Training Workshop on Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD) and Strengthening RAIS in the SAARC Countries

A Training Workshop on Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD) and Strengthening RAIS in the SAARC Countries was organized jointly by SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), APAARI, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), FAO and GFAR at SAC, BARC Campus in Dhaka from 10-13 May 2011. The purpose of the workshop was to improve capacities for Information and Communication Management (ICM) among national systems for agricultural research and innovation using concepts, pathways, tools and applications developed and made accessible under the Coherence in Information for Agricultural research for Development (CIARD). 

The Workshop, which was opened by Dr. M. A. Sattar Mandal, Vice Chancellor, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh and Dr. WAIS Kabir, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), was attended by 32 participants from 8 SAARC member states and Iran as an observer. 

Deliberations began with APAARI and SAARC presenting the state of ICM in agricultural research and agriculture as a sector in the Asia-Pacific and South Asia. Participants recognized the progress that has been made in the national systems for agricultural research and innovation in ICM over the past decade. 

The Workshop then moved on to understanding new developments occurring in the use of ICTs. Some of these new developments discussed included mobile computing through the use of mixed media, reduction in costs of IT tools and use, widespread broadband, high speed connectivity through WI-FI even in rural areas, new more efficient tools and applications useful to agricultural communities, “cloud” computing (where data and applications are stored in massive storage “clouds” or spaces that are accessed through the internet) and “crowd” computing (where communities contribute together to provide the data, tools and applications for use by the community and society). 

The implications of Web 2.0 (which offers interactivity in sharing information in the World Wide Web and has spawned Social Media applications in sharing agricultural information), and of the coming Web 3.0 (or the Semantic Web), for the national systems in generating, managing and sharing information were discussed in some depth. It was recognized that new Web technologies can solve many of the current issues in extension for farmers, small producers and processors such as offering customized advice and a basket of options for solutions to their specific problems. A very important issue that emerged during these deliberations was that there is a significant awareness gap in understanding how new Social Media and Web 2.0 tools can be used by the national systems in agricultural research, education and extension. There is a need for increased advocacy to policy makers, research managers and ICM specialists as well as users, especially researchers, teachers and extension agents, in the use of these new tools and applications. There is also the need to build capacities of those who can manage these new information services. 

On its second day, the Workshop focused on the CIARD movement, its vision and mission as well as on how agricultural research and innovation institutions can be effective, participative members of CIARD using CIARD concepts and contributing to CIARD activities such as Pathways, the CIARD.RING and the CIARD FAIR. Some CIARD pathways such as those contributing to the development of “open” access repositories with examples from Bangladesh, India and FAO, were illustrated in depth. India also presented its approach to “open” access to scientific journals published by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). 

In a joint group session, participants individually and collectively discussed their institutional readiness to enable open access to information in the public domain from their Institutions. The session revealed that while most organizations are ready in principle to share their information openly, they do not have the institutional and infrastructural capacities and resources, awareness and skills to do this effectively. Most of the capacities needed are around the use of Web 2.0 tools and applications. 

The Workshop on its third day had a hands-on session on the CIARD.RING starting from an explanation of the concept of the RING and how it contributes both to sharing information at national level and to integrating the information flows within a national system for agricultural research and innovation. During the session it was impressed upon the participants that the greater and more active the participation in the RING, the greater will be the sharing of information related to agriculture across the World. 

The Workshop ended with a discussion on “open” data access following a video presentation of Dr. Tim Berners Lee and a presentation of the CIARD FAIR. Dr. S. K. Ghulam Hussain, Member-Director (Policy Planning & Evaluation), BARC and Governing Board Member, SAC gave the closing address.

Info

Organizer: 

SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), APAARI, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), GFAR, FAO