Developing Viable Research Clusters in LMU.
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Transcript Developing Viable Research Clusters in LMU.
LANDMARK
UNIVERSITY
OMU-ARAN, KWARA STATE.
EXECUTIVE ADVANCE PROGRAMME
NOVEMBER, 2014
DEVELOPING VIABLE
RESEARCH CLUSTERS IN LMU
BY PROF. OLUSOLA. O. AGBEDE
HOD CROP & SOIL SCIENCES
LANDMARK UNIVERSITY
DEVELOPING VIABLE RESEARCH CLUSTERS
PREAMBLE
• In line with the Agricultural revolution
mandate of Landmark University which
aims to combat poverty, unemployment
and food insecurity, in the country viable
result-oriented programs that are
potentially capable of transforming and
proffering practical solutions to current
challenges in agriculture in general must
be put in place for rigorous and
aggressive pursuit.
• The revolutionary research
programmes should lead to the
production of sufficient food
internally to feed students, staff and
sell excess to our immediate
environment, the Nation and export.
• Research activities at Landmark would
be interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary
& transdisciplinary (uniting two
elsewhile antagonistic cultures such
as Science and Humanities) which
deals with convergence of knowledge
for higher purposes.
• We need to train our students, staffs
and farmers on profitable, sustainable
and modern techniques of agricultural
(Crops and Animals) production.
• Climate changes with its attendant
erratic rainfall pattern, high
temperatures affect rain fed crops
which produce very poor yields had
become global problem that demand
adaptation and mitigation.
• Problems of new emerging pests,
diseases and weeds with inadequate
management skill by farmers
demand urgent and sustainable
solution.
• Provision of adequate protein-richdiet especially within the rural poorresource farming communities.
• Menace of nomadic herdsmen to
crop and life of farmers.
RESEARCH FOCAL
AREAS / CLUSTERS
S/N FOCAL AREAS
1
Global Food
Production
and Food
Security
Research
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Hybrid crop varieties development.
Green house production and
management
Soil Fertility management (SFM)
Irrigation design and water management.
Animal improvement (breeding) and
Climate change adaptation and
mitigation.
S/N
2
FOCAL AREAS
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Climate
Improving the Photosynthesis of crops
Change and
such as cereals and legumes.
Environmental Stress tolerance, photosynthesis and
Impact
yields of crops under tropical conditions
e.g. biomass production of the crops
under low and high temperatures and
high radiation.
Securing water-in-food transformations
to improve the use of water throughout
the food chain.
Improved germplasm and increasing
resource use efficiency.
S/N
2
FOCAL AREAS
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Climate
Working to stabilize crop yields in the
Change and
face of new and emerging disease
Environmental
threats.
Impact
Developing systems of modeling,
monitoring and managing water use and
ensuring water quality.
Developing farmer adaptation strategies.
Utilizing plant and crop systems diversity.
Engaging indigenous knowledge and
associated plant genetic base
Development of dual purpose crops to
provide both food and fuel.
S/N FOCAL AREAS
3
Soil
Assessment
And
Conservation
for Food
Security
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Understanding plant-soil interaction to
improve crop architecture.
Use of X-ray Computer Technology to provide
images on soil and plant roots without
destructive sampling.
Effects of soil compaction on crop root
growth, root hair quality on nutrient uptake.
Use of medical and biodiversity to improve
crop yield without using more chemical
fertilizers.
Monitoring Soil physical properties at micro
scale and genetics of plants’ root for nutrient
uptake efficiency and increase crop yield.
S/N
4
FOCAL AREAS
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Mapping,
extent,
distribution and
remediation of
problem soils in
Guinea
Savannah agroecological zone
of Nigeria.
Remediation of Acid-affected and saltaffected soils.
Semi-detailed survey of selected areas
along maize, rice and cassava value
chain.
Soil
Fertility
evaluation
and
management.
Train-The-Trainer (TOT) Programmes
and Extension service on Conservation
Agriculture (CA) in selected centres
around the state.
S/N
FOCAL AREAS
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
5
Biotechnology Establishment of biotechnology centre
Research
as a tool for agricultural growth.
Centre
Field of Biotechnology Research,
Application and Utilization to greatly
increase food and fibre, animal
production, energy and improve quality
of life.
Landmark University to make significant
contribution in biotechnology research,
training and application in collaboration
with International Research Institutes in
cash and kind.
S/N FOCAL AREAS
6
Animal
Production
7
Waste
Management
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Food Efficiency for both ruminant and nonruminants
Mitigation of methane from livestock feaces.
Improving meet quality.
Waste Management: Minimizing contamination
improving self-life; better packaging, material
design and agricultural practices; and new
manufacturing paradigms.
Energy Conservation: Improved efficiency in
production and finding multiple use of crop and
waste streams.
Waste Nutrition: Understanding the impact of
nutrition on human health; providing the optimum
and most bio-accessible nutritional load in our
food; optimizing and modifying nutritional values
through improved plant and animal production;
and having a better understanding of consumer
behaviours and preference.
S/N
7
FOCAL AREAS
Waste
Management
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Water Resources: Optimizing use of water in
food production by planning for drought and
floods; having plants and animal that can cope
with the extremes; designing new processes
and ingredient mixes that require minimal
water usage; and manufacturing plants which
recycles/re-use waste ware.
Primary processing - optimizing raw material
production
Secondary Process – The Integration of factory
design for energy, water and waste
minimization.
Tertiary Process – The fate of food during
digestion for optimal nutrient delivery and
impact on human health.
S/N
7
FOCAL AREAS
Waste
Management
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Enabling Technologies
Improved process capabilities.
Water usage for Purification and efficient
use of water.
Energy delivery from water streams in
current manufacturing practices.
Food safety and spoilage.
Consumer understanding to minimize waste
Multiple use of crops/waste streams
Modification of processing and digestibility
of plant cell walls
S/N
8
FOCAL AREAS
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Societal impacts
of food research,
production &
consumption.
Valuable research in the field of ethics and social
science will be conducted to examine the
Complexity of the food system
Nature of sustainable food production
How it can be characterized (or framed ) by
different actors ,for example as a political issues
Social and political factors that impact on
consumption pattern as well as distribution and
production system.
How the different framing of these issues might
impact on targeted research agendas and policy
responses.
The claim made regarding biotechnologies
solution.
The underlying assumption relating to
alternative production system.
S/N
9
FOCAL AREAS
Unpopular
Crops
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Discover other crops other than Rice, Wheat
and Maize for nutrition, Animal Feed,
Medicines and other uses.
Increase the knowledge base of underutilized crops, especially sustained market
access, nutritional security and health
Identifying and advocating necessary policy
change to promote the use of under-utilized
crops.
Fostering capacity building about underutilized crops.
S/N
10
FOCAL AREAS
Global Food
Security
Collaborations
and linkages.
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
University to link with ARCN and other
Research Institutes.
Liaise with NCAM for Agricultural
Mechanization.
Recruitment of international Faculty and
students.
Mutually beneficial collaboration with
FMARD to achieve desired commodity value
chain goals
Establish journal outlets with International
standards based on the competencies of the
University.
Seek further Collaborations and Linkages
with renowned foreign Universities.
S/N
10
FOCAL AREAS
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Global Food
Staff exchange programme for teaching
Security
and research
Collaborations Students exchange programme especially
and linkages.
for the practical year (400 level)
Post-Graduate Development and
scholarship award to our students
International marketing of our agricultural
products
Organization of international seminar on
sustainable agricultural production in
developing countries
Training of our technologists in equipment
use, maintenance and repairs
S/N
11
FOCAL AREAS
Research and
Knowledge
Transfer
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Sustainable chemical and biological
processing
Global food security
Drugs and energy discovery
Advanced manufacturing
Collaborations and partnerships
Research data management
Integrating global society
Center for advanced studies.
Research group that will maximize the
visibility and impact of LMU research
S/N FOCAL AREAS
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
11
Research and Securing significant level of external
Knowledge
funding to support research activities at
Transfer
LMU
Become an Institutional Leaders for their
research topics.
Incorporating interdisciplinary
Collaboration of international quality.
Provide a first-class environment for
career development and training.
Attract high quality staff postgraduates
and strategic partnerships.
S/N
FOCAL AREAS
12
Publications
13
Industry
income
Innovation
COMPONENT RESEARCH THEMES
Encourage joint research publications and
grant proposals within and outside
Nigeria.
Improve the webometrics and World Class
ranking of the University.
Embark on periodic publications of
Research outputs of the University.
Established a robust Consultancy Unit.
Empower the LMU consult to render
services to the industrial community.
GENERAL
REMARK
!
• The University management
should quickly put the
Directorate of Research in place.
• Principal Investigators with
research teams should be
appointed to take charge of each
research cluster / focal area.
• Faculty and staff should be
committed to justify the various
position employed to occupy.