ivoire, a
French-speaking country) are foreseen.
The position is part of an
interdisciplinary NWO-WOTRO funded program, with 4 PhD positions, which aims
for science-based, sustainable intensification of cocoa production by
small-holder farmers in West Africa. The program focusses on developing
technologies for improvement of cocoa production and adequate delivery and
tailoring of these to farming systems.
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