World Aginfo Project examines agricultural knowledge development and sharing in Africa and Asia

Cornell University, on behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is implementing a project to explore the potentially transformative benefit of developing more collaborative and community-based information systems to support African and Asian agricultural education and extension.

The World Ag Info Project comprises two inter-related workshops. The first, to be held October 2007 at Cornell University, will focus on content and will bring together agricultural researchers, educators, and practitioners to identify the information needs of African and Asian smallholder producers and those who support them. A second workshop, to be held in Zambia in November 2007, will bring together information/educational technology experts who will explore the possibility of using innovative new technologies to deliver an enhanced agricultural curriculum.

Workshop participants will determine how feasible it might be to establish coordinated, localized programs for the alternative generation and delivery of real-time information for the benefit of small-scale agriculture in Asia and Africa. The overarching goal of the project is to offer guidance to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in formulating a strategy for advancing agricultural knowledge development and sharing in Africa and Asia.

Tags: agricultural information africa asia