Blogs a tool to disseminate agricultural information
This isn't the first agricultural information blog around. In March this year, the University of Illinois Agricultural Communications Documentation Center noted the potential of blogs as communications tools in agriculture.
But Luigi Guarino, Plant Genetic Resources Adviser to the SPC in Fiji has been blogging since October 2002. His Plant Genetic Resources News from the Pacific is frequently updated and carries news and comment on local plants and agriculture from all over the Pacific.
More recently, two participants in AgInfo workshops in Tanzania also joined the blogging world: Hector Mongi - a professional teacher and agricultural researcher - shares his dreams to have a high level of collaboration; a well defined, up to date and active networking and a fast, targeting and relevant technology dissemination among all stakeholders in Agriculture in Tanzania. In one of his postings, Isaria Mwende - an agricultural engineer - shares some ideas on traditional knowledge in Tanzania. He argues that it is a very important and valuable heritage that "we cannot allow to lose in our efforts to ensure food security in the country."
Back in the USA, Abby Heath covered IAALD's recent world congress; USAIN has set up a blog to discuss the status and future development of the AGRICOLA database; and Marcus Zillman monitors "agriculture resources and sites on the Internet."
A simple Google search reveals thousands of blogs on agriculture and related topics. To help overcome this type of overload, sites like LISFeeds 'scrape' headlines from 263 library-related blogs and can be a boon to information professionals. In our own community, Kevin Painting at CTA is exploring if a similar aggregation service could be set up for agricultural 'feeds'.
Tags: agricultural information blogs
But Luigi Guarino, Plant Genetic Resources Adviser to the SPC in Fiji has been blogging since October 2002. His Plant Genetic Resources News from the Pacific is frequently updated and carries news and comment on local plants and agriculture from all over the Pacific.
More recently, two participants in AgInfo workshops in Tanzania also joined the blogging world: Hector Mongi - a professional teacher and agricultural researcher - shares his dreams to have a high level of collaboration; a well defined, up to date and active networking and a fast, targeting and relevant technology dissemination among all stakeholders in Agriculture in Tanzania. In one of his postings, Isaria Mwende - an agricultural engineer - shares some ideas on traditional knowledge in Tanzania. He argues that it is a very important and valuable heritage that "we cannot allow to lose in our efforts to ensure food security in the country."
Back in the USA, Abby Heath covered IAALD's recent world congress; USAIN has set up a blog to discuss the status and future development of the AGRICOLA database; and Marcus Zillman monitors "agriculture resources and sites on the Internet."
A simple Google search reveals thousands of blogs on agriculture and related topics. To help overcome this type of overload, sites like LISFeeds 'scrape' headlines from 263 library-related blogs and can be a boon to information professionals. In our own community, Kevin Painting at CTA is exploring if a similar aggregation service could be set up for agricultural 'feeds'.
Tags: agricultural information blogs
Labels: aginfo
posted by Peter Ballantyne at Tuesday, September 06, 2005
1 Comments:
I'm not sure whether you would qualify these as blogs, but IPGRI (the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute) hosts two sites that use a blogging approach to aggregate news.
The IPGRI Public Awareness site gathers news on various aspects of agricultural biodiversity. It also provides a link to the Future Harvest Clipping Service, which focuses on the work of the Alliance of Future Harvest Centres.
I hope you will forgive this shameless self-promotion.
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