Funded Projects

PhD Research Scholarship

Take a closer look on all the projects in this booklet, which was prepared for the ATSAF Academy Networking Event in September 2023.

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Publications:

• Asravor, J., Tsiboe, F., Asravor, R.K., Wiredu, A.N., Zeller, M.; 2023; Technology and managerial performance of farm operators by age in Ghana; Journal of Productivity Analysis; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11123-023-00679-y
• Tsiboe, F., Asravor, J., Owusu, V., Mensah-Bonsu, A.; 2022; Production technology, efficiency, and productivity of cereal farms: Prospects for enhancing farm performance in Ghana; Agricultural and Resource Economics Review; http://doi.org/10.1017/age.2022.16

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Publications:

• Awoke, M.D., Hafner, J., Kimaro, A.A., Lana, M.A., Löhr, K., Sieber, S.; 2023; Development of an integrated assessment framework for agroforestry technologies: assessing sustainability, barriers, and impacts in the semi-arid region of Dodoma, Tanzania; International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability; https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2023.2285161

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Publications:

• Baldivieso, C., Bonatti, M., Sieber, S.; 2023; “If the Pilcomayo River is lost, the Weenhayek people will be lost” – governance of fisheries and indigenous institutional diversity in southern Bolivia; Agroecology and Sustainable Food Sytems; https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2023.2233445

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Dissertation:

Balingbing, C.B.; 2025; Enhanced monitoring of insect pests in stored rice based on their sound signature and evaluation of attractants for storage insects; University of Kassel; https://doi.org/10.17170/kobra-2025050211093

Publications:

• Balingbing, C.B., Kirchner, S., Siebald, H., Hung, N.V., Hensel, O.; 2024; Determining the sound signatures of insect pests in stored rice grain using an inexpensive acoustic system; Food Security; https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-024-01493-6

• Balingbing, C.B., Kirchner, S., Siebald, H., Kaufmann, H., Gummert, M., Hung, N.V., Hensel, O.; 2024; Application of a multi-layer convolutional neural network model to classify major insect pests in stored rice detected by an acoustic device; Computers and Electronics in Agriculture; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2024.109297

• Nguyen, V.H., Gummert, M., Flor, R.J., Ouk, A., Keo, M., Hadi, B., Tho, K.E., Then, R., Choun, S., Hieu, P.T.M., Sattler, C., Conner, M., Sudarmanji, Htwe, N.M., Sandro, J.M., Balingbing, C., Singleton, G.R.; 2023; Innovations, Technologies, and Management Practices for Sustainable Rice Production; Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia. Springer, Cham.; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37947-5_4

• Pame, A.R.P., Vithoonjit, D., Meesang, N., Balingbing, C., Gummert, M., Nguyen, V.H., Singleton, G.R., Stuart, A.M.; 2023; Improving the Sustainability of Rice Cultivation in Central Thailand with Biofertilizers and Laser Land Leveling; Agronomy; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13020587

• Nguyen, V.H., Balingbing, C., Sandro, J., Khandai, S., Chea, H., Songmethakrit, T., Meas, P., Hitzler, G., Zwick, W., Viriyangkura, L., Bautista, E., Gummert, M.; 2022; Precision land leveling for sustainable rice production: case studies in Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, and India; Precision Agriculture; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-022-09900-8

• Sander, B.O., Romasanta, R., Stuerz, S., Gummert, M., Nguyen, H.V., Quilty, J., Balingbing, C., Sandro, J., Wassmann, R.; 2022; Effects of Straw Management on Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Rice Fields – a Matter of Timing; SSRN Electronic Journal; https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4163503

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Publications:

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Publications:

• Zheng, C., Bochmann, H., Liu, Z., Kant, J., Schrey, S., Wojciechowski, T., Postma, J.A.; 2023; Plant root plasticity during drought and recovery: What do we know and where to go?; Frontiers in Plant Sciences; https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1084355
• Mau, L., Junker, S., Bochmann, H., Mihiret, Y. E., Kelm, J.M., Schrey, S. D., Roessner, U., Schaaf, G., Watt, M., Kant, J., Arsova, B.; 2022; Root Growth and Architecture of Wheat and Brachypodium Vary in Response to Algal Fertilizer in Soil and Solution; Agronomy; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020285

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Publications:

• Chavez-Miguel, G., Bonatti, M., Ácevedo-Osorio, Á., Sieber, S., Löhr, K.; 2022; Agroecology as a community-based natural resource management approach for strengthening social cohesion and community resilience in post-conflict settings; GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society; https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.31.1.9
• Chavez-Miguel, G., Ácevedo-Osorio, Á., Castano Arcila, G., Löhr, K., Sieber, S., Bonatti, M.; 2022; Farmer-led education on the Colombian Andes: Escuelas Campesinas de Agroecología as a social learning approach for post-conflict reconstruction; Agroecology and Sustainable Food Sytems; https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2022.2092577
• Löhr, K., Aruqaj, B., Baumert, D., Bonatti, M., Brüntrup, M., Bunn, C., Castro-Nunez, A., Chavez-Miguel, G., Lilia Del Rio, M., Hachmann, S., Muñoz, H.C.M., Ollendorf, F., Rodriguez, T., Rudloff, B., Schorling, J., Schuffenhauer, A., Schulte, I., Sieber, S., Tadesse, S., Ulrichs, C., Vogel, C., Weinhardt, M.; 2021; Social Cohesion as the Missing Link between Natural Resource Management and Peacebuilding: Lessons from Cocoa Production in Côte d’Ivoire and Colombia; Sustainability; http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su132313002

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Publications:

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Publications:

• Deißler, L., Mausch, K., Grote, U., Karanja, A., McMullin, S.; 2024; Aspirations, ambitions and the adoption of diverse fruit trees – a case study of the livelihood effects in Kenya; Trees, Forests and People; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2024.100544
• Deißler, L., Mausch, K., Karanja, A., McMullin, S., Grote, U.; 2023; A complex web of interactions: Personality traits and aspirations in the context of smallholder agriculture; BAE Bio-based and Applied Economics; https://doi.org/10.36253/bae-13475

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Publications:

• Do, H., Whitney, C., La, N., Storm, H., Luedeling, E.; 2024; Adapting agroforestry to upland farming systems: narratives from smallholder farmers in Northwest Vietnam; Agronomy for Sustainable Development; https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-024-00954-8

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Publications:

• Hossain, M.S., Shabir, S., Toye, P., Thomas, L.F., Falcone, F.H.; 2023. Insights into the diagnosis, vaccines, and control of Taenia solium, a zoonotic, neglected parasite; Parasites & Vectors; https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-05989-6

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Publications:

• Islam, M.A., Pariyar, S., Krupnik, T.J., Becker, M.; 2024. Changing trends in crop management practices and performance attributes of rice-based systems of coastal Bangladesh; Frontiers; https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2024.1397474

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Publications:

• Joseph, J. E., Rao, K.P.C., Whitbread, A. M., Rötter, R. P.; 2025; How beneficial are seasonal climate forecasts for climate risk management? An appraisal for crop production in Tanzania; Climate Risk Management; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2024.100686
• Joseph, J. E., Akinseye, F. M., Worou, O. N., Faye, A., Konnte, O., Whitbread, A. M., Rötter, R. P.; 2023; Assessment of the relations between crop yield variability and the onset and intensity of the West African Monsoon; Agricultural and Forest Meteorology; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109431

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Publications:

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Publications:

• Maina, K.W., Parlasca, M.C., Rao, E.J.O., Qaim, M.; 2024; Farmer-friendly delivery of veterinary services: Experimental insights from the Kenyan dairy sector; Journal of Agricultural Economics; https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12585

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Publications:

• Abdulai, A., Mbabazi, E.G., Kikulwe, E.M., Gotor, E.; 2024; Information Flow and the Adoption of Soil-Improving and Water Conservation Measures, and Household Welfare: Insights from a Randomised Controlled Trial in Uganda; SSRN; https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4678456

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Publications:

• Oloo, R.D., Mrode, R., Ekine-Dzivenu, C.C., Ojango, J.M.K., Bennewitz, J., Gebreyohanes, G., Okeyo, A.M., Chagunda, M.G.G.; 2025; Genetic Relationships Among Resilience, Fertility and Milk Production Traits in Crossbred Dairy Cows Performing in Sub-Saharan Africa; Animal Breeding and Genetics; https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.12933
• Oloo, R.D., Ekine-Dzivenu, C.C., Mrode, R., Bennewitz, J., Ojango, J.M.K., Kipkosgei, G., Gebreyohanes, G., Okeyo, A.M., Chagunda, M.G.G.; 2024; Genetic analysis of phenotypic indicators for heat tolerance in crossbred dairy cattle; animal; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2024.101139
• Oloo, R.D., Mrode, R., Bennewitz, J., Chinyere, E.D., Ojango, J., Gebreyohanes, G., Mwai, O.A., Chagunda, M.G.G.; 2023; Potential for quantifying general environmental resilience of dairy cattle in sub-Saharan Africa using deviations in milk yield; Frontiers in Animal Science; https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1208158
• Oloo, R.D., Ojango, J.M.K., Ekine-Dzivenu, C.C., Gebreyohanes, G., Mrode, R., Mwai, O.A., Chagunda, M.G.G.; 2023; Enhancing individual animal resilience to environmental disturbances to address low productivity in dairy cattle performing in sub-Saharan Africa; Frontiers in Animal Science; https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1254877
• Oloo, R.D., Ekine-Dzivenu, C.C., Ojango, J.M.K., Gebreyohanes, G., Mrode, R., Mwai, O.A., Chagunda, M.G.G.; 2023; Opportunities to quantify resilience of dairy cattle to environmental stressors in sub-Saharan Africa; ILRI Research Report 113; Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.
• Oloo, R.D., Ekzine-Dzivenu, C.C., Ojango, J.M.K., Mrode, R., Mwai, A.O., Chagunda, M.G.G.; 2022; Testing phenotypes for degree of resilience using fluctuations in milk yield of dairy cows in sub-Saharan Africa; Proceedings of 12th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP); https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-940-4

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Publications:

• Pandey, A., Wu, L.-B., Murugaiyan, V., Schaaf, G., Ali, J., Frei, M.; 2023; Differential effects of arsenite and arsenate on rice (Oryza sativa) plants differing in glutathione S‑transferase gene expression; Environmental Science and Pollution Research; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-28833-x

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Dissertation:

Paudel, G.P.; 2025; Sustainable agricultural intensification, household welfare, and the environment in South Asia; University of Hannover; https://repo.uni-hannover.de/handle/123456789/19065

Publications:

• Paudel, G. P., Nguyen, T. T., Grote, U., 2024; Trade-offs between labour migration and agricultural productivity: Evidence from smallholder wheat systems in Nepal; Journal of International Development; https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3959
• Devkota, M., Devkota, K. P., Paudel, G. P., Krupnik, T.J., McDonald, A. J., 2024; Opportunities to close wheat yield gaps in Nepal's Terai: Insights from field surveys, on-farm experiments, and simulation modeling; Agricultural Systems; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103804
• Nguyen, T. T., Grote, U., Neubacher, F., Rahut, D.B., Do, M. H., Paudel, G. P.; 2023; Security risks from climate change and environmental degradation: implications for sustainable land use transformation in the Global South; Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101322
• Paudel, G.P., Charmberlin, J., Balwinder-Singh, Maharjan, S., Nguyen, T.T., Craufurd, P., McDonald, A.J.; 2023; Insights for climate change adaptation from early sowing of wheat in the Northern Indo-Gangetic Basin; International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103714
• Paudel, G. P., Gartaula, H., Rahut, D. B., Justice, S. E., Krupnik, T. J., McDonald, A. J.; 2023; The contributions of scale-appropriate farm mechanization to hunger and poverty reduction: evidence from smallholder systems in Nepal; Journal of Economics and Development; https://doi.org/10.1108/JED-10-2022-0201
• Paudel, G. P., Khanal, A. R., Rahut, D. B., Krupnik, T. J., McDonald, A. J.; 2022; Smart precision agriculture but resource constrained farmers: Is service provision a potential solution? Farmer’s willingness to pay for laser-land leveling services in Nepal; Smart Agricultural Technology; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2022.100084
• McDonald, A. J., Singh,b., Keil, A., Srivastava, A., Craufurd, P., Kishore, A., Kumar, V., Paudel, G. P., Singh, S., Singh, A. K., Sohane, R. K., Malik, R. K.; 2022; Time management governs climate resilience and productivity in the coupled rice-wheat cropping systems of eastern India; Nature Food; https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00549-0
• Paudel, G. P., Krishna, V. V., Rahut, D. B., McDonald, A. J.; 2022; Sustainable intensification under resource constraints: Estimating the heterogeneous effects of hybrid maize adoption in Nepal; Journal of Crop Improvement; https://doi.org/10.1080/15427528.2022.2066041
• Risal, A., Urfels, A., Srinivasan, R., Bayissa, Y., Shrestha, N., Paudel, G. P., Krupnik, T. J.; 2022; Impact of climate change on water resources and crop production in western Nepal: Implications and adaptation stratigies; Hydrology; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology9080132
• Brown, B., Paudel, G. P., Krupnik, T. J.; 2021; Visualizing adoption processes through a stepwise framework: A case study of mechanization on the Nepal Terai; Agricultural Systems; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103200
• Devkota, K. P., Devkota, M., Paudel, G. P., McDonald, A. J.; 2021; Coupling landscape-scale diagnostics surveys, on-farm experiments, and simulations to identify entry points for sustainably closing rice yield gaps in Nepal; Agricultural Systems; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103182
• Kandel, P., Kharel, K., Njoroge, A., Smith, B. W., Díaz-Valderrama, J. R., Timilsina, R. H., Paudel, G. P., Baributsa, D.; 2021; On-farm grain storage and challenges in Bagmati Province, Nepal; Sustainablity; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147959

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Publications:

• Surendran-Padmaja, S., Parlasca, M.C., Qaim, M., Krishna, V.V.; 2025; Private service provision contributes to widespread innovation adoption among smallholder farmers: Laser land levelling technology in northwestern India, Agricultural Water Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109411
• Surendran-Padmaja, S., Parlasca, M.C., Qaim, M., Krishna, V.V.; 2024; Private service provision contributes to widespread innovation adoption among smallholder farmers: Laser land levelling technology in northwestern India, ZEF – Discussion Papers on Development Policy No. 346, Center for Development Research, Bonn, May 2024, pp. 31.
• Surendran-Padmaja, S., Khed, V. D., Krishna, V. V.; 2023; What would others say? Exploring gendered and caste-based social norms in Central India through vignettes; Woman's Studies International Forum; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2023.102692

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Dissertation:

Tiozon, R.N.Jr.; 2024; Unraveling the genetic diversity and nutritional properties of pigmented rice; University of Potsdam; https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/index/index/year/2025/docId/66971

Publications:

• Tiozon, R.N.Jr., Lenaerts, B., Kor, S., Demont, M., Fernie, A.R., Nese Sreenivasulu, N.; 2024; Low glycemic index rice: a healthier diet for countering diabetes epidemic in Asia; Trends in Plant Science; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2024.11.003
• Herath, A., Tiozon, R.N.Jr., Kretzschmar, T., Sreenivasulu, N., Mahon, P., Butardo, V.Jr., 2024; Machine learning approach for high-throughput phenolic antioxidant screening in black Rice germplasm collection based on surface FTIR; Food Chemistry; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140728
• Badoni, S., Pasion-Uy, E.A., Kor, S., Kim, S-R., Tiozon, R.N.Jr., Misra, G., Buenafe, R.J.Q., Labarga, L.M., Ramos-Castrosanto, A.R., Pratap, V., Slamet-Loedin, I., von Steimker, J., Alseekh, S., Fernie, A.R., Kohli, A., Khush, G.S., Sreenivasulu, N.; 2024; Multiomics of a rice population identifies genes and genomic regions that bestow low glycemic index and high protein content; Agricultural Sciences; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2410598121
• Tiozon, R.N.Jr., Alseekh , S., Fernie, A.R., Bonto, A.P., Yu, J., Buenafe, R.J.Q., Sreenivasulu, N.; 2024; Comprehensive lipidomic insights of differentially accumulating lipids in large pigmented rice sprout collection and the changes in the starch composition upon germination; Food Chemistry; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140677
• Itagi, H.B., Sartagoda, K.J.D., Gupta, N., Pratap, V., Roy, P., Tiozon, R.N.Jr., Regina, A., Sreenivasulu, N.; 2023; Popped rice with distinct nutraceutical properties; LWT - Food Science and Technology; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2022.114346
• Itagi, H.B., Sartagoda, K.J.D., Gupta, N., Pratap, V., Roy, P., Tiozon, R.N.Jr., Regina, A., Sreenivasulu, N.; 2023; Enriched nutraceuticals in gluten-free whole grain rice cookies with alternative sweeteners; LWT - Food Science and Technology; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2023.115245
• Tiozon, R.N. Jr., Sreenivasulu, N., Alseekh, S., Sartagoda, K.J.D., Usadel, B., Fernie, A.R.; 2023; Metabolomics and machine learning technique revealed that germination enhances the multi-nutritional properties of pigmented rice; Communications Biology; https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05379-9
• Tiozon, R.N.Jr., Buenafe, R.J.Q., Jain, V., Sen, P., Molina, L.R., Anacleto, R., Sreenivasulu, N.; 2023; Machine learning technique unraveled subspecies-specific ionomic variation with the preferential mineral enrichment in rice; Cereal Chemistry; https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10706
• Tiozon, R.N. Jr., Fettke, J., Sreenivasulu, N., Fernie, A.R.; 2023; More than the main structural genes: Regulation of resistant starch formation in rice endosperm and its potential application; Journal of Plant Physiology; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2023.153980
• Sreenivasulu, N., Zhang, C., Tiozon, R.N. Jr., Liu, Q.; 2022; Post-genomics revolution in the design of premium quality rice in a high-yielding background to meet consumer demands in the 21st century; Plant Communications; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2021.100271
• Buenafe, R.J., Tiozon, R.N.Jr., Boyd, L.A., Sartagoda, K.J., Sreenivasulu, N.; 2022; Mathematical modeling to predict rice's phenolic and mineral content through multispectral imaging; Food Chemistry Advances; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focha.2022.100141
• Sreenivasulu, N., Alseekh, S., Tiozon, R.N. Jr., Graner, A., Martin, C., and Fernie, A.; 2022; Metabolic Signatures from Genebank Collections: An Underexploited Resource for Human Health?; Annu. Rev. Food Sci. Technol.; https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-food-060822-113022
• Tiozon, R.N. Jr., Sartagoda, K., Serrano, L., Fernie, A.R., Sreenivasulu, N.; 2022; Metabolomics based inferences to unravel phenolic compound diversity in cereals and its implications for human gut health; Trends in Food Science & Technology; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2022.06.011
• Tiozon, R.N. Jr., Sartagoda, K., Fernie, A.R., Sreenivasulu, N.; 2021; The nutritional profile and human health benefit of pigmented rice and the impact of post-harvest processes and product development on the nutritional components: A review; Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition; https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1995697

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Publications:

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