Agricultural Information: Roadsigns to the future

1. Agricultural Information: Roadsigns to the future Conference: Frontiers in Forest Information Oxford, 5-7 December 2005 Peter Ballantyne

2. Synopsis • Challenges for agricultural information and knowledge managers [in developing countries] as they accelerate into the fast lane of the information super-highway • With help from:

3. Policy Context: Aid Goals • Millennium development goals [September 2000] • Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger • Achieve universal primary education • Promote gender equality and empower women • Reduce child mortality • Improve maternal health • Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases • Ensure environmental sustainability • Develop a global partnership for development

4. Policy Context: I4Development • WSIS Declaration of principles (2003) • [we] declare our common desire and commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge • Agenda 21 chapter 40 (UNCED 1992) • In sustainable development, everyone is a user and provider of information

5. Cross-cutting trends • Changing information demands • From ‘growers’ to ‘rural people’ and communities • Diversifying information sources • From ministry extension and research to multi-source contacts, advisers and media • Integrating information mechanisms • From single tools in parallel to integrated / inter-connected platforms • E-science, e-learning, eXtension, e-tc

6. The Web • Information explosion - more info than before • Info-diversity – more, and more diverse, producers and sources • Information scatter - across many sites • Indexing nightmare - more miss than hit • How to get below the ‘surface’ • Information myopia - most rely on few places

7. Harnessing the Web • Mobilizing local/own content • ‘being present’, ‘being found’, ‘getting around’ • beyond publishing - to utilization • Seeking and discovering the ‘right stuff’ • beyond access - to utilization • Exploiting new tools? The web ‘2.0’ • federated searching; ‘Googling’; Blogging; RSS; Wikis; Standards, … • (s)low bandwidth?

8. ‘Open’ Movement • Open source software • Open access • OA Archives (and institutional repositories) • OA Publishing • Open Archive Initiative • Open licensing (‘copyleft’, creative commons; science commons … ) • Revolutions in access? • Revolutions in publishing?

9. Knowledge Mgt/Sharing • Tacit / explicit • Local / global • Connecting; collecting • ‘Communities’ • Relationships • Partnerships and networking

10. Challenges, Opportunities • Beyond getting and providing access? • Collectors and custodians -> connectors; enablers, facilitators, catalysts, conversationalists • You’ll never walk alone • community, collaboration, partnerships • Act local…. Connect global

11. IAALD: convening and connecting …to be properly knowledgeable, the centres and the peripheries need to be in conversations with the other … Wendell Berry

12. IAALD • leading global community of practice for information specialists in food, agriculture and the environment • mobilizing, accessing and applying information to achieve a more productive and sustainable use of the world’s land, water, and renewable natural resources.

13. IAALD • connects agricultural information specialists worldwide, providing platforms and spaces for information dissemination, exchange and knowledge sharing; • convenes agricultural information specialists worldwide, organising meetings and catalyzing dialogue among all agricultural information stakeholders; • communicates and advocates the value of knowledge and information to its members and others, improving the status and practice of agricultural information management and dissemination; • collaborates with members and other partner organisations, facilitating educational and other opportunities across agricultural information communities.

14. Thank You ! Also: