Scholarship / The Promotion - a situation when it was important for you to work with someone you didn't know. [4]

Describe a situation when it was important for you to work with someone you didn't know.

Describe how you built a good working relationship in a school or work setting.

During my ultimate year in the University, as the manner is, I was to be assigned to a research supervisor amongst lecturers in my department; however, this was not the case as I was assigned to a research supervisor whom I never knew from another department but similar to mine due to shortage of lecturers in my department. This was a big challenge to me as my supervisor had little knowledge in my field of study and it was important for me to work with her as my research project was a requirement for the award of a Bachelors degree.

Having known that my research supervisor was from a different field of study, I had to source for online materials relating to my research work so she can be familiar with. I also worked together with other students that were assigned to her by asking them to also source out for available materials while I worked closely with the research supervisor. I was there to suggest possible ways so as to make the research work easier for both of us and for my team members as well. During this period, she was appraised by the university authorities for promotion, I volunteered in typing and binding all her publications together for submission. She developed trust in me such that I sometimes work in her office all alone while she was away. I enjoyed working with her as she was concerned about my challenges and welfare and always ready to support me.

I was the first to complete my research project including bench work. I was declared by the head of department as the best student in research project and presentation and the final outcome included an "A". My time with my research supervisor also resulted in her promotion from a senior lecturer to an associate professor that same year. As a result of this, my research supervisor assigned me to be her personal research assistant after my graduation as I now work closely with her in publishing research articles and guiding her research students due to her health condition.

Scholarship / How will you use your new skills and knowledge to contribute to the development of your home country [4]

How will you use your new skills and knowledge to contribute to the development of your home country?

Farmers Aid Foundation

Upon returning to Nigeria after completing my Master's degree in food technology, I look forward to using my newly acquired skills and knowledge to build a foundation called "Farmers Aid Foundation (FAF) geared towards increasing food productivity and quality. FAF will achieve its objectives through partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Our core activity will be educating and organizing training platforms to rural commercial farmers on the use of modern food processing and preservation techniques and post-harvest storage systems that I hope to gain and also providing these farmers with storage infrastructures. Most farmers rely on obsolete machines, traditional processing and storage methods which is responsible for the huge food losses. Through this foundation, perishable food losses would be reduced, quality of food products will also be maintained and the prevalence of hunger will be reduced in the country.

I also have plans on applying as a part time researcher in the food processing technology department of the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI). As a researcher, I will introduce the modern food processing techniques and post-harvest technologies that I hope to gain. I will also focus on the research and development of my country's local raw materials that are underutilized and transforming them into value added food products. This will increase their utilization and cultivation in the country and also confer huge financial benefits to farmers which in turn will help to curb the problem of unemployment.

Scholarship / Skills and knowledge I hope to gain and how these skills are important to my country's development [3]

modern food processing knowledge and problem solving skills

What skills and knowledge do you hope to gain from your proposed programme of study?
Why are the skills and knowledge you have described above important to your country's development?

My proposed programme of study is Food Technology which relates to the study subject recommended for my country "Food security and Agriculture" as it deals with the processing, preserving and manufacturing of safe, wholesome and nutritious food products thereby making food available and accessible to individuals.

During my proposed progamme of study, I specifically hope to acquire an in-depth knowledge of modern food processing and preservation techniques (such as canning, freezing, dehydration, irradiation, high pressure processing, etc) needed to produce safe, nutritious, wholesome and desirable foods. Old methods by which foods are being processed and preserved in Nigeria by famers include smoking, curing, salting, refrigeration and roasting which is time consuming, laborious and inefficient.

Currently, I own a cashew farm and our activities involve planting, storage and processing of cashew nuts. Most cashew farmers rely on traditional storage and packaging techniques such as use of wooden boxes, sacks and jute which damages food produce. As the chief executive/operating officer, I hope to acquire an in-depth knowledge of emerging post-harvest storage and packaging techniques of these fresh agricultural produce such as modified atmosphere packaging, application of robotic and machineries, vacuum packaging, etc.

I also feel I need to develop my skill in research, problem solving and creative thinking which will enable me to recognize problems and their causes, and then proffer possible solutions. This will also help me to identify some of the underutilized agricultural plants in Nigeria and look out for possible ways to add value to them.

According to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development, the current challenges facing the agricultural sector in Nigeria includes poor post harvest and storage infrastructures, dormant research facilities and limited food processing technologies. Nigeria produces millions of tonnes of raw food materials that can be transformed into various usable products for local and export markets; however, the food processing industry in the country lacks adequate post harvest infrastructural facilities and technologies for the processing and storage of these foods which results to enormous food wastage particularly perishable commodities. Also, according to the Nigeria's voice, Nigeria wastes foods worth $750bn yearly while 30-40% of the many foods produced are ultimately wasted leaving millions of the population to high prevalence of hunger. Food Aid International (FAI) has it that about 3,000 people die daily of hunger. Out of the country's population of 180 million, nearly 14 million go hungry daily with half of them being underfed. Also, according to the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN), food waste in Nigeria is due to poor food processing and preservation techniques. Therefore, the skills and knowledge described are important in order to reposition these agricultural developmental challenges in the country, increase food availability and also reduce the ecological footprint of food production for human consumption. They are also of importance so as to help reduce food waste/losses, increase the level of food processing technology and bring about value addition which will further reduce the high rate of hunger in the country.