The University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town, South Africa, is inviting applications for two doctoral research positions under the Digital Agrarian Futures project, a collaborative initiative with the University of Cologne in Germany.
The scholarship opportunity is aimed at emerging researchers interested in examining how digital technologies are reshaping agriculture, rural economies, labour relations, ownership, and food systems in Africa. Successful candidates will undertake doctoral research within the field of Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies and will be based primarily at UWC, with opportunities to spend time in Cologne, Germany.
The project focuses specifically on the evolving digital agrarian futures and associated political and socioeconomic dynamics among farmers in Kenya and Tanzania.
About the Digital Agrarian Futures Project
Digital Agrarian Futures is a joint research project between UWC and the University of Cologne that seeks to understand how digitalisation is transforming agrarian economies and rural societies.
The research examines the politics surrounding emerging digital agricultural systems, including questions of ownership, power, labour, finance, class, gender, and generational relations.
PhD applicants are expected to develop research topics that align with one of three central themes:
- Financialisation and data ownership: examining how financial systems, digital technologies, agricultural data, and ownership structures are changing agrarian economies.
- Labour, class, gender and generational relations: investigating how digitalisation affects rural labour, social relations, inequalities, and opportunities among different groups.
- Corporate power and food-system transformation: analysing the influence of corporations and digital platforms on agricultural production, food systems, markets, and rural communities.
Applicants are expected to develop a compelling and well-grounded doctoral research topic within one of these areas.
PhD Scholarship Structure
The programme will select two PhD candidates based on their academic qualifications and the quality of their proposed research topics.
Successful candidates will:
- Be registered in Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at UWC.
- Be based at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town.
- Spend part of their research period in Cologne, Germany.
- Conduct research connected to the Digital Agrarian Futures project.
- Contribute to broader research examining social-ecological transformation and future-making in Africa.
The opportunity is particularly relevant to researchers seeking to explore the intersection of digital technology, agriculture, development, political economy, rural livelihoods, and social transformation.
Research Context
The Digital Agrarian Futures project forms part of the Collaborative Research Center CRC-TRR 228 “Future Rural Africa: Future-making and social-ecological transformation.”
The broader research centre brings together universities and research institutions from Germany and Africa to investigate emerging processes of social-ecological transformation and the ways African societies shape and negotiate their futures.
Through this collaboration, PhD candidates will have the opportunity to participate in an international research environment connecting African and European academic institutions.
Who Should Apply?
The doctoral positions are intended for suitably qualified applicants with an academic background relevant to the research themes of the project.
Applicants should be able to demonstrate strong academic preparation and the ability to develop an original, theoretically informed, and researchable PhD topic.
Particular consideration will be given to the quality and relevance of the proposed research concept, especially its connection to one of the three Digital Agrarian Futures themes.
Required Application Documents
Applicants are required to submit several documents through the designated application form. These include:
- Curriculum Vitae: A full CV outlining academic, professional, research, and relevant field experience.
- Three-page concept note: A fully referenced proposal outlining the proposed PhD research topic. The concept note should clearly demonstrate how the proposed research connects to one of the project’s core themes.
- Cover letter: The letter should explain the applicant’s career trajectory, goals for undertaking the PhD and longer-term aspirations, as well as the skills and experience they would contribute to the project.
- Highest degree certificate: Evidence of the applicant’s highest academic qualification.
- University transcript: Academic records supporting the applicant’s qualifications.
- Identity document or passport: A scanned copy of a valid identification document or passport.
Uploaded files must comply with the requirements specified in the application form, with each supported file subject to a maximum size of 10 MB.
What Applicants Should Highlight
A competitive application should clearly connect the applicant’s academic and professional background with the proposed doctoral research.
The concept note should present a focused research problem rather than a broad discussion of digital agriculture. Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of the relevant literature, identify an important research gap, formulate appropriate research questions, and explain the potential contribution of the proposed study.
Applicants should also clearly indicate how their research could contribute to understanding digital agrarian transformations in Kenya, Tanzania, or the wider African context.
How to Apply
Applications for the Digital Agrarian Futures PhD Scholarship are submitted through the designated online application form provided by the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape.
Applicants should ensure that all required information and supporting documents are completed and uploaded before submitting the application. The application requires personal details, nationality and residence information, academic qualifications, and the specified research and supporting documents.
The scholarship presents an opportunity for doctoral researchers to join an international research collaboration examining some of the emerging political, economic, technological, and social dimensions of Africa’s changing agrarian landscape.
