Scientific data and information increasingly interconnected

Timo Hannay in Nature's Nascent Blog:

"Scientific knowledge — indeed, all of human knowledge — is fundamentally connected ... So even as the quantity of data astonishingly balloons before us, we must not overlook an even more significant development that demands our recognition and support: that the information itself is also becoming more interconnected. One link, tag, or ID at a time, the world’s data are being joined together into a single seething mass that will give us not just one global computer, but also one global database. As befits this role, it will be vast, messy, inconsistent, and confusing. But it will also be of immeasurable value—and a lasting testament to our species and our age."

Promising opportunities for agricultural information specialists

At the 15th RIBDA conference in Peru, Peter Ballantyne reflected on some promising opportunities for information and communication specialists working in agriculture.

These include: working with farmer knowledge, using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enable agricultural development activities, ensuring that public investments result in public goods whose benefits can travel, making agricultural content open and accessible, using the power of the ‘social’ web, and transforming the roles of library and information centers. .

Los Sistemas de Información agrarios y rurales en el Perú

Este documento presenta el resultado del Diagnóstico de los Sistemas de Información Local (SIL) en el Perú encargado por PROSAAMER a CEPES. Esta investigación buscó llegar a recomendaciones que permitan a PROSAAMER fortalecer a los SIL existentes y promover la creación de nuevos SIL.

En general, se recomiendan acciones ligadas a reforzar los SIL con la participación de múltiples actores, mejorar el conocimiento del público objetivo, contribuir con las mejoras de los SIL en términos tecnológicos y de proceso, desarrollar capacidades del personal de los SIL, sistematizar lo aprendido y promover la cooperación.

Disponibilidad, accessibilidad y aplicabilidad de los resultados de investigación de los Centros del CGIAR

En la XV RIBDA que celebrandose del 27 al 29 de octubre en Lima, Peru, Edith Hesse del CIAT presentó datos preliminares de un estudio sobre accesibilidad del los resultados de investigación del CGIAR.

CIARD 'RING' maps AgInfo services and providers in research

Developed by GFAR as part of the CIARD initiative, the new CIARD RING - or Routemap to Information Nodes and Gateways - is "a registry of existing information services for agricultural research for development, indexed and described in a way that makes them more easily exploitable for building value-added integrated services."

The new RING is still in beta and it needs service providers to register their sites. Give it a try and help us build a foundation for more accessible aginfo exchange.

Making information accessible: Good practices and pathways

After many months preparation and gestation, CIARD has published a revised Checklist of Good Practices in disseminating research information (see also the manifesto: Towards a Knowledge Commons on Agricultural Research for Development).

Several draft CIARD Pathways have also been made available to explain and illustrate how research outputs can be made more available, accessible and applicable. These capture good practices from around the world.

The pathways are clustered in three groups: Group 1, called 'Developing Institutional Readiness' focuses particularly on areas of change in both policy frameworks and individual researcher behaviour. Group 2 on 'Increasing the Availability and Accessibility of Research Outputs – Collection and Preservation' focuses on technical and policy approaches to ensure that websites/repositories fulfil their purpose of making research outputs more accessible and available. Group 3 pathways look beyond websites and repositories and are focused on 'Increasing the Availability and Accessibility of Research Outputs – Making Content Widely Accessible on the Web.'

Comments and feedback on individual pathways are invited (login is required).

Farmer Voice Radio to improve farming practices in Africa

The American Institutes for Research (AIR) has created Farmer Voice Radio, a network of radio broadcasters, agricultural experts, and farmers to provide millions of small farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa a broad variety of agriculture-related radio programming. Supported by a $10 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Farmer Voice Radio will give small farmers access to current information, useful resources, and new farming techniques to help them improve their productivity, livelihoods and well-being over the long-term.

More postings on rural radio

New-look website for CGIAR's ICT-KM Program

Enrica Porcari introduces the new-look ICT-KM website - that uses a wordpress blog as its content management system.

The new web site is here - it's a welcome change from the recurring discussions on drupal, joomla, and typo3 as 'the' only tools with which to build an accessible low-cost, interactive website.

This new site shows what can be done with today's social tools!

Las TICs y la expansión del conocimiento indígena

Un reciente artículo en Voces Globales (Global Voices) señala que a primera vista, la relación entre el conocimiento indígena e Internet parece tensa. El conocimiento indígena proporciona una inconfundible serie de creencias, prácticas y representaciones fuertemente ligadas a un lugar; Internet se vanagloria de eliminar las fronteras y los límites.

A pesar de todas las diferencias conocidas, los sistemas del conocimiento indígena y global se han acercado bastante en la última década. Los profesionales del conocimiento indígena han empezado a utilizar los medios de comunicación para intercambiar ideas y hacer público el aprendizaje tradicional al resto del mundo.

Las TICs también aumentan el acceso a los sistemas de conocimiento indígena, especialmente en las escuelas, donde se puede incorporar este aprendizaje en las clases.

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ICTs for disaster management

Aurora Solon urges use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in times of calamity and disaster to deliver basic services such as decision support systems for the agricultural and rural sectors and improving health care delivery to the poor and people in far-flung areas.

Read the full article

BID y Microsoft fomentan desarrollo tecnológico y la reducción de la brecha digital rural

Ambas instituciones acordaron extender su inversión en proyectos que promueven el progreso social y económico sostenible en países de Latinoamérica y el Caribe, indicó el BID en su red informativa.

Entre sus actividades, ambas planean fomentar el desarrollo de la investigación tecnológica y la innovación en los países de la región, además de promover proyectos que mejoren el uso de la tecnología en la educación para reducir la brecha digital, en particular entre los jóvenes rurales de bajos ingresos.

"La innovación y la tecnología son algunos de los elementos más importantes para promover el desarrollo económico y social", dijo Luis Alberto Moreno, presidente del BID, quien expresó el interés de que muchas personas del sector privado se unan a nosotros para trabajar en proyectos comunitarios y de sustentabilidad".

Lea el artículo completo.

Finalizó el encuentro que combinó agricultura e informática

El Primer Congreso de Agroinformática se realizó en Mar del Plata ­Buenos Aires­, al que asistieron más de 150 técnicos y profesionales del sector agroalimentario y teleinformático.

De acuerdo con los organizadores, las jornadas sirvieron como escenario para mostrar iniciativas en materia de investigación, desarrollo de TICs, tecnologías avanzadas y emergentes para la agroindustria, así como líneas de trabajo y campos de aplicación a futuro en la era tecnológica.

Trabajos presentados . . .

Online guide to scientific writing

Supported by the Commonwealth Forestry Association, this guide aims to help authors get their manuscripts published in recognized journals. It has been put together by the Editor of the International Forestry Review and draws on work carried out by Fahamu, the Journal of Environmental Management, and the Tropical Agriculture Association.

México: Impuesto disminuiría el uso de internet y celular

El "Informador de México" señala en su artículo que seis de cada 10 usuarios de teléfono celular e internet utilizarían menos estas tecnologías, de aprobarse la propuesta del Gobierno federal de subir 4% los impuestos a las telecomunicaciones, reveló una encuesta de Consulta Mitofsky.

En su Paquete Económico 2010, el Presidente Felipe Calderón propuso aumentar 4% el Impuesto Especial sobre Producción y Servicios (IEPS) para ofertas de telecomunicaciones, como telefonía, internet y televisión de paga. La telefonía pública y rural, así como el servicio de interconexión, quedarían exentos del gravamen.

Sin embargo, investigadores y expertos prevén que el nuevo gravamen, de ser aprobado, ampliaría la brecha digital entre los mexicanos, ya que actualmente no todos tienen acceso a estos servicios.

Se indica también que en caso de aprobarse (el impuesto) tendrá efectos importantes en el sector Cabe destacar que actualmente el acceso a estos servicios es considerado una parte importante en la educación y desarrollo de los ciudadanos".

El artículo hace referencia cifras en red, indicando que 4.9 millones de usuarios (seis años en adelante) utilizan internet en zonas no urbanas.

Finlandia regala el acceso a internet a sus ciudadanos

El gobierno filandes reformó la constitución para incluir como derecho constitucional el acceso a internet, incluyendo a los pueblos del interior.

Con esta novedosa reforma constitucional, el país de Europa del Norte pretende extender el acceso a Internet a las zonas rurales donde las conexiones son muy limitadas. A partir de julio del próximo año, las compañías de telecomunicaciones filanndesas deberán proveer conexiones de Internet que superen el megabit por segundo a sus 5.2 millones de habitantes si no quieren estar atentando contra los derechos humanos.

La intención del gobierno es lograr, para 2015, que las conexiones superen los 100 megabites por segundo. “Creemos que Internet es algo con lo que no puedes vivir en la sociedad moderna. Como los servicios de banco o electricidad”, expresó Laura Vilkkonen, consejera legislativa del ministerio de Transporte y Comunicaciones de ese país.

Lea el artículo completo

Invasive species portal at NAL

In the USA, the National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC) serves as a reference gateway to information, organizations, and services about invasive species.

México: Sagarpa nuevo sistema de información sobre el campo

El reto principal, cito, será suministrar a todos los actores interesados en conocer la información estadística del sector agroalimentario y pesquero, con pertinencia y oportunidad.

La sociedad en general tendrá acceso a información veraz y oportuna del sector primario de la economía de calidad, lo cual contribuirá a una acertada toma de decisiones, informó la Sagarpa.

La información se proporcionará a través del Comité Técnico Especializado de Información Económica del Sector Agroalimentario y Pesquero, organismo de carácter permanente que trabajará sobre la generación de estadística económica y en la promoción de su conocimiento y aplicación.

Lea el artículo completo

ICT-KM of CGIAR "heading in the right direction"

The ICT-KM Program of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) was recently subjected to an external review.

The review team findings include:

The ICT-KM Program remains relevant and vital.

Looking forward, the Program has important ongoing relevance to the CGIAR mission and direction.

A new ICT-KM strategy should be collaboratively developed and aligned with CGIAR reform and business needs.

The research community needs to be more actively engaged in the Program and its future plans and activities.

The Program has important accomplishments that have: Opened access to research results; Expanded knowledge sharing in the CGIAR through tools, workshops and events; Supported researchers at the project level, fostered sharing of lessons learned; Facilitated cross-Center collaboration; Supported cost savings through system-wide purchases of software and services; Built and leveraged partnerships in knowledge management.

The ICT-KM Program should better communicate the value of ICT-KM. More targeted strategic communications are key.

The Program should strengthen efforts to support a continuous learning culture in the CGIAR.

The ICT-KM project portfolio is generally well managed but the Program could improve its approach to quality control, and monitoring and evaluation.

The ICT-KM governance arrangement has served the Program adequately but should be changed in alignment with CGIAR reform.

The CIO has accomplished much despite major challenges, including the need for a more focused role.

The Program’s effective decentralized approach can provide the basis for its future organization.

Download the report.

AGRI-TIC: la investigación europea sobre las TIC en la agricultura

ICT-AGRI (Tecnología de la Información y Comunicación en la Agricultura) es una colaboración europea nueva que tiene por objeto fortalecer la investigación en el área y desarrollar una agenda común de investigación.

Esta colaboración se incrementará el impacto de los programas nacionales de investigación en tecnologías de información y la comunicación y la robótica.

ICT-AGRI está apoyando el desarrollo y aplicación de tecnologías modernas para ayudar a construir una economía competitiva, sostenible y respetuosa del medio ambiente del sector agrícola.

El sitio ICT-AGRI ya ha sido lanzado en www.ict-agri.eu.

ICT-AGRI: European research on ICTs in agriculture

ICT-AGRI (Information and Communication Technology in Agriculture) is a new European collaboration that aims at strengthening research in the area and to develop a common research agenda. This collaboration will increase the impact of the national research programmes in information and communication technologies and robotics. ICT-AGRI is supporting the development and implementation of modern technologies to help building a competitive, sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural sector.

The ICT-AGRI website has now been launched at www.ict-agri.eu.

Grameen Foundation expands technology program for farmers in Uganda

The Grameen Foundation has announced that it will expand its Community Knowledge Worker (CKW) initiative in Uganda, supported by a $4.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The initiative is building a self-sustaining, scalable network of rural information providers who use cell phones to help close critical information gaps facing poor, smallholder farmers. They will strengthen the information link to poor farmers by disseminating and collecting relevant information in these underserved communities.

Read more ...

Gates pledges millions to African, Indian farming

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will unveil grants totaling 120 million dollars to promote dynamic, home-grown, sustainable agriculture in Africa and India.

Proyecto 'Yo Agricultor' e innovación pública

El proyecto de la Fundación para la Innovación Agraria (FIA) y el BID "Yo agricultor" parte con la de para hacer que la comunidad se convierta en una herramienta de la rutina de los agricultores, éstos deben sentirla como propia.

Dicho proyecto tiene como objetivo es cerrar la brecha de asimetrías de información de los pequeños agricultores, creando una comunidad de conocimiento que les proporcione servicios de información en clima, proveedores, financiamiento, fitosanitaria, normas, desarrollo productivo.

Se espera que se transforme en una herramienta clave para que esos agricultores logren mayores niveles de productividad por la disponibilidad inmediata de información que los ayude a tomar mejores decisiones. Por ejemplo, pueden decidir si vender o no, qué hacer ante una helada o una plaga, dónde hacer una análisis de suelo más barato y mejor.

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Miembros de Red del Campo se capacitan para construir Bibliotecas Digitales

Funcionarios pertenecientes a diversas instituciones y organizaciones vinculadas al sector agropecuario como el IDIAP, CIDES, MIDA y Contraloría General de la República se capacitaron en el sistema integrado para la construcción de Biblioteca Digitales denominada Greenstone.

Felipe Vera, chileno y consultor especialista en gestión de información de la FAO, explicó que el foco principal de este proyecto, es que los productores agropecuarios sean parte de los esfuerzos que desarrolla el gobierno para dar acceso libre a la información.

Los participantes buscan adaptar nuevas tecnologías con el objetivo de implementar la primera biblioteca virtual nivel nacional en temas agropecuarios que formará parte del portal “Red del Campo”, operado a través del acuerdo de cooperación técnica de FAO con el Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (MIDA), Ciudad del Saber y CIDES.

La capacitación en Greenstone culminó el desarrollo de una consultoría en Gestión de información realizada en el MIDA, la Red del Campo y sus miembros. Se prevé que la pagina “Red del Campo” sea pionera en utilizar este valioso recurso, la cual involucrará a varias instituciones gubernamentales.

Visite: Red del Campo

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AGRONET nominado al Premio Colombia en Línea 2009 en la categoría de sitio estatal

La Cámara Colombiana de Informática y Telecomunicaciones en alianza con El Tiempo y el Programa Gobierno en Línea unieron esfuerzos para llevar a cabo el Premio Colombia en Línea , que tiene como propósito fundamental estimular y promocionar la presencia de contenido colombiano en la Internet y la utilización del idioma castellano en sus páginas, premiar la creatividad, el talento nacional y el esfuerzo de las empresas colombianas dedicadas a crear y desarrollar sitios Web. La premiación se realizará el miércoles 14 de octubre de 2009 en el Club El Nogal.

Visite: AGRONET

Mayor información en www.ccit.org.co/web2008/premio/nominados.php

Innovation brokers and agriculture in developing countries

A UNU-MERIT working paper "concludes that innovation brokerage roles are likely to become relevant in emerging economies and that public or donor investment in innovation brokerage may be needed to overcome inherent tensions regarding the neutrality and funding of such players in the innovation system. The Dutch experience suggests that innovation brokers need to be contextually embedded, and are unlikely to become effective through a centrally-imposed design."

The authors note that "innovation brokers tend to play intangible roles that are not easily captured through conventional indicators."

Medios sociales y Web 2.0 para el Desarrollo

Un nuevo módulo de aprendizaje IMARK (disponible en inglés) describe una amplia gama de herramientas de medios sociales que mejoran la forma en que la información es creada, publicada y que proporcione los medios para colaborar y compartir recursos en línea.

También describe cómo aprovechar las herramientas para la creación mas eficaz de redes, la colaboración y el intercambio de conocimientos.

Britain's Prince Charles bemoans rural Internet 'deserts'

According to a recent item from AFP news, Prince Charles said that people living in rural areas had been left in the Internet's "slow lane", placing them at a "severe disadvantage" in the modern world.
He called for the public and private sector to come together to find a solution to the broadband gap.

He warned that the online "broadband deserts" would turn into "ghost communities" if struggling businesses in the countryside could not get high-speed Internet access. "The handicap this places on those rural businesses, schools, doctors' surgeries and local authorities, which inhabit these so-called 'broadband deserts', is immense.

He said the number of dairy farms had declined by 50 percent in the past decade, and if people were to stay on the land, "they need all the help they can get". "Denying them broadband, and effectively cutting them off from the Internet, will only be more likely to drive them off the hills and into the towns and cities."

Read the full article

Combining Twitter with a live discussion on agricultural knowledge sharing

This week, a group of KM4Dev participants in Brussels gathered in an ‘AgHuddle’ to explore knowledge sharing approaches and experiences in agriculture. On the afternoon of the second day, the group was asked to use social media to share out and discuss their findings.

Since the group contained various Twitter users, we decided to set up a time-bound twitter chat where the group of people in the room could quickly share experiences and insights ‘live’ with colleagues elsewhere. We called this process a ‘twiddle’ – that merged the use of TWItter with the face to face huDDLE.

Time from the initial idea to action was short, so the twitter users quickly called on their followers to join a discussion in 60 minutes time, and proceeded to help 4 new twitter users sign up and get ready to twiddle.

For some 45 minutes on 7 October, the twitter users in Brussels shared the face to face AgHuddle findings with colleagues from Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cali, Rome, and Washington DC.

As the flow of messages (retweets removed) shows, it was a lively discussion that added value to the face to face discussions, helped get the main ideas documented, and provided a chance to hear views and reactions from beyond the room. It was also a lot of fun.

A side effect from the face to face element in Brussels was the way the Twitter newcomers and oldtimers shared practical Twitter tips.

More on the AgHuddle: addictomatic or socialmention; a wordle picture

The Twits: @gaurisalokhe; @peterballantyne; @charlesdhewa; @rsamii; @ednahkaramagi; @sna_km; @ekekondo; @asabajf; @stefdeprez; @simonestaiger; @Bajan_Nads; @cdn; @mongkolroek; @pbrolley; @agchat; @jschunter

Transmitirán precios de los alimentos en Honduras vía celular

Un artículo del Heraldo informa que A un costo de 31.97 lempiras al mes, los productores podrán recibir vía celular el precio diario del café, de los vegetales y del maíz producido por más de 260,000 agricultores diseminados en todo el país.

La Fundación para el Desarrollo Empresarial Rural (Funder) y el Proyecto Pymerural, auspiciado por la Cooperación Suiza, lanzaron recientemente el Sistema de Información de Precios vía celular (AGROCEL) mediante el cual los productores recibirán información diaria de precios y de la condición climática en el país.

Funder identificó a unos 260,000 productores que podrían participar en este sistema, de los cuales 150 mil cultivan maíz; más de 100,000 café y 10,000 agricultores producen vegetales.

Con este sistema, el productor conocerá las cotizaciones para su producto de interés. Esta herramienta le proporcionará un margen de referencia para negociar la venta de su producción a precios competitivos. También tendrá acceso a proveedores y precios de ciertos insumos, condiciones meteorológicas con alertas por fenómenos extremos, consejos para el cuidado de cultivos, información sobre capacitaciones y respecto al desarrollo de ferias. Bonilla expresó que la sostenibilidad y crecimiento económico de los pequeños y medianos productores agrícolas hondureños se dificulta por el limitado o nulo acceso a servicios de información que contribuyen a la toma de decisiones al momento de comercializar su cosecha.

La referida necesidad sirvió de base para implementar este sistema, especialmente ahora que las Tecnologías de Comunicación e Información (TIC), a través de la telefonía móvil, permite a los agricultores obtener información de sus productos en el mercado nacional aunque estén en zonas remotas, dijo Bonilla.

Funder y Pymerural seleccionaron los rubros de hortalizas, café y granos básicos, para desarrollar la fase piloto de este proyecto y así generar experiencias que en un futuro permitan integrar nuevos productos a esta plataforma de la información.

Twiddle - Use of Twitter with an AgHuddle

On 7 October 2009, a face to face 'AgHuddle' of KM4Dev participants discussed knowledge sharing approaches and experiences in agriculture. The issues raised were discussed through a 'twiddle' session that engaged colleagues beyond the physical meeting in Brussels - via twitter. See the story.

Below are the twitter messages (retweets excluded) exchanged among the participants (latest message first).

CDN As far as I can see, the Twitter chat was a success & not suffering from too much latency. 5:35 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe gr8 1st Twiddle! 4:36 PM October 7th
simonestaiger @gaurisalokhe It was fab. to feel / get actively involved! 4:31 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe rocks!!! Thanks all for your feedback. 4:28 PM October 7th
mongkolroek @gaurisalokhe is the Twiddle over? I was just getting started... 4:27 PM October 7th
mongkolroek @peterballantyne KM/KS for agri has unique issues, but we shouldn't expand them to exclude collab/coop in broader 4:23 PM October 7th
stefdeprez embedding institutional learning as a programme approach to 'capture' local knowledge4:20 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe @jschunter: Orgs need 2 support individuals who work on networks (FSN/e-agriculture R g8 ex). Orgs need 2 facilitate! 4:20 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe @cdn: great point. Farmer field schools R great examples of this.They promote sharing/learning betn farmers & researchers. 4:15 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe @mongkolroek just invented the word twiddle = twitter + huddle :) 4:14 PM October 7th
mongkolroek will someone tell me what a Twiddle is? 4:11 PM October 7th
mongkolroek I agree RT @jschunter: From KM view, it's not fruitful to get orgs engaged in networking, we need to start with individual 4:10 PM October 7th
rsamii @CDN you are absolutely right! Need to create conducive environment 4:10 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe Agree!!!! RT @mongkolroek: networks work when everyone gets something out of it, not cuz project, etc creates it 4:09 PM October 7th
peterballantyne @gaurisalokhe Last thoughts on #aghuddle: was a rich set of discussions, from #brosdi to #ifad; KS incentives, multidirectional flows, ....4:06 PM October 7th
CDN @rsamii Don't capture the farmers' knowledge but create an environment where they can share/exchange and nurture that! 4:05 PM October 7th
jschunter From KM's view, I don't think its fruitful to try get orgs engaged in networking, but we need to start with individuals 4:05 PM October 7th
mongkolroek @peterballantyne @ednahkaramagi networks work when everyone gets something out of it, not cuz project, etc creates it 4:05 PM October 7th
charlesdhewa: Policymakers should also become twitterers in agri knowledge sharing techniques. 4:02 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe just about closing the *twiddle* on at! Any last thoughts?4:01 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe @simonestaiger agree with networking. need to facilitate networking between development/donor agencies as well. 4:00 PM October 7th
rsamii Thank you everyone for contributing to this great twiddle! It was an absolutely a rich and unique experience 4:00 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi the best is to capture the knowledge from the farmers and make it accessible by others @Ekekondo 3:57 PM October 7th
sna_km @peterballantyne and also the farmers have knowledge that other dev agencies - donors, researchers, NGOs want3:56 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi i love the choosing of the right tool ... love that 3:55 PM October 7th
sna_km @rsamii formats is also an issue - how can we use audio +/or visual formats to reach farmers3:55 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe @pbrolley Agree. Examples of impact need to be collated & emphasized. Indicators are @rsamii's *pet project*! 3:55 PM October 7th
rsamii Another challenge is to choose the right tool for different target groups 3:53 PM October 7th
charlesdhewa: uniqueness of Ag KS is: Farmer knowledge is mainly practical and tacit 3:53 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi i think we need to look at the reasons why people arent sharing 3:53 PM October 7th
simonestaiger @peterballantyne Well are there other sectors that are so much depending on multi-stakeholder engagement? 3:52 PM October 7th
rsamii For farmers language is an issue and can hinder knowledge sharing 3:52 PM October 7th
pbrolley @rsamii in order to get donors and gov's to invest in KM/KS for collab across org's, we need to demonstrate impact w/i orgs 3:52 PM October 7th
simonestaiger @rsamii what we really haven't achieved is to scale up all the good experiences that have been working on the ground 3:51 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi donors?? isnt there a faster way?? i think this can easily take forever ... 3:50 PM October 7th
peterballantyne How unique is KM or KS in agriculture? 3:50 PM October 7th
sna_km Just had my first retweet from @agchat hoorah, our KS is working 3:49 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi How can we share more knowledge without creating more information overload? thought bse when u start, its hard to stop 3:48 PM October 7th
rsamii Donors and government need to included KM/KS in their respective policies, strategies and development projects 3:48 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe @ednahkaramagi its donors but also national governments who need to give KS/learning the importance it needs! 3:47 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi on the negative incentive, lets add civil wars which can lead to getting no meaningful information from people @Ekekondo 3:47 PM October 7th
sna_km How can we share more knowledge without creating more information overload?3:46 PM October 7th
charlesdhewa: Agree with Simone. Amazing amount of research has not been asking the right questions 3:46 PM October 7th
Bajan_Nads Need a good mix of people, skills, ideas, programs and funding dedicated to making k flow in ag -- doesn't flow on its own! 3:45 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe one idea was to facilitate the discussion between the donor agencies funding similar projects. Learning should B promoted.3:45 PM October 7th
rsamii @simonestaiger absolutely!!! Networks need to be built with involvement of farmers! 3:44 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi ... on the negative incentives, i add CORRUPTION!!!! 3:44 PM October 7th
simonestaiger @Bajan_Nads:Need to know if we ask the right questions, generating the right knowledge that people want&need. 3:43 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi will donor agencies agree to dedicate resources to knowledge sharing?? i think this is alot and will donors allow this? 3:43 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi hey? let me rephrase it ... how do we improve the flow of knowledge in agriculture in a sustainable manner? 3:42 PM October 7th
charlesdhewa: We could all benefit from stimulating feedback from farmers and rural communities 3:42 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe RT @Bajan_Nads Need 2 know if we are asking the right questions, generating right k that people want & need. 3:41 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi yeah i love the idea of inclusion in national donor agencies in development programs 3:41 PM October 7th
asabajf Need to dedicate resources to knowledge sharing 3:40 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi ah ok i understand the incentive suggestion .... but how can we sustain this in that manner? 3:39 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe @simonestaiger we talked about the problems with the way science is set up (publishing & copyright) 3:39 PM October 7th
Bajan_Nads Need to know if we are asking the right questions, generating the right knowledge that people want and need. 3:39 PM October 7th
Bajan_Nads Need to explore and open the channels of knowledge flow with our stakeholders-at all stages of research to development 3:38 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi the desire and will is important for a sustained more system 3:38 PM October 7th
rsamii @simonestaiger Wow that is such as great story.. . 3:37 PM October 7th
peterballantyne In the #aghuddle. Documenting and capturing main issues and challenges via this 'twiddle'... 8 of us all at once 3:37 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe @simonestaiger incentives is great point! we did a peer assist on that this morning. Outputs to come out in next few days! 3:37 PM October 7th
asabajf We need to include knowledge sharing in national and donor development strategies 3:37 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi in my view, networks work if and only if there is the desire to share otherwise the idea wont be sustainable 3:37 PM October 7th
simonestaiger @rsamii In the GFAR e-cons I loved the idea of detecting successful farmers to become mentors and key k sharers: 3:36 PM October 7th
asabajf Need to provide incentives 4 sharing knowledge and demonstrate benefits 3:36 PM October 7th
simonestaiger @gaurisalokhe We need to push and push open source philosophy and create incentives 3:35 PM October 7th
rsamii A priority is 2 harvest local content + build capacity at grassroot levels 2 systematically capture + share ag knowledge 3:35 PM October 7th
simonestaiger @peterballantyne We need to do a better job in extending networks and involving stakeholders of all kinds 3:35 PM October 7th
gaurisalokhe How do we improve the flow of knowledge in agriculture? Any thoughts? 3:33 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi incentives? i dont understand 3:33 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi we can do this by including the methods that our target groups are using to share information 3:32 PM October 7th
sna_km talking about incentives at the aghuddle 3:32 PM October 7th
sna_km sna_km How do we improve the flow of K in agriculture 3:31 PM October 7th
peterballantyne How do we improve the flow of knowledge in agriculture? - let us know... 3:31 PM October 7th
asabajf How do we improve the flow of knowledge in agriculture? 3:30 PM October 7th
rsamii How do we improve the flow of knowledge in agriculture? 3:30 PM October 7th
ednahkaramagi How do we improve the flow of knowledge in agriculture 3:29 PM October 7th
sna_km stocked up with coffee and biccies ready for the #twiddle 3:29 PM October 7th

Panamá: comarca indígena Kuna Yala con acceso a tecnología WIMAX de punta

Para llevar el internet a Kuna Yala, a 140 kilómetros al noreste de la capital, el gobierno instalará paneles solares en el centro regional del Instituto Nacional de Formación Profesional y Capacitación para el Desarrollo Humano (INADEH), con el fin de respaldar un sistema de comunicación inalámbrica de banda ancha (WIMAX), que beneficiará a toda la comunidad de San Ignacio de Tulipe.

El proyecto mejorará la comunicación vía Internet con la sede central en Tocumen del INADEH, al tiempo que facilitará el proceso de comunicaciones con otras instituciones del Estado en el lugar, tecnología que también estará al servicio de la comunidad indígena.

Por el difícil acceso de las comunicaciones, la estación de la Policía Nacional, el Centro de Salud, la iglesia, la escuela y los moradores de la comunidad, no cuentan en la mayoría de los casos con acceso a Internet, indicó la fuente, aunque no precisó a cuanto asciende la inversión en este proyecto.

Lea el artículo completo

Visite además: Red del Campo en Panamá

Learning repositories workshops in November 2009

Between 2 and 6 November 2009, the Agricultural Learning Repositories Task Force (AgLR-TF) will hold a 'Winter School on Learning Repositories for Agriculture, Food & Environment.'

To be held in Budapest, Hungary, the event comprises:

Technical Course on Federation of Learning Repositories for Agriculture, Food & Environment

2nd Workshop of Learning Repositories for Agriculture, Food & Environment Stakeholders

The aim of the Winter School will be to provide developers of learning content, tools and repositories with technical expertise necessary to connect to federations of learning object repositories such as Organic.Edunet, the Learning Resource Exchange (LRE) or Ariadne, using best practice and state-of-the-art standards as recommended in Best Practice Networks such as the ASPECT project.

Foro de Intercambio sobre Repositorios Digitales entre Chile y Colombia

Los Foros temáticos en Línea son un esfuerzo conjunto de FIA y FAO que tiene como objetivo intercambiar opiniones, experiencias y buenas prácticas en torno al desarrollo y uso de Repositorios Institucionales entre los participantes, en su gran mayoría integrantes de RedAgroChile y también por primera vez, cuenta con la participación de integrantes de la Red de Información y Comunicación del Sector Agropecuario (AGRONET), conformada por especialistas en Gestión de Información Agraria de Colombia.

El primer tema planteado en el Foro son los Repositorios Institucionales. Participan expertos en el tema como la Dra. Imma Subirats quién es especialista en información de FAO.

Para el desarrollo del Foro, FIA ha implementado una plataforma basada en software libre disponible en al plataforma de Innovación Agraria. El foro se realiza desde el 24 de Septiembre al 22 de Octubre de 2009.

www.innovacionagraria.cl/servicios/exalumno/

Portal Embrapa é o segundo mais acessado no Brasil e um dos preferidos no ranking científico internacional

Pesquisa do Cybermetrics Lab, maior organismo público de investigação da Espanha, pertencente ao Conselho Superior de Investigações Científicas (CSIC), acaba de ser divulgada e aponta a Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa) entre as instituições de pesquisa mais acessadas na internet em todo o mundo.

De acordo com a analista de sistemas, Karla Corvino, da equipe responsável pelo projeto, o portal foi planejado com o objetivo de atender aos diversos públicos. “A Embrapa é referência não só para pesquisadores, técnicos, extensionistas e produtores rurais, mas para professores, estudantes e donas de casa, por isso é fundamental oferecer as melhores condições de acesso aos conteúdos e navegabilidade”, comenta. “Só assim é possível manter e conquistar novos usuários”. Karla também lidera o projeto corporativo Fortalecimento da representação da Embrapa na web: governança da informação e internacionalização, que prevê a evolução do portal para segmentação por público alvo e para internacionalização de conteúdos.

Leia o artigo completo.

EarthTrends: The Environmental Information Portal

EarthTrends is a comprehensive online database that focuses on the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world.

The Portal offers and an online collection of information regarding the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world. Committed to the principle that accurate information drives responsible decisions by governments and individuals, EarthTrends offers the public a large breadth of statistical, graphic, and analytical data in easily accessible formats.

Much of the environmental information on the internet is fragmented, buried, or only available at a price. EarthTrends gathers data from the world’s leading statistical agencies, along with WRI-generated maps and analyses, into a single database for rapid searching and retrieving. To facilitate the comparison of data from different sources, EarthTrends supplements its content with detailed metadata that reports on research methodologies and evaluates the information’s reliability. All of these resources are made available to the public at no charge.

España: proyecto Rural Emprende ofrece formación online para emprendedores rurales

El proyecto Rural Emprende tiene como objetivo ofrecer apoyo a personas del medio rural con espíritu emprendedor, fomentando y desarrollando proyectos e iniciativas empresariales que permitan abarcar un amplio abanico de posibilidades en la sociedad de la información.

Integrado dentro del área de actuación Ciudadanía Digital del Plan Avanza, el proyecto comprende cuatro grandes fases de las que ahora se inicia la segunda y que está dirigida a ofrecer formación online sobre creación de modelos de negocio, web 2.0 y nuevas tecnologías. La confederación ofrece asesoramiento gratuito durante el periodo de duración.

A través de este proyecto se pretende romper las tradicionales barreras existentes en las zonas rurales para poner en marcha ideas innovadoras. Con este programa se pretende vencer estos obstáculos, disminuyendo así la brecha digital existente en este sector y que los empresarios tengan la oportunidad de establecer contactos y networking con expertos y agentes relevantes de la industria TIC.

Lea el artículo completo.

Brasil: Programa capacitará jovens da cidade e do campo

Lançado oficialmente em meados desta semana pela Prefeitura do Apodi via Secretaria de Assistência e Desenvolvimento Social, o Programa Telecentro Comunitário de Inclusão Digital “Eu Cidadão”, capacitará anualmente 2.640 alunos de forma gratuita a jovens da cidade e das comunidades rurais do município com vários cursos de informática.

Todos os alunos atendidos pelo Programa de Inclusão Digital “Eu Cidadão vão receber material didático. A Prefeitura do Apodi fará a manutenção do Programa juntamente com as comunidades beneficiadas com o benefício. A maioria dos Telecentros Comunitários vai ser conectada à Rede Mundial de Computadores – INTERNET o que facilitará um intercâmbio com outros telecentros.

Ler o artigo na íntegra

Plataforma on line en España facilitará a asociaciones y a mujeres rurales la formación y la búsqueda activa de empleo

Un artículo señala que el Proyecto "Igualdad en la Red" busca facilitar formación, orientación laboral y los recursos que ofrece Internet como herramienta básica para la búsqueda activa de empleo, la participación y la creación de una red de asociaciones de mujeres, empresas y organizaciones sociales para que interactúen a través de este portal www.igualdadenred.com.

Aprendiendo a manejar una plataforma on line para incorporar las nuevas tecnologías a la vida diaria de las mujeres rurales.

Está concebida como una experiencia piloto innovadora para contribuir a eliminar la brecha digital de género, en el uso de las TCIs entre hombres y mujeres, e incluir el enfoque de género en programas y proyectos de desarrollo tecnológico.

Bhutan: One laptop per child pilot project

Bhutan’s aspiration for an information technology (IT) and a knowledge-based society could receive a major boost if the “one laptop per child (OLPC) pilot project” succeeds.

The project will be piloted in twenty community schools before the government decides whether it will be worth pursuing, according to officials of the department of information and technology (DIT). Planning to bring the OLPC project to Bhutan began last year when the communications minister, Lyonpo Nandalal Rai, personally expressed to the ITU secretary general how Bhutan could benefit from such a project.

Read the full article.

E-Forum facilitates exchange between Chile and Colombia on Digital Repositories for Agriculture

The E-Forums are a joint effort of the FIA and FAO that aims to exchange views, experiences and best practices around the development and use of institutional repositories among participants, mostly members of RedAgroChile and also for the first time with the participation of members of the National Information and Communication Network for the Agricultural Sector (AGRONET), comprised of a community of Agricultural Information Management Specialists in Colombia.

The first issue raised in the Forum are the Institutional Digital Repositories. Participating experts in the field as Dr. Imma Subirats, FAO's information specialist.

For the development of the Forum, FIA has implemented a platform based on open source software available at www.innovacionagraria.cl/servicios/foro

The forum takes place from September 24 to October 22, 2009.

Knowledge sharing and innovation among African pastoralists

A recent report by the Future Agricultures Consortium provides some very interesting insights into knowledge creation and sharing in the innovation systems of pastoralists in Ethiopia and Kenya.

The authors report on discussions that were held at the ‘University of the Bush’ - under some trees next to a tented camp.

Some 'striking features' and challenges that emerged form the discussions include:

• There is a huge amount of innovation going on, but it is not recorded and often not shared.
  
• Sharing can be limited by the restrictive practices of certain holders
  of specialised knowledge – especially traditional healers of livestock.
  
• There are gaps between ‘the community’ – and organised groups within local communities –and the formal veterinary service ... There is a need for an intermediary, someone who can help bridge the formal and informal knowledge systems and make links between them, facilitating access to services and expertise.
  
• Formal research is very distant from the local setting. While NGOs, extension workers and other project staff are present, they are not connected to research. As a result, they often do not know up-to-date information.
  
• Formal innovation through the government and aid system and informal innovation through elders and the local community are often very separate, and sometimes are in conflict.
  
• Informal innovation can often be hidden from view, and is rarely recognised by outsiders.
  

Web 2.0 and Social Media for Development

A new IMARK learning module describes a wide range of social media tools that enhance the ways in which information is created and published, and which provide the means to collaborate and share resources online. It also describes how to take advantage of those tools for more effective networking, collaboration and exchange of knowledge.

Knowledge sharing as enabler of rural change

The KM4Dev workshop in Brussels (6-8 October 2009) includes a thematic 'AgHuddle' for people interested in knowledge sharing (KS) and knowledge management (KM) in the agriculture sector.

The second area of discussion will be on enabling processes of rural change.

Beyond our rather structured organizations and their particular concerns, we can see an explosion of interest in the use of ICTs to facilitate different aspects of knowledge sharing and application in and with rural communities - and among the people who interact with them.

While the attention is often focused on the technologies, we can also see many 'knowledge'and 'information' strands: So-called 'innovation systems approaches' explicitly recognize that innovation needs the involvement of different types of organizations and actors - and effective KS, communication and learning among them; there are some efforts to document local content and farmer/community knowledge, catalyzing its exchange among farmers and with others; providers of mobile devices and services seek ways to tap into existing knowledge systems and so offer added value services; various 'question and answer' services have been set up to connect farming communities with expert knowledge and advice; content creators - in research or academia - are looking for ways to translate their knowledge so it will be taken up by rural communities; and we are seeing the emergence of diverse 'infomediaries' offering a range of knowledge access, connecting and brokerage services across different media - radio, video, web, phones, etc.

Some of the questions we will discuss include:

• How do we effectively work with multiple producers and consumers of knowledge, across cultures and languages and embedded in development processes?
• How, and how well, do we share knowledge in a fast-moving technical environment where some types of mobile connectivity are growing rapidly, even among the poorest?
• How do we effectively work in partnerships with diverse actors that have the potential to translate knowledge to action?

We plan to document and share our discussions across the web - and on this blog: Share your ideas and experiences by commenting on this blog.

See also the first area of discussion: 'KS and KM in changing organizations.'

Knowledge sharing in changing agricultural organizations

The KM4Dev workshop in Brussels (6-8 October 2009) includes a thematic 'AgHuddle' for people interested in knowledge sharing (KS) and knowledge management (KM) in the agriculture sector.

The first area of discussion will be on KS and KM in changing organizations:

All across the agricultural sector, knowledge, learning and innovation are emerging as key points where organizations need to invest and make a difference. Capturing, mobilizing, and sharing different types of knowledge and information - and putting them to good use - has moved up organizational agendas.

This attracts attention from different domains - managers, researchers, IT, web, communication, intranet people, publishing, libraries, learning, and KS/KM.

We can see increased attention to strategies in this area; many experiments with different social media and toolkits; continuing efforts to build and sustain different types of learning networks and sharing communities; more attention to knowledge 'systems' and 'products' and their presentation/visualization across different platforms; diverse ways to organize and deliver and report on face to face meetings; an interest in 'open' knowledge and its accessibility; and increasing conversations among the KS/KM champions across organizations.

Some of the questions we will discuss are:

• How do we best work with multiple knowledge producers, uses, users, communities and types of knowledge?
• How do we work with multiple approaches and tools, and with content that is increasingly mobile and accessible across many increasingly mobile platforms and devices?
• How do we with partners who can extend the reach of the knowledge?
• How do we track and demonstrate progress and impact of KS/KM activities, making the case that these approaches and tools are not 'add ons' - that they can make any activity more efficient and effective. Are there ways we can demonstrate this?

We plan to document and share our discussions across the web - and on this blog: Share your ideas and experiences by commenting on this blog.

See also the second area of discussion: 'KS and KM enabling processes of rural change.'