Yesterday a small group of aginfo enthusiasts met at Wageningen UR to exchange experiences on the ways they make their information more accessible. It offered a rich insight into some practicalities of becoming ‘truly accessible’ – as the CIARD initiative calls on us to be.IAALD Board member Barbara Hutchinson opened, explaining AgNIC’s ‘born digital’ and ‘re-born digital’ initiatives that aim to provide “persistent long-term access" to the research outputs of US agricultural research and extension. She particularly highlighted the issue of ‘link rot’ – where after even a short period, many web resources can no longer be found via their URL. See her presentation.Ingeborg Nagel and Harry Heemskerk introduced ‘Search4Dev’ a new repository that the Royal...
At yesterday's informal meeting on 'Making Agricultural Information Available and Accessible,'Wilma Roem explained how the LEISA repository of ILEIA and its 6 partner organizations works to make accessible the practical information on sustainable agriculture they have created in the past 25 years. Through the www.leisa.info website, they make accessible a repository of 4100 full text multilingual articles from the journals published by the network partners (located in different parts of the world). This is both the recent ‘born digital’ material as well as older content that has been ‘re-born digital’ through digitization.Their repository contains full text documents in PDF and html formats; they encourage translation and re-use of the content, they recently introduced RSS feeds...
In Yesterday's small meeting in Wageningen, we discussed ways to make information more accessible.What were some take away messages from the presentations and discussion?1. A fundamental challenge is for each organization to provide or guarantee permanent access to their own outputs, the publicly funded ones at least. When URL’s change, we can of course search for their new locations. But isn’t there a responsibility of ‘publishers’ to give their content permanent addresses? The model where WUR provides a de facto permanent national archive of Dutch agricultural outputs – through its e-store - is perhaps interesting to explore elsewhere. Even as organizations re-vamp their web sites, moving and even deleting outputs, they all remain accessible in one reliable location.2. Even...
The NAL blog announced that Peter Young has moved on after 6 years as NAL Director. The comments on the posting show that he will be missed by the US AgInfo community.He will also be missed by his international colleagues - in IAALD and beyond. His lively and light approach to meeting facilitation, as experienced in Kentucky in 2005 and at the Rome e-agriculture meetings in 2007, were particular characteristics we will miss... NAL Deputy Eleanor Frierson - also a long-term internationalist - has been named Acting Director.Peter has re-joined the Library of...
Dr. R.Saravanan of India's Central Agricultural University writes that he and colleagues are "experimenting an innovative e-Agriculture -ICT inintiative (e-Arik) among economically most backward tribal population dominated Hindu-kush Himalayan Region of North-East India."The research project aims to experiment with the application of ICTs in agricultural extension services provision and also to measure its impact on the tribal farmers.According to a recent article in i4donline: "initial experiences of e-Arik project shows encouraging results for farm technology dissemination, creating e-Awareness and e-literacy among rural tribal community members. Farmers have enthusiastically participated in the e-Arik project activities. Agriculture information and technology dissemination through...
This week CTA is holding its annual seminar in Burkina Faso.It will identify ways of improving access to climate change information in ACP countries ...Check out the seminar blog for...
Last week’s workshop to discuss how improved communication can help maximize the impact of agricultural research in Africa brought together some 50 participants from across the continent.What were some of the topics covered? Read five blog stories:Enhancing the impact of researchCommunication the key to agricultural research with impactAgricultural research communication challenges in AfricaInnovation, information, communication - maximising research impactCGIAR knowledge sharing in research project aims to enhance research impactWe also interviewed many of the participants, catching their views in a series of short videos: Innovation works - communication can help research lead to actionsInnovation works - increasing the probability that research leads to actionsKnowledge sharing in...
At last week’s workshop to discuss how improved communication can help maximize the impact of agricultural research in Africa, we caught up with Nadia Manning-Thomas of the CGIAR.She leads the ICT-KM 'Knowledge Sharing in Research Project' that aims to integrate knowledge-sharing approaches into the different phases of the research cycle - instead of seeing it as an optional 'add-on': Click To Play She explains that the approach is based on improving the impact of research along the whole cycle. It shows how undertaking knowledge-sharing can help to achieve other research objectives, such as enhanced relevance; multi-stakeholder engagement; collaboration along the cycle, dissemination and uptake, and M&E:...
Addis Ababa, 22 October: At this week’s workshop to discuss how improved communication can help maximize the impact of agricultural research in Africa, participants profiled and mapped their research communication efforts: What type of organization do they represent? Who do they communicate with? Which communication tools do they use? Which ‘gaps’ do they need to cross? Each participant drew a picture of their situation.As the photograph of the coloured cards reveals, we were a broad mix of organizations, with a strong interest in communicating with policymakers, researchers and academics, farmers and the private sector. We also use a wide range of communication methods such as face to face meetings, the media, publications, and the web.What about the gaps, the challenges? These...
Addis Ababa, 21 October: This morning some 50 people from Africa and beyond gathered in the UN congress centre in a workshop to discuss how improved communication can help maximize the impact of agricultural research in Africa.GDNet’s Sherine Ghonheim set the scene arguing that “traditional approaches to research communications are becoming inadequate and weak” especially in view of the growing complexity of communicating research to policymakers and “increasing pressure to show the impact of research.”In his opening remarks, Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere, Division Director at IFPRI suggested that “communication is the key” to doing research well. Reflecting on current and past efforts of researchers in Africa, he concluded: “Sometimes their results do not get to where we want them...
On the e-agriculture.org web site, a report from the e-Agriculture panel at the recent IAALD-AFITA-WCCA World Congress.“How can we make agricultural information and information technology truly accessible?” This question was put forward by Peter Ballantyne, IAALD President, on the first day of the IAALD-AFITA-WCCA World Conference 2008.On the final day of the conference, the challenge was taken up by an e-Agriculture participatory panel discussion facilitated by FAO focusing on multi-stakeholder partnerships and the roles of mobile phones in support of agricultural development.There was a lively debate focusing on issues of ICT as enablers in various critical areas of development, as well as the role of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in support of e-Agriculture.Read the...
The 15th RIBDA - Reunion Interamericana de Bibliotecarios y Documentalistas Agricolas - takes place in Lima, Peru from 27 to 29 October 2009.A blog (in Spanish) has more information. More on AIBDA - the Inter-American Association of Agricultural Librarians and...
Following an earlier post on e-extension in Australia, other related sites and stories seem to be surfacing. Dean points to a recent initiative in the Philippines, and the USA has eXtension. There are surely many more examples ...The June 2008 issue of the Journal of Extension has a series of articles around e-extension experiences. The editor is "particularly happy" with the range of articles "going from 'in house' considerations, like a study of adoption of eXtension, Extension's role in bridging the broadband digital divide, and dealing with Web-based surveys, to ways we use the Web and other forms of technology to reach out to our audiences. Pretty cool." The articles dive into wikis, blogs, virtual learning, knowledge sharing, communities of practice, and more. If you wonder what...
Simone Staiger recently compiled a short list of some knowledge sharing tools used and learned about in the (just ended) FAO-CGIAR KS Workshop:Peer assists; tags and tagging; social reporting; discussion groups; blogs and blogging; wikis; and intranets.Under each of the tools, some useful reflections from course members and links...
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is one of a relatively small number of organizations making its communications strategy available online.Particularly interesting is the 'strategic approach'that combines internal and external communications, library services, web services, public awareness, and knowledge management. The strategy also sets out 4 higher level outcomes and the various products and services used to achieve them.The four outcomes are:Greater utility - Staff and partners are provided with state-of-the-art communication products, vehicles and services; classical library services are transformed ...; information is packaged in multiple formats ...Greater influence - ILRI’s sphere of influence is enlarged beyond the CGIAR; journalists and their editors are...
FARA is currently working on an inventory of projects about audio based farmer information systems and on Agricultural Information on Demand using mobile phone [in Africa].They are particularly interested in Farmer Information Systems in Africa which are going beyond Market Information Systems:Voice-enabled information delivery servicesNational farmers information servicesDial-up Radio: Agricultural information on demandExtension services based on mobile phone and database monitoringE-learning for basic skills, agricultural education and market informationVideo-based approachesFor more information, contact Mr. Francois Stepman : fstepman AT...
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Speaking at the 2007 Farmer First conference, Paul Van Mele of the Africa Rice Center comments on ways to "help bridge the farmer knowledge and the scientific knowledge and to bring this synthesis in such a way that it becomes accessible to a wide range of users and intermediary users" so we can 'democratize knowledge." He illustrates this with the work of WARDA where they use video to "stimulate experimentation" [by...
The September 18 issue of 'The Economist' has a short article on user-generated science. It looks at emerging web 2.0 tools in science, particularly blogging, that may lead to news ways to publish and communicate science and research. It concludes that there's much action and progress in the science blogosphere, but: "in order that blogging can become a respected academic medium it needs to be recognised by the upper echelons of the scientific establishment."It links to Nature Network - a 'professional networking website for scientists around the world', where you can find a information about the recent Science Blogging 2008 conference in London. The conference ended with a call to get senior scientists blogging. This may be a good step towards recognition that publishing is about more...
In a post 'Science blogging is the new email', one participant in the Science Blogging 2008 conference in London gives a really interesting categorisation of blogging:conference blogging (also includes event blogging)edubloggingmetablogging (blogging about blogging, by far the largest discipline)research blogging (blogging about scientific experiments, the smallest discipline)investigational bloggingevolution blogging (a large subdiscipline)news blogging (blogging about science news)watercooler blogging (small pieces of interesting or funny thoughts/pictures)summary blogging (summarizing other blog posts and linking to them)diary blogging (blogging as a personal diary of self-expression)hoax bloggingIt would be interesting to see if we have other types of blogging in...
The ICRISAT Library has developed a web-enabled e-library that hosts and links to the digital library resources on agriculture in the semi-arid tropics (SAT). Scientists inside ICRISAT use their desktops to visit this 'SAT e-library', navigating to reach the right information and download the selected items for their use. These e-library resources are now open to partners and others through the website http://elibrary.icrisat.org.The SAT elibrary offers access to resources developed by ICRISAT Library, but also to those relevant resources available on the internet, including:1. SATSource Online bibliographical databases: The in-house bibliographical database holds 71,000 records on ICRISAT's crops especially information on disciplines, techniques, and methodologies useful to Global...
Bioversity International, the CGIAR ICT-KM program, FAO, IFAD and WFP are jointly organizing a 3-day event entitled "Knowledge Share Fair for Agricultural Development and Food Security" on January 20 - 22, 2009.The purpose of the event is to showcase examples of good knowledge sharing practices in the field of agricultural development and food security.Please write a short story about your project/initiative. How do you effectively:Work in geographically distributed environments?Capture and share local (indigenous) knowledge, issues and ideas?Deal with culture and gender issues?Retain knowledge when workers leave?Build relationships or networks?Facilitate collaborative practices?Communicate internally?Call for submission closes on 15 October 2008.For further information, please visit...
The call for papers is available for the 2009 World Congress of Computers in Agriculture and Natural Resources to be held at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada concurrently with the 2009 ASABE Annual International Meeting, June 21-24. Deadline for proposal submission is January 16, 2009.Topics include but are not limited to:Adoption, Extension and Rural Development Data Mining and Pattern Recognition Decision support Systems e-AgBusiness and Production Chain Management Education/Training, Distance Learning and Professional Accreditation eLearning and eJournals Emerging ICT Technologies Farm Management Field Data Acquisition and Recording Food Safety Control/Tracking-Tracing GIS Grid Computing Applications Information Systems and Databases Instrumentation and Control /Data...
In a 2006 article, Ezra Ondari-Okemwa examines knowledge management initiatives at the International Livestock Research Institute.The study looks at how knowledge is generated in ILRI, how it is shared, how it is transferred and how it is integrated into the day-to-day operations of the Institute. Some of the challenges that the ILRI faces in managing knowledge are identified, and solutions which cannot always rely on information technology are discussed.She concludes: "The International Livestock Research Institute knowledge management programme stands outas a good example of the best practices that may be emulated in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions where it has operations.""The environment that ILRI has created encourages creation and sharing and transfer of knowledge....
The UNU LINK network just released a new document - a Tourist Guide to Systems Studies of Rural Innovation.The report aims to provide an overview of the global groups of researchers — and to a lesser extent practitioners — working with systems perspectives on rural innovation. It identifies the main themes that are emerging from this area of scholarship and provides an annotated bibliography of recent writing on these themes.Among the topics covered:Social Learning and CommunicationLocal Innovation ProcessesInnovation SystemsInstitutional Learning and ChangeMarket Systems and InnovationScience and...
A paper on the 'Development of Agriculture Information Services in Central Asia and the Caucasus' by Oleg Shatberashvili and Ajit Maru was planned for the recent IFLA congress in Quebec. Unfortunately, the authors could not be there to present it.The paper looks at the status of agricultural information services in five countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) and in the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia).The authors conclude that "there is the need to improve access of researchers to international and regional STI and participate in sharing and exchanging regional information internationally. It implies both traditional library networks and ICT-based services."There is also a "need to enable access to agricultural information to not...
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On 25 August, many participants at the World Conference on Agricultural Information and IT joined the IAALD-organised session on information and agricultural research.Web 2.0 was a thread in several of the presentations:Chris Addison introduced R4D (www.research4development.info) – the development research dissemination service of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and how it is evolving “from a portal to a service.” In the new service, various web 2.0 tools are used to optimized research content so it can travel and be subscribed to. His 5 take away messages:1. turn websites into services;2. use web2 as a ‘high street’ where the various shops help promote content;3. ensure that content is featured on other sites and services;4. check how the content is used,...
The "Only connect?" session at the 2008 IAALD conference in Atsugi, Japan provided the opportunity to hear firsthand from those working with ICTs with farmers in rural areas in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.The ICT environment has changed significantly in the last year. Low cost laptops have developed following the OLPC (One Laptop per Child) project. Mobile phones are falling in price and offer laptop features. Hosting on the web is often free and an increasing number of web2.0 applications provide a wide range of free or low cost services. Wifi and affordable satellite connection are enabling better and wider connectivity. Moreover, a myriad of applications combine and blend different technologies and also provide access in remote locations.Together with these technical...
During the past days, we have been taking photos of the congress participants.We mapped the photos in Flickr. As would be expected for a world congress, they came from all over the...
Atsugi, Japan, 25 August 2008. This morning, the World Conference on Agricultural Information and IT was officially opened. IAALD President Peter Ballantyne welcomed participants, warmly welcoming them to this 12th World Congress of IAALD.At the end of his remars, see below, he posed participants an ‘Atsugi Question’: “How can we make agricultural information and IT truly accessible?” - asking people to reflect on this and share their thoughts during the congress.text of the remarks by Peter Ballantyne:"The first IAALD world congress was held in 1955 in Belgium. Since then, IAALD has held world congresses in Germany, the USA, France, Mexico, the Philippines, Canada, Hungary, Australia, Senegal, and the USA. In 2010, we will return to France.This is the first time that IAALD has...
Two colleagues from FAO, Michael Riggs and Gauri Salokhe, are using Twitter to report and reflect on what they hear and who they...