Proposals of topics of dissertation theses for academic year

2016/2017
Study Field: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and
Subtropics

Department: Department of Economics and Development

1. prof. Ing. Patrick Van Damme, Ph.D. | Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D.
Market chain analysis of neglected and underutilised crop species

2. prof. Ing. Patrick Van Damme, Ph.D. | Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D.
Neglected and under-utilised crop species: Their implications to household economy and
biodiversity conservation

3. prof. Ing. Patrick Van Damme, Ph.D. | Ing. Petra Chaloupková, Ph.D.
Consumers attitudes to dietary supplements: Example of the Czech Republic

4. doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D. | RNDr. Ing. Tomáš Ratinger, Ph.D.
Future of small scale farming in the globalised world

5. doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D. | RNDr. Ing. Tomáš Ratinger, Ph.D.
CGE model of an African country to study impact of agricultural/food/trade policies

6. doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D. | Dipl. Kfm. Tomáš Hes, Ph.D.
Performance of private MFIs and financial cooperatives

7. prof. Ing. Patrick Van Damme, Ph.D. | Ing. Jiří Hejkrlík, Ph.D.
Impact of ethical trading practices of the Czech companies on international food supply chains
and small producers in developing countries

8. doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D. | Ing. Václav Kožený, MBA, Ph.D.
Genetic algorithms for credit scoring

9. doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D. | Ing. Alexander Kandakov, Ph.D.

The role of information transfer in market access strategy for agricultural sector in the Republic
of Moldova
Department: Sustainable Technologies
1. doc. Ing. Vladimír Krepl, CSc. | Ing. Petr Hutla, CSc.
Production of Bio – Ethanol from Iraqi sugar cane Molasses and Evaluation of its Potential
(Renewable Sources of Energy)

2. doc. Ing. Vladimír Krepl, CSc. | Ing. Pavel Burian, Ph.D.

Impact of new postharvest technology to the Amhara National Regional Economy /Ethiopia/

3. doc. Ing. Vladimír Krepl, CSc. | Ing. Pavel Burian, Ph.D.

Rehabilitation of postharvest technology in Ethiopia – focused towards Grain milling and Edible
oil processing

4. doc. Ing. Vladimír Krepl, CSc. |Ing. Pavel Burian, Ph.D.

Energy production from cottonseed oil processing waste in the Eastern Ethiopia

5. prof. Bohumil Havrland | Ing. Tatiana Ivanova, Ph.D.

Quality assessment of advanced torrefied solid biofuels made of agro residues

6. doc. Ing. Jan Banout, Ph.D.

Impact assessment of selected pollutants on the quality of freshwater fish meat and food chain
in Cambodia.

7. doc. Dr. Ing. Eloy Fernández Cusimamani

Rescue and recognition of traditional and ancestral knowledge about medicinal plants, their
properties and uses in the county of Cauca, Republic of Colombia in order to increase the
income in native communities
Department: Department of Economics and Development
1) Topic: Market chain analysis of neglected and underutilised crop
species
Field of study: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics

Supervisor: prof. Ing. Patrick Van Damme, Ph.D.

Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D.
Food security and economic development suffer from a
declining number of plant species. Recent focus on
underutilised species seem to be one strategy how to improve
the livelihoods of the rural poor by generating income,
supporting food security and improving nutrition. The
objective of the research will be to obtain insight in the
structure and functioning of the markets of plant species that
are useful for local population. Specifically, (i) to identify all
chain actors involved in the market(s) and describe their
characteristics, activities and linkages, (ii) to map the
market(s) and to analyse the market chain of those products
and (iv) to formulate possible scenarios on how to add more
value as well as how to better organise their market chains.

2) Topic: Neglected and under-utilised crop species: Their implications

to household economy and biodiversity conservation
Field of study: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics

Supervisor: prof. Ing. Patrick Van Damme, Ph.D.

Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D.
Neglected or minor crops represent species that are
marginally traded at global level. However, those species
usually receive a great importance at household or village
levels in both developed and developing countries. It is
believed that the more diverse farming systems are more
resilient, enhancing food and nutrition security, and
contribution to more stable (and higher) production and/or
cash income. Beside that, maintaining biodiversity in farming
systems is important for providing regulatory ecosystem
services such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, soil
erosion control, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or
control of hydrological processes.
 3) Topic: Consumers attitudes to dietary supplements: Example of the
Czech Republic
Field of study: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics

Supervisor: prof. Ing. Patrick Van Damme, Ph.D.

Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
Ing. Petra Chaloupková, Ph.D.
The general objective of the thesis is to determine whether
Czech citizens are interested in dietary supplements available
at the Czech market and to analyse consumer behaviour. The
specific attention will be given to the products included in
dietary supplements coming from tropical areas. The research
will be based on primary data collection through
questionnaire survey and compared with the results of similar
studies done in different countries.

4) Topic: Future of small scale farming in the globalised world

Field of study: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics

Supervisor: doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D.

Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
RNDr. Ing. Tomáš Ratinger, Ph.D.
During several last decades, world agriculture significantly
commercialised and industrialised. During this process, farms
have grown in size. However, there are still many places
where subsistence and semi-subsistence farms play an
important role. In many regions, subsistence and semi-
subsistence farms co-exist with commercial farms well
integrated in the food supply chain. The objective of this PhD
study is to review theoretical concepts and empirical studies
on very small farms in relation to food security, employment
opportunities and public goods provided by these farms, and
to build up a farm level model for a selected region to test
relevant scenarios of future development of this small scale
farming sector. The methodology should combine quantitative
modelling with opinions of experts from academia,
international organisations, NGOs and local bodies. There are
two options for modelling: i) to develop a set of farm level
models representing various farm types, or ii) to build an
agricultural sector model with the division to commercial and
semi-subsistence sub-sectors. Models will be programming
based.
 5) Topic: CGE model of an African country to study impact of
agricultural/food/trade policies
Field of study: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics

Supervisor: doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D.

Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
RNDr. Ing. Tomáš Ratinger, Ph.D.
Most African governments apply policies to combat poverty
and malnutrition, to encourage higher yields and to stimulate
food supply to urban areas. The objective of the research is to
analyse these policies on the case of a country using dynamic
CGE model in scenarios and draw recommendations for policy
makers.

6) Topic: Performance of private MFIs and financial cooperatives

Field of study: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics

Supervisor: doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D.

Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
Dipl. Kfm. Tomáš Hes, Ph.D.
Analysis of the relative performance of private MFIs and
financial cooperatives on selected socio -economic indicators
and the impact of the offered products, such as credit and
savings in the attempt to express what types of institutions
are providing higher added value to clientele and in what
intensity they change selected socio -economic indicators,
such as women's employment, education or level of material
well-being. Analysis of primary data of selected institutions on
the background of global data structured in the major regions
of the world trying to understand the logics, risks and
potentials of the development of the microfinance and
cooperative sector and their intersections. The output is a
recommendation for the support of the microfinance and
cooperative sector. The research will be financed by the
student, possibly in collaboration with ongoing projects.

7) Topic: Impact of ethical trading practices of the Czech companies

on international food supply chains and small producers in
developing countries
Field of study: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics

Supervisor: prof. Ing. Patrick Van Damme, Ph.D.

Supervisor-consultant: Ing. Jiří Hejkrlík, Ph.D.
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
Responsibility of retailers, brands, and suppliers to improve
the working conditions of the disadvantaged people in its
supply chains has become one of the major issues in
development discourse even in the Czech Republic.
International and Czech donors invest into the improvement
of international value chains and their impact on small
producers significant resources. Corporate Social
Responsibility, social responsible sourcing of products from
suppliers in developing countries and private ethical
certifications of value chains are becoming important topic for
public debate as well. There are several private and
government initiatives in the country and the turnover of
ethical products is growing significantly. However, any
systematic knowledge and understanding of this phenomenon
in the context of Central Europe is lacking. The thesis will
focus on analysis of current situation and potential of ethical
trading practices in the Czech Republic. It will critically
compare various approaches to the ethical management of
international food supply chains of national and international
companies active in the Czech Republic and their impact on
small farmers in developing countries. Topic will cover private
certifications systems (Fairtrade, UTZ, Rainforest Alliance,
SA8000 etc.), various government and EU interventions, self-
regulation activities of retailers and multinationals, together
with understanding of ethical consumerism as a source of
demand for ethically sourced and traded products.

8) Topic: Genetic algorithms for credit scoring

Field of study: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics

Supervisor: doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D.

Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
Ing. Václav Kožený, MBA, Ph.D.
Credit scoring methods have been widely investigated so far.
However, genetic algorithms have recently attracted
particular attention. Many research papers comparing the
performance of genetic algorithms and traditional scoring
techniques, but most do not provide enough detail about the
fitness function used by the genetic algorithm, despite the
fact that fitness function has a key influence on the model’s
overall performance. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the
predictive performance of different fitness functions used by
genetic algorithms in credit scoring.

9) Topic: The role of information transfer in market access strategy for


Field of study:
Supervisor:
Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
Department:
1) Topic:
Field of study:
Supervisor:
Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
agricultural sector in the Republic of Moldova
Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics
doc. Ing. Karel Srnec, Ph.D.
Ing. Alexander Kandakov, Ph.D.
Czech ODA project in Moldova
The dissertation will be oriented on the analysis of economic
situation of the Republic of Moldova with specific focus on its
rural regions. Primarily, it will deal with current state and
future perspectives of agricultural information collection,
processing, dissemination and practical use. The aim of the
thesis will be identification of the main sources and channels
of information transfers in rural areas. The role of responsible
agricultural information services, methods of information
collection and processing and their efficiency will be studied.
The benefits of information transfers for small and medium-
scale farmers will be analysed and evaluated. The project is
considering both, primary and secondary data sources as an
object of analysis. Particularly the quality of the data will be
under scrutiny. For data processing the standard
mathematical and statistical methods (time series analysis,
regression analysis, discriminate and cluster analysis and Data
envelopment analysis (DEA) techniques) will be used.
Sustainable Technologies
Production of Bio – Ethanol from Iraqi sugar cane Molasses
and Evaluation of its Potential (Renewable Sources of
Energy)
Sustainable Rural
Development*in
the Tropics and
Subtropics *
Doc. Ing. Vladimír Krepl, CSc.
Ing. Petr Hutla, CSc.
Cooperation with the University of Baghdad, College of
Agriculture Abu Ghraib. Tentative agreement. Iraqi candidate
… self-payer.
Nowadays the petroleum products are running out of race
due to unbalanced relation between supply and demand
besides air pollution of sources. Fossil fuels are the primary
global transportation energy source, but are also a limited
resource. In addition, their continued use amplifies levels of
SOx, NOx, Cox, and CO2 in the atmosphere, leading to
 increased acid rain and global greenhouse gas concentrations.
The hike in petrol cost is mainly due to shortage of resources
which leads to search for alternate fuel to replace fossil fuel.
An eco - friendly bio-ethanol is one such alternate fuel that
can be used in unmodified petrol engines with current fueling
infrastructure and it is easily applicable in present day
combustion engine, as mixing with gasoline (Hansen et al.,
2005).
Combustion of bio-ethanol results in relatively low emission of
volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and nitrogen
oxides.
The emission and toxicity of bio-ethanol are lower than those
of fossil fuels such as petroleum, diesel etc., (Wyman &
Hinman), 1990
Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is a perennial grass
most often grown in the Southern Iraq in the Missan
governorate for production sugar and molasses; however the
sugar s extracted from sugarcane can be easily fermented to
produce ethanol. Sugarcane is considered an ideal energy
crop because it produces readily fermentable sugars and very
high yields of green biomass. Saccharomyces Cerevisiae is the
cheapest strain available for the conversion of biomass
substrate.
In this study, it is used for bio-ethanol production from Iraqi
sugar cane molasses. The influencing parameters that effect
the production of bio-ethanol from sugar cane molasses will
be optimized.
The research and particular laboratory tests will be provide at
CULS Prague, in the Research Institute of Agriculture
Engineering and the University of Baghdad, College of
Agriculture Abu Ghraib.
With respect to the fact that until present time nobody carry
out the research of molasses from Iraqi sugarcane from the
energetic viewpoint, the theme of thesis is possible consider
as original one.

2) Topic: Impact of new postharvest technology to the Amhara

National Regional Economy /Ethiopia/

Field of study: Sustainable Rural

Development*in
the Tropics and
Subtropics *
Supervisor: Doc. Ing. Vladimír Krepl, CSc.
Supervisor-consultant: Ing. Pavel Burian, Ph.D.
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
3) Topic:
Field of study:
Supervisor:
Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
Ministry of Industry Ethiopia + Aid for Trade – MPO ČR
The Amhara National regional State is the second most
populated regional state of Ethiopia.
Like the national economy, the region’s economy is
dominated by agriculture which is largely characterized by
smallholder.
The region economy has been growing at higher rate for the
last ten years and it has significant influence on the national
economy.
There is conventional thinking that believes “output is fixed by
pre-harvest practices”. This thinking has influenced many
countries to focus on pre-harvest and give little attention to
postharvest technologies. There has been a strong challenge
to this argument and postharvest technology is getting much
emphasis as an intervention to increase agricultural
production and to reduce food insecurity. The objective of the
thesis is to investigate the impact of new postharvest
technology on the Amhara National Regional Economy.
The hypothesis is that the introduction of new postharvest
technology substantially improves farmers’ productivity and
equity. It is proposed that by tapping the large irrigation
potential of the region, the introduction of new postharvest
technology will have a significant impact on yield increase
through time saving and improving labor productivity.
Furthermore, the study will cover the role of new postharvest
technology for rural transformation of the region by
strengthening human resources development in rural areas.
Rehabilitation of postharvest technology in Ethiopia –
focused towards Grain milling and Edible oil processing
Sustainable Rural
Development*in
the Tropics and
Subtropics *
Doc. Ing. Vladimír Krepl, CSc.
Ing. Pavel Burian, Ph.D.
Ministry of Industry Ethiopia + Aid for Trade – MPO ČR
The information from National Millers Association of Ethiopia
confirmed increasing importance of the sector and its
important role in import substitution for food-processing
industry products. Nowadays, Ethiopia is not fully self-reliant
in terms of food security in grain milling and bakery products
industry. Ethiopia's total production of grain is not adequate
to meet its demand; the national production only meets 65%
of the country's requirements.
 The deplorable technical state of machines and equipment for
milling grain and pressing oils is the current big problem in
Ethiopia. Main objective of the thesis is to design the
technological process-flow guideline for the repair and
reconstruction of mills and machinery for the production of
edible oils. Proposal for developing a methodology for training
in maintenance and repair of machines will be an integral part
of the thesis. Hypothesis:_ Edible oil processing is a crucial
area in the Ethiopian food-processing sector. It consists of
micro and small processors who make up around 75% of all
processors in the sector.

4) Topic: Energy production from cottonseed oil processing waste in

Field of study:
Supervisor:
Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
the Eastern Ethiopia
Sustainable Rural
Development*in
the Tropics and
Subtropics *
Doc. Ing. Vladimír Krepl, CSc.
Ing. Pavel Burian, Ph.D.
Ministry of Industry Ethiopia + Aid for Trade – MPO ČR
Eastern Ethiopia produces a lot of waste from cottonseed oil
production. Due to the toxicity nature of this waste, it cannot
be processed into feed for livestock (except poultry). Given
that this area suffers a shortage of firewood, this waste has a
potential as an alternative energy source. It offers good
spinoffs in the cottonseed oil production process (increased
economic self-sufficiency of oil pressing shops).
At present the biomass utilization for the energetic potential
in Ethiopia lies at the tail of UNDP raster of renewable sources
energy utilization. Nevertheless, from biomass production
point of view, Ethiopia being a cotton crop producing country,
it is relatively well positioned to exploit the energy potential
from the by-product of cottonseed oil production. The
objective of the thesis is to investigate energy potential of the
cottonseed residues through the laboratory tests and
measurements. The specific objective of the thesis will be
focused on the behaviour of biomass from the cottonseed
residues in the form of briquettes during combustion such as
heat efficiency, NOx and CO2 emissions, moisture content and
mechanical properties of briquettes. Hypothesis: Can this lays
a foundation for reaching a 30% renewable energy share on
energy needs for Ethiopia as prescribed in the National
Strategic plan?
 5) Topic: Quality assessment of advanced torrefied solid biofuels
made of agro residues
Field of study: Sustainable Rural Tropical
Development*in Agrobiology and
the Tropics and Bioresource
Subtropics * Management *
Supervisor: Prof. Bohumil Havrland
Supervisor-consultant: Ing. Tatiana Ivanova, Ph.D.
Prospective funding: Internal grant agency FTA, probably TAČR Delta
Annotation: Heating pellets from torrefied biomaterials seems to be more
(150-200 words recommended) preferred and perspective then classic ones, due to its higher
energy content, higher durability during transport and
improved hydrophobic properties. Torrefaction or
termochemical treatment in the conditions of mid pyrolysis is
currently developing practice for wood residues. Besides,
production of advanced torrefied pellets from herbaceous
phytomass is in very beginning. The main objective of the
present PhD. Thesis proposal is to evaluate quality of torrefied
solid biofuels in the form of pellets produced from different
agricultural waste biomass of non-wooden origin, which is
abundant in tropics (such as rice straw, sweet sorghum straw,
cotton stalks etc.). Physical, mechanical and chemical
properties of torrefied pellets will be tested in the laboratory
according to International standards. For more complex
evaluation energy and emission balances of produced
advanced biofuels will be calculated by standard
methodology. Properties and balances of torrefied biofuels
will be compared with conventional pellets as well.

6) Topic: Impact assessment of selected pollutants on the quality of

Field of study:
Supervisor:
Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation:
(150-200 words recommended)
freshwater fish meat and food chain in Cambodia.
Sustainable Rural
Development in
the Tropics and
Subtropics *
doc. Ing. Jan Banout, Ph.D.
Internal grant agency, Czech development cooperation project
In 2009, over 420 000 of people were directly employed in the
fisheries sector, accounting for almost 5% of the Cambodian
workforce. Furthermore, it is estimated that the livelihood of
more than 2 million people depends in some way on this
sector. Fresh fish meat contain up to 80% of water by mass
and it is considered as highly perishable material, which
 results in an extremely short shelf-life when left unprocessed.
Since preservation enables storage and transport and thus
opens up the possibility of trade, proper preservation
techniques are significant not only for ensuring the local food
supply but may stimulate economic development in a wider
region. The main objective of this work is to investigate the
influence of polluted fish water reservoirs and/or inadequate
fish processing techniques on final fish meat quality in
Cambodian food chain.

7) Topic: Rescue and recognition of traditional and ancestral

knowledge about medicinal plants, their properties and
uses in the county of Cauca, Republic of Colombia in
order to increase the income in native communities
Field of study: Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and
Subtropics
Supervisor: doc. Dr. Ing. Eloy Fernández Cusimamani
Supervisor-consultant:
Prospective funding:
Annotation: Colombia being one of the most biodiversity
(megadiverse) countries in the world with more than
55.000 species of flora and fauna (United Nations
environment program, 2014), proximally 5.000 had been
used has a medicinal plants (Fonegra,2007); also 3.4% of
Colombian population, around 1.400.000 belongs to
native people in more than 87 ethnicities (international
work group for indigenous) and this ethnicities have
been accumulated knowledge about their biological
environment for many years, however, the current
situation of Colombia such an economic growth, internal
conflict, claiming changes and others; force the
communities to abandon their ancestral lands, starting a
tragically exodus to big cities in marginal conditions,
therefore the heritage of knowledge about plants their
properties and uses are missing from one generation to
another.

through recollection, organization and publication of

traditional knowledge on biodiversity, the project
pretend to promote sustainable use and conservation of
these, in turn, improve the quality of life of communities