Land Governance and Responsible Value Chain Management in the Wine Industry
The Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS) funded by the DSTI/NRF is pleased to announce an opportunity for doctoral students and postdocs to participate in a project on land governance and responsible value chain management in the wine industry, jointly funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Research Council of Norway (RCN).
This project, which will be conducted in partnership with the Wine & Agricultural Ethical Trade Association (WIETA), will investigate the key social and environmental tensions related to land use and landscape governance in the Western Cape wine industry, and how local collaborative models can be better employed to govern these. For more information, see the basic project summary here.
Who can apply
-Applications for PhD funding are invited from all eligible students with a Masters Degree in relevant fields.
-Applications for Postdoc funding are invited from all eligible students with a PhD qualification in relevant fields.
Relevant fields are any related to the sociology, political economy and ecology, anthropology, or development of the Western Cape’s farmed winelands, such as anthropology, sociology, economics or development studies.
Fluency in a relevant local language (Afrikaans and Xhosa) and the possession of a valid and current South African drivers’ licence will be an advantage.
How to apply
A prospective student should
- Be registered on the NRF Connect System https://nrfconnect.nrf.ac.za/
- Apply for this opportunity at https://form.jotform.com/MyUWC/sog-application-for-postgraduate
- When applying, you must upload Certified copies of your ID / Passport, and your Academic Transcript.
- Also sign and upload the 2025 Grantholder linked Student Agreement Form
Deadline for applications: 31 January 2026
For enquiries applicants are encouraged to contact the research or postgraduate offices at their universities.
Below, find the documentation that will assist you in completing your online application:
- NRF statement of expectation for postgraduate training (postgraduate funding policy)
- DSI–NRF postgraduate funding policy frequently asked questions
Grant conditions and details
The NRF minimum academic requirement for postgraduate funding is 65% for the previous degree. Successful applicants will be funded either at Full Cost of Study (FCS) or Partial Cost of Study (PCS).
The FCS funding will be awarded to South African citizens and Permanent Residents only, who are either financially needy (i.e., those whose combined household family income is less than or equal to R350 000 per annum), living with a disability or exceptional academic achievers.
However, the PCS funding will be awarded to 5% of international students including South African citizens and Permanent Residents who could not be funded under FCS but meet other minimum requirements for the NRF scholarship funding criteria . The scholarships are intended to support master’s and doctoral candidates to pursue studies in all areas of Science, Engineering, Technology, Social Sciences, and Humanities.
