Deadline: 24-Apr-24
Applications are now open for the “Burning Questions Initiative” (BQI) Fellowships for academic researchers.
Tiny Beam Fund’s flagship Burning Questions Initiative (BQI) was launched as a response to a specific need – the need for a much deeper understanding of the complex problems associated with large-scale, industrial animal agriculture, especially concerning low- and middle-income countries, and the need to translate the understanding into practical steps to address these problems.
Funding Information
Two categories of awards:
- Category 1: US$60,000 (for a single individual PhD-holder or a team of up to four individuals with a PhD-holder as the lead/PI).
- Category 2: US$45,000 (for a single individual PhD student close to completion of PhD or a team of up to four individuals with a PhD student as the lead/PI).
- Award period is nine months. Recipients must choose a start date within August 30 – November 30, 2024.
Burning Questions
- Production & Supply (PROD)
- PROD1: What is the impact of industrial animal agriculture (including animal feed) on achieving a just and sustainable food system, and on each of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?
- PROD2: What do they know about the current status and growth of industrial animal agriculture in LMICs, including the prevalence of industrial practices (versus other systems), the number of animals involved (by species), global supply chains, and government regulations?
- PROD3: How can non-industrial farm animal producers in LMICs make animal welfare and environmental improvements while also being profitable enough to resist the trend toward industrialization? What examples are there where this has occurred and what factors have enabled their success?
- PROD4: How will the increasing production and availability of alternative proteins(e.g., plant-based and cultivated meat) affect industrial animal agriculture in LMICs, including meat consumption, producers’ incomes, and greenhouse gas emissions from farmed animals?
- Governments & Policies (GOV)
- GOV1: What specific policies of the World Bank, World Trade Organization, and similar entities lead to the development and expansion of industrial animal agriculture in LMICs? What is the role of LMIC governments in this expansion?
- GOV2: What are the key supply-side drivers of the introduction and growth of industrial animal agriculture in LMICs? Are government policies and value chain activities significant and influential drivers (e.g., government subsidies to industry, free trade agreements, corporate marketing and partnerships with governments)?
- GOV3: What is the status of domestic regulatory oversight of industrial animal farming operations in LMICs and what actions are currently being taken by those governments to prevent, monitor, and mitigate public health and environmental impacts?
- Agribusiness & Value Chains (AGB)
- AGB1: What policies are needed to stop or slow the convergence of agribusiness and the oil/gas industry (e.g., using methane from anaerobic digesters on industrial animal farms to acquire carbon offset credits)?
- AGB2: What efforts or interventions are both effective and regionally/culturally appropriate to bring greater scrutiny to slow or stop the exportation of industrial animal farming practices to LMICs? What role do LMIC governments play in supporting such expansion?
- AGB3: What impact do food industry standards and voluntary corporate commitments have on meat consumption and animal welfare in LMICs? How can commitments made by companies in higher-income countries be expanded to other markets?
- AGB4: How can large supermarket chains in LMICs help decrease the price of cage-free eggs and normalize their consumption among all types of consumers?
- Economic And Financial Aspects (ECON)
- ECON1: How does industrial animal agriculture impact the economic growth and development of LMICs when “true cost” accounting is used (i.e., including ecological devastation, pollution, GHG emissions, negative public health outcomes, etc.)? How can these external costs be communicated effectively to decision makers and those who influence them in LMICs?
- ECON2: How do animal welfare improvements and “higher welfare” products affect the economics for producers in LMICs? How can welfare improvements that reduce costs or increase sales be communicated to producers and other stakeholders in LMICs?
- ECON3: How much funding is coming from international donors and intergovernmental organizations to further intensify industrial animal agriculture in LMICs? Are there documented environmental and social impacts resulting from these investments that can be used to stop or slow future investments?
- ECON4: In LMICs that export large quantities of animal-based food products, what are the most likely and effective economic scenarios that would reduce farmed animal production, for both export and for domestic consumption?
- Social Movements & Ngos (SOC)
- SOC1: How can different social movements (e.g., climate change, gender equality, hunger) and farmers’ group sin LMICs be persuaded and supported to work in a coordinated manner to address industrial animal agriculture? Are there any past successes that can serve as useful examples?
- SOC2: How can efforts to challenge industrial animal agriculture be globalized in meaningful ways, and more deeply connect those in LMICs with advocates and funding sources in higher-income countries?
- SOC3: What people, leaders, organizations, and resources in LMICs are currently working to slow or stop industrial animal agriculture? Have their efforts made a difference to the spread of industrial animal production in LMICs? How can future efforts be supported and scaled?
- Environmental Issues (ENV)
- ENV1: How do industrial animal agriculture and alternative farmed animal production systems impact air, land, water quality, and resource consumption in LMICs? How has the shift towards industrial animal production affected the production of human food crops?
- ENV2: What policies are needed to stop or slow the practice of “carbon leakage” (e.g., when companies shift industrial animal farming to LMICs to avoid regulations in higher-income countries)?
- Animal Welfare Issues (AW)
- AW1: How might advances in genetic editing and genetic modification of animals improve or worsen the welfare of farmed animals in LMICs?
- AW2: How informed about animal welfare practices are extension agents and veterinarians working in LMICs? How to help them learn about and apply best practices?
- AW3: Do farm animal welfare regulations (e.g., banning cages) tend to favor large-scale farmed animal production over non-industrial systems? What effects do these regulations have on consumption of animal-based products, especially in food insecure households in LMICs?
- AW4: What are the biggest welfare issues for farmed fish in semi-intensive farming systems in LMICs? What are the best improvements one can make to address these issues?
Eligibility Criteria
- Fellowship awards are given to individuals. They can be affiliated with academic institutions or independent researchers. Early career as well as senior academics are equally welcome to apply.
- Applicants must hold, or be close to completion of, a PhD (or equivalent degree).
- There are in general no restrictions as to applicants’ place of residence or citizenship. But they cannot provide funds to those prohibited by U.S. government’s sanction and other rules.
- The U.S. government defines a fellowship as an amount that is paid or allowed to an individual to aid that individual in the pursuit of personal research or scholarship, and there may be further conditions imposed on fellowship recipients by the fellowship provider. Recipients of Tiny Beam Fund’s BQI fellowships are allowed to use the award funds for:
- travel expenses
- accessing information (e.g. databases); purchasing supplies and equipments
- obtaining research assistance
- modest living and essential personal expenses (e.g. housing, food, taxes, healthcare, child care)
- securing teaching buyout and release time to concentrate on fellowship work.
For more information, visit Tiny Beam Fund.