Enhancing Agricultural Scientific Communication Management

1. Management and Communication of Agricultural Scientific Information Stephen Rudgard Chief WAICENT Capacity Building and Outreach

2. Contents • The Challenge • Objectives • Constraints • Institutional Capacities • Human Capacities • Partnerships

3. Principal Challenge Agricultural Research Organizations • Core competencies in Research & Development • Imperative • to acquire information; and • to communicate outputs. • Opportunities in the New Technologies Many Organizations are not addressing the challenge adequately.

4. Key Objectives • Information Content - in digital format, for agriculture and rural development • Innovative Mechanisms and Processes for information digitization and exchange, and for communication • Networks amongst key stakeholders

5. Key Constraints • Institutional Capacities – lack of resources and appropriate organizational structures • Human Capacities – lack of awareness and skills • Partnerships – poor outreach to key service providers and audiences

6. Institutional Capacities Investing in Information • New Institutional Structures • New Skills and/or New People • New Content – Digital • New Technologies • Minimise impact of change – • learn lessons from others • use existing technologies

7. Who are the stakeholders? • Rural communities and their representatives • Other scientists • Government policy-makers and their advisers

8. Priority Areas • Document management and e-publishing • Rural information and communication systems • Decision support tools

9. Document Management AGRIS Network Manage & Disseminate Documents www.fao.org/agris

10. New AGRIS Vision (2002) • decentralized approach • greater diversity of participating organizations • strengthened role in capacity building • focus on full text documents • greater availability of associated information about activities/organizations/people • set of web-enabled standards (AGMES), methodologies (AGRIS Application Profiles, AGROVOC), and tools (WebAGRIS)

11. Rural Information and Communication Systems Networking tools and processes for exchange and access to information and communication VERCON (Virtual Extension, Research and Communication Network) FarmNet - Farmers Information Network

12. Decision-support Tools(for policymakers) • Briefings • Policy Papers • Prediction – Models

13. Human Capacities Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK) Partnership-based e-learning initiative • Modules - a series of computer-based distance learning curricula and resources • On-line Community - a "virtual" community on the Internet for contributors and learners

14. IMARK Modules • Published • Management of Electronic Documents • Digitization and Digital Libraries • Mid-2005 • Investing in Agricultural Information • Building Electronic Communities

15. IMARK supporting AGRIS • Blended learning • Face-to-Face • Distance • Institutional networks • SIDALC • INFOTEC • Regional Training Courses • National Training Courses

16. National/Regional NARS Universities IICA CARDI FORAGRO etc…. International FAO GFAR CGIAR BID World Bank etc… Building Partnerships to Build Capacity

17. Summary • Institutional change • Investment • Tools and guidelines • Capacity building • Partnership