- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA — Two Lincoln University professors have collaborated with USAID, the University of Malawi (UNIMA) and Michigan State University (MSU) to ensure agricultural enhancement and higher education development in Africa.
Drs. Emmanuel Babatunde and Derrick J. Swinton are members of a strategic planning team to address the forest, fishery, soil, and water degradation in Malawi and the surrounding region. The initiative is entitled, “Ecosystems Services: Linking Science to Action in Malawi and the Region.”
Experts at the various institutions and various disciplines will convene several times a year to implement strategic plans addressing environmental, economic, and social related issues as it pertains to ecosystem services and sustainability in Malawi.
“We review the environment not only in terms of hard science, but also in terms of the multi-disciplinary approach of treating the environment,” Dr. Emmanuel Babatunde, chair and professor of the Sociology and Anthropology Department at Lincoln University said.
The team will refine understandings of the challenges Bunda and Chancellor (constituent colleges of UNIMA) face in transforming ecosystem services for poverty alleviation; and identify the ecosystem services and public and private sector partners most critical in meeting this objective.
The resulting strategic plan will position the University of Malawi as a regional center of excellence through enhancement of: curricula and teaching capacities and regional Ph.D. programs; research and grant writing; linkages with Malawian technical training colleges; and an integration of a gender perspective in research and teaching and an increase in the number of women faculty.
“Our main goal is to empower the higher education institutions in Malawi and equip them with the skills in which they can have an impact in sustaining their environment and agricultural productivity,” Dr. Derrick J. Swinton, associate professor of Chemistry at Lincoln University said.
The project is a ten-year, $2 million per year grant. Lessons learned will improve research, training, and outreach efforts at Lincoln University and MSU related to development of ecosystem services, with an emphasis on providing services to historically underserved populations in Malawi and the United States.
The long-term goal is to improve Malawi’s infrastructure and ability to manage services that are impacted by the environment. These services include cultural and recreational services, health and environmental services and provisioning services such as those related to food and water supplies.
Drs. Babatunde and Swinton will be returning to Malawi in the beginning of 2011 to begin executing the objectives and activities outlined in the proposal. Furthermore, for the duration of the project, two to three Lincoln University students and their Lincoln faculty mentor will have the opportunity to conduct research in Malawi, jointly with UNIMA faculty and students.