IT, internet and extension

The December 2011 issue of JOE - the Journal of Extension takes a look at information technology and extension.

Content includes:

Extension Is Unpopular—On the Internet

Is Extension Ready to Adopt Technology for Delivering Programs and Reaching New Audiences?

Land-Grant University Employee Perceptions of eXtension: A Baseline Descriptive Study

Leveraging New Media in the Scholarship of Engagement: Opportunities and Incentives

Using Information Technology to Forge Connections in an Extension Service Project

Promoting Healthy Eating and Exercise Through Online Messages: A Pilot Study

Revising an Extension Education Website for Limited Resource Audiences Using Social Marketing Theory

Mapping Extension's Networks: Using Social Network Analysis to Explore Extension's Outreach

An Analysis of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service's Role in Bridging the Digital Divide

Social Media Use of Cooperative Extension Family Economics Educators: Online Survey Results and Implications

An Examination of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Associated with the Adoption of Moodle™ by eXtension

Positive Examples and Lessons Learned from Rural Small Business Adoption of E-Commerce Strategies

Online Nutrition Education: Enhancing Opportunities for Limited-Resource Learners

Social Network Analysis: A Tool to Improve Understanding of Collaborative Management Groups

Virtual Training for Virtual Success: Michigan State University Extension's Virtual Conference

A Successful Multi-Institutional Blog for Transferring Garden and Landscape Information to the Public

Entrepreneurial Extension Conducted via Social Media

Strengthening 4-H Program Communication Through Technology

Working in a Wiki: A Tool for Collaboration Among Virtual Teams

Web-Based Family Life Education: Spotlight on User Experience

An Automated Data Analysis Tool for Livestock Market Data

A State-Specific Online Cover Crop Decision Tool for Midwest Farmers

Recorded version of IAALD NING Webinar

The webinar presented by Peter Fernandez on December 1 was very well attended with over 20 people participating online and many others inquiring whether they could listen to a recorded version later on. Fortunately, Blackboard Collaborate (formerly Elluminate) allows for the recording and sharing of these webinars and Federico Sancho from IICA has kindly provided the link. IAALD's Executive Committee has decided to make these webinars openly accessible for anyone, however we might want start charging non-members later on.

Click here to listen to the webinar.

A similar seminar in Spanish will be held on December 6, 15:00 GMT-UTC by Miguel Hidalgo, Information Specialist, IICA.

Don't miss the IAALD Webinar on NING!

Here is the link for the IAALD Webinar on NING, Thursday, December 1, 16:00 UTC-GMT.

Participants are invited to log in at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the webinar, type their name, download Java 6, define connection speed, and check the audio. Once admitted to the Blackboard Collaborate (previously Elluminate) platform, use the CHAT to send us a short message with your name, institution and country.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn and to better connect with like-minded colleagues!

Presenter: Peter Fernandez, Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources Librarian, University of Tenessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011

Time: 11:00 AM EST (16:00 UTC-GMT) check your time zone here

System Requirements
Pc-based attendees
Required: Windnows 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

MacIntosh-based attendees
Required: Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) or newer

IAALD Webinar: NING to Connect Information Specialists Worldwide

In its continuous effort to connect people to people, IAALD is offering yet another webinar on December 1, entitled "NING to Connect Information Specialists Worldwide".

NING is a customizable social media platform used by IAALD - and many other communities - to facilitate communications among agricultural information specialists and their stakeholders.

Presenter: Peter Fernandez, Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources Librarian, University of Tenessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011

Time: 11:00 AM EST (16:00 UTC-GMT) check your time zone here

System Requirements
Pc-based attendees
Required: Windnows 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

MacIntosh-based attendees
Required: Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) or newer

Up to now all IAALD webinars have been free for everyone, but in the future non-IAALD members will most likely be asked to pay a small fee for attending.

Prospective IAALD member, Jaqueline Nnam, Ghana

Video Interview: Jaqueline Nnam works at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), based in Accra, Ghana. She is attached to the Africa Adapt project and promotes Knowledge Sharing for climate change adaption. Her work involves the gathering, packaging and dissemination of information, as well as the brokering of relationships among practicioners in the field. She considers that associations like IAALD provide a very useful forum for sharing problems and for discussing strategies and ideas.

Prospective IAALD member Ann Mureithi, Kenya

Video Interview: Ann Mureithi works at AGRA the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and at the same time is enrolled in a Masters Degree on Agricultural Information and Communication Management (AICM) at University of Nairobi. While attending the Share Fair in Rome she discovered IAALD and decided to sign up as a member. She believes that the Association provides an ideal platform to connect with people around the world and to jointly discuss diverse agriculture related issues. Welcome Ann!

IAALD members working behind the scene

Video Interview: Marie José Jehl former CTA Information Manager and member of IAALD since 1990, is pleased with the Association's progress. The fact that the Association's journal Agricultural Information Worldwide has been moved to an open access platform four years ago, thus making its content accessible to anyone, and at the same time reducing printing and mailing costs, has been a big accomplishment. Marie José is translating all journal abstracts into French and has done so for the past 11 years. Many thanks Marie José!

Connected agriculture: Mobiles help drive efficiency and sustainability in food and agriculture

A new report from Vodacom and Accenture argues that mobile communications can help to meet the challenge of feeding an estimated 9.2 billion people by 2050.

The study identifies 12 specific opportunities that could increase agricultural income by around US$138 billion by 2020. These are:

Improving access to financial services

• Mobile payment system
• Micro-insurance system
• Micro-lending platform

Provision of agricultural information

• Mobile information platform
• Farmer helpline

Improving data visibility for supply chain efficiency

• Smart logistics
• Traceability and tracking system
• Mobile management of supplier networks
• Mobile management of distribution networks

Enhancing access to markets

• Agricultural trading platform
• Agricultural tendering platform
• Agricultural bartering platform

The report aims to stimulate engagement between mobile operators, governments, NGOs and businesses to realise these opportunities and explore others.


Press release

Download full report

New web resources for rangeland management

A new article in the journal Rangelands introduces new web resources for rangeland management around the world including Rangelands West/Global Rangelands, eXtension Rangelands, and the Range Science Information System.

http://www.srmjournals.org/doi/full/10.2111/1551-501X-33.4.55

Magdalena Marenga looks forward to IAALD-Africa 2012 Conference

Magdalena Marenga is the Senior Librarian at the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Namibia. She is interested in attending the IAALD Africa 2012 conference in Johannesburg to learn more about rural development and food security.

View the video