Two researchers at the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) are winners of the 2022 Structural Transformation of Africa-Asia Agriculture and Rural Spaces plus (STAAARS+) research fellowship program.
Mr. Dablin Mpuuga and Mr. Ambrose Ogwang have been awarded as part of the drive to build the capacities of young African researchers. The STAAARS+ program, administered by Michigan State University in partnership with Cornell University, aims to create a critical mass of early career African scholars and policy research through mentorship and professional development to help remedy that deficiency.
The 2022 lot will research on Linking agriculture productivity, market performance, and technology use among farmers in Uganda, with the help of senior researchers from Michigan State University and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
In 2020, another lot of EPRC young researchers – Ms. Rehema Kahunde, Mr. Nathan Sunday, and Ms. Blessing Atwine – benefited from the fellowship, researching on enhancing Ugandan households’ climate resilience especially in the face of prolonged droughts and frequent floods.
The 2022 lot will, between September 10-October 1, 2022, travel to the United States to participate in a series of activities at the Cornell University in Ithaca and also at Michigan State University relating to the fellowship, including attending the 100 Years of Economic Development conference. They will also interact with Cornell faculty and students.
While the fellowship is important in enhancing research capabilities of the Centre’s upcoming researchers, their studies as a result of the fellowship contribute immensely to the understanding and pointing out of possible solutions to different socio-economic issues in the country.