Staff Promotions
EVENTS IN AND AROUND THE COLLEGE
PhD Nottingham student comes to BCA
Mr. Ibraheem Alshareef, a student of Professor Sayed Azam-Ali of the University of Nottingham, came to Botswana for his field work. The student was attached to Professor Abu Sesay of the Department of Crop Science and Production (CSP), making field measurements on the response of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L.) - BAMLINK, to heat and soil moisture stress as part of his PhD research. Professor Sesay is also the BAMLINK Botswana Project Coordinator.
The BAMLINK Project is an international collaborative research project that aims to:
Mr. Ibraheem Alshareef is originally from Libya, obtained his BSc in Environmental Science and Master in Plant Ecophysiology from Sebha University in Libya. The attachment will strengthen the link between BCA and the University of Nottingham.
The Parliamentary Agriculture and Environmental Committee visit
The College conducted a tour for members of the Parliamentary Agriculture and Environmental Committee on the 11th February 2008, led by their Chairman Mr De Graaf, also the MP for Ghantsi. Members were taken on a conducted tour of the College facilities and the farms. The committee was also briefed on the activities of the College by the then Principal, Mr Edward Kemsley. They were briefed on the following topics:
College Enrolment: College has a total enrolment of 977 students, a third of who are females. 244 of the students are pursuing Higher Diplomas, 729 BSc. and 14 MSc in various programmes offered by the College.
College Academic Staffing: College has 99 staff members, 83 of whom are citizens with qualifications in various agricultural disciplines. Of the 83 citizen staff members, two are Professors, two Associate Professors, 14 Senior Lecturers and 41 lecturers. The College has a total of 38 citizen PhD holders.
Services Offered: The College has a registered Consultancy company known as BCA Consult. The company offers services in commissioned consultancy, contract research and development and professional development programmes. These services are designed primarily to assist Government, Parastatal organisations, agricultural institutions and enterprises, manufacturers, non-governmental and international organizations in Botswana and the SADC region. The visitors were also informed that the College has linkages with local, regional and international organisations for research collaboration and service delivery in the agricultural supply chain.
Students Projects: The Student Enterprise Project (SEP) aims to equip agricultural graduates from the College with entrepreneurial skills that make them better equipped and prepared for self-employment, or for employment by the private sector. In this programme graduating students are given loans by the College, repayable at the end of the project. The Students carry out the projects at the College for about 10 months under the supervision of expert staff to gain hands-on experience. The profits realised in the projects are meant to empower students to have starting capital to venture into agri-business.
College Projects: During the NDP 9, the College is putting up new facilities for teaching, student accommodation, staff offices, and making improvements to residential houses for staff. The expanded facilities will enhance teaching and research and the welfare of both staff and students.
Dr Chepete attends the CIGR International
Dr. Hakgamalang. J. Chepete attended the Commission Internationale du Génie Rural (CIGR) Section II Working Group international workshop on “Animal Housing in Hot Climates” (WG-AHHC). It was held in Cairo, Egypt, from 1 to 4 April, 2007. Its membership comprises of about 30 experts from around the world. The mission of CIGR Section II was to anticipate the trend in farm buildings, including animal houses, greenhouses, and stores and to initiate activities that could encourage a continuous development within the area by organizing working groups and symposiums. The section furthermore seeks to promote networks between the engaged parties (scientists, departments, industry, etc.). The Section is in close contact with other international organizations such as EurAgEng and ASABE.
The workshop brought together experts from across the world (Africa, Europe, America, Asia) who work on animal housing systems. The major emphasis of the discussions was on animal housing systems that reduce heat stress on animals. Several scientific presentations on various topics such as environmental control, structural design, animal behaviour, etc were made.
A technical visit was made to Dina Farm which had some 1500 milking dairy cows in the desert. Water was obtained from underground (boreholes) and fodder was grown under irrigation. Dr Chepete had a chance to cruise along the Nile River. After the workshop, he visited the Giza Egyptian pyramids where he toured the area on horse-back and camel-back. He described the experience as amazing and a wonderful.
AEL Remote Sensing application grows astronomically
When The Department of Agricultural Engineering (AEL) starts to offer advanced training in remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to postgraduate students next year, the department staff will be more than ready to take up the challenge. There are at least four academic staff members and one technician who are trained in the subject area. All the staff is currently involved in research projects that use the technology. Remote sensing was first introduced at AEL department in 2003 by Dr Rejoice Tsheko through a UNESCO funded project on the “Application of Remote Sensing for Integrated Management of Ecosystems and Water Resources in Africa.” During those formative years, Dr Tsheko worked with Dr. Mataba Tapela, Ms Ellen Thipe, and the late Michael Mhlachwa to produce a landcover map of the Bobirwa Sub District. It was through the same project that the department established the Geoinformatics laboratory, and started teaching remote sensing and geographical information systems to undergraduate students. Since then, activity in remote sensing applications has grown.
Professor Parida of the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Botswana is also a co-investigator in this project. Dr. Tapela and Mr. Dikeme are also doing a six weeks training in remote sensing with ITC through distance education. Dr. Tapela hopes to apply the skills acquired in his research on non-point pollution by agrochemicals in the Pandamatenga farms, as well as in the Desert margins Program, to assess the extent of land degradation. Remote sensing applications in the department have grown phenomenally. Staff members in the remote sensing unit of the department are often invited to national planning workshops and meetings organized by the departments of Surveys and Mapping, and Meteorology.
