Funding is available for one student to undertake a two-year MA in Sociology or Public Issues in Anthropology (with the option of the collaborative International Development Studies program) and to undertake research on a topic related to young farmers in one or more of the four countries (Canada, China, India and Indonesia) under the aegis of the research project Becoming a young farmer: Young people's pathways into farming, at the University of Guelph.

The global phenomenon of an ageing farming population, poor returns on farming in the current economic paradigm and an apparent lack of interest among youth in agrarian and rural futures have attracted considerable attention among policy makers and researchers. At the same time, what is overlooked is that not all young people leave farming and the countryside, and some urban youth establish themselves as first-generation urban or rural farmers. By studying young people's pathways into farming futures we aim to fill an important void in current work on rural youth and agrarian studies and in policies related to rural poverty reduction and employment generation. First, the research studies will go beyond documenting the various barriers that keep young people from establishing agrarian futures to examining how at least some young people manage to overcome these. Second, they will assess the working of intergenerational dynamics underpinning trajectories into farming, ranging from inheritance to the intergenerational transfer of knowledge. Third, they will shed light on generational innovation in farming practices across the globe. Gender will be treated as a key relation of social differentiation shaping all three areas of inquiry. 

A competitive funding package (including a minimum guaranteed stipend, TAships, RAships and field research funding) is available for the right student. Fluency in the local language, prior field experience and familiarity with mixed methods of data collection and analysis are desirable. 

Those interested should please email a CV, a 250 word research design, sample writing, three reference letters, and an unofficial transcript to: Dr. Sharada Srinivasan by 09 December 2016. Short-listed applicants will be interviewed by Skype by the end of December 2016. Admission is subject to the approval of the relevant graduate admissions committee(s).

The Children and Youth in Challenging Contexts Network (cyccnetwork.org) based at Dalhousie University and under the direction of Dr. Michael Ungar, Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience, is looking for dynamic individuals with an interest in developing expertise and expanding their research in the field of knowledge mobilization/implementation science/knowledge translation related to the community based child and youth mental health and social service sector. The mission of the CYCC Network is to build a stronger, more effective and collaborative youth serving sector to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and youth living in challenging contexts. The position is ideal for doctoral students launching their research careers and postdocs seeking to gain experience developing, funding and managing research projects related to knowledge mobilization and implementation science. Experience with mixed methods is preferred. Proficiency in English is also required. Applicants can be from any discipline, though familiarity with psychological and social factors affecting children, youth and families will be an advantage.

The CYCC Network is primarily funded through the Networks of Centre of Excellence as a Knowledge Mobilization Network for $2.8 million over 7 years, and currently has over 250 members across 20 countries, including approximately 80 researchers. We are connected to the Resilience Research Centre (RRC) which is an international group of scholars, practitioners and policy makers from more than 20 countries who together collaborate on research and knowledge mobilization projects. Over the last eight years, the RRC has received over $5M in research funding for mixed methods studies from national funders and helped its overseas partners secure another $8M from domestic and international granting agencies. This is an excellent opportunity for the right candidate to build a strong network of contacts and increase her/his publications.

More details.