Information on how men and women differ in access to land

A new database launched by FAO puts the spotlight on one of the major stumbling blocks to rural development - widespread inequalities between men and women in their access to land.

The Gender and Land Rights Database, produced in consultation with national statistics authorities, universities, civil society organizations and other sources worldwide, offers up-to-date information on how men and women in 78 countries differ in their legal rights and access to land.

In most of the world, women lag well behind men in ownership of agricultural land and access to income from land, even though women are major producers of food crops and play crucial roles in providing and caring for their households.

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ICTs — Opportunities to mobilize agricultural science for development

Knowledge, information, and data—and the social and physical infrastructures that carrythem—are widely recognized as key building blocks for more sustainable agriculture, effective agricultural science, and productive partnerships among the global research community.

Through investments in e-Science infrastructure and collaboration on one hand, and
rapid developments in digital devices and connectivity in rural areas, the ways that scientists,academics, and development workers create, share, and apply agricultural knowledge is being transformed through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This paper examines some trends and opportunities associated with the use of these ICTs in agricultural science for development.

Read the recent 'Crop Science' article (open access) by Peter Ballantyne, Ajit Maru, and Enrica Porcari.

Web-based information tool on food security for Haiti

In the face of extreme food price volatility and food shortages in Haiti following the January 12 earthquake, FAO has developed an interactive tool to guide international agencies and NGOs involved in food security across the country.

The aginfo, caribbean, en, fao, gis, haiti, latin_america

La información en Internet: herramienta para la seguridad alimentaria en Haití

Frente a la elevada volatilidad de los precios y la escasez de alimentos en Haití tras el terremoto del pasado 12 de enero, la FAO ha desarrollado una herramienta interactiva para orientar a las organizaciones internacionales y las ONGs involucradas en la seguridad alimentaria del país caribeño.

La Herramienta de emergencia para la seguridad alimentaria en Haití reúne datos de diversas fuentes autorizadas y presenta la información en forma de mapa interactivo. Los temas que comprende incluyen las carreteras transitables, calendarios de cosechas, distribución geográfica de los medios de subsistencia e información sobre los daños sufridos.
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Knowledge sharing in Ethiopian extension

The Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) project in Ethiopia employs ICTs and rural information centers to support extension.

A recent article in ICT Update reports on progress and approaches; see also the recent poster prepared for a UNECA exhibition:

InfoAccess Marketplace at IAALD Montpellier Congress

On Monday 26 April, immediately before the IAALD 2010 Congress in Montpellier, partners in the CIARD initiative will organize a marketplace to showcase different tools, approaches and ways to make agricultural information more accessible.

Participants will have an opportunity to learn about new tools and approaches; they will also be able to share their own experiences and plans.

View the announcement (PDF)

Memoria de RIBDA 2009: Innovación en el acceso abierto a la información agraria y ambiental

La ciudad de Lima, Perú, fue sede de la 15ª Reunión Internacional de Especialistas en Información Agraria y Ambiental, que reunió a más de 210 profesionales en información de las Américas y Europa, quienes debatieron sobre el tema central: “Innovación en el acceso abierto a la información agraria y ambiental”.

El Comité Organizador de presenta la Memoria del evento con el propósito de contar con una primera aproximación sobre los resultados del mismo, además de las conclusiones de los talleres.

A 'Cyberary' at India's National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management

A novel concept and a new center of learning is the MANAGE Cyberary, which integrates the services of Information Technology and the Library to provide a single point access to information irrespective of the form in which it exists. Aptly named after Chaudhury Charan Singh, a farmers’ friend who struggled for the uplift of the farmers and the rural economy, the cyberary is a point for information acess and connectivity for the literate, semi-literate and illiterate alike.

The Cyberary integrates state of the art information technology with traditional services bringing together all the modes of the information system available in MANAGE into one integrated system. The focus is on providing a gateway for clients, to access information resources as well as network with the whole world on the Internet and through Videonet.

VAS for farmers : The new market

Rural VAS is gradually surpassing the realms of the SMS and voice. The simple farmer is set to walk into an era of digital revolution. The sight of a farmer sending and receiving immediate updates using mobile devices, including phone cameras may no longer remain a dream. However, that may not happen very soon as these devices are very expensive and also farmers will need to be trained to use them.

A small step in this direction is a scheme developed by UK based Sheffield Hallam University that recently won the Manthan South Asia Digital Empowerment Award. The scheme enables farmers in rural India to get tailored and expert advice on resolving problems with their crops.

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Agricultural knowledge and information system of small-scale farmers in Kenya

A recent article by Hilda Munyua and Christine Stilwell examines "the agricultural knowledge and information systems (AKIS) of small-scale farmers in Kirinyaga district, Kenya by identifying the key agricultural actors, establishing the information needs of farmers and how they access, share and exchange agricultural knowledge and information."

US eXtension releases metrics report

The just-released report from the US eXtension initiative gives a snapshot of its development between 2006 and 2009.

More than 12,000 extension staff from the USA have registered for eXtension ID's; more than 40 communities of practice have been set up (from agricultural law to youth literacy); more than 40,000 aginfo, extension, internet, metrics, usa, usage

In India: rural inventors are driving changes

The Asia Times Online informs about Gupta's 21-year-old Honey Bee Network that has compiled an unprecedented database of 140,000 innovations created by farmers, villagers and small-town inventors. Many have no formal education or technical training. Teams of Honey Bee volunteers scout across India to hunt out local innovations, inventions and traditional knowledge practices.

The Honey Bee Network of rural and small-town inventors, academics, scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers and volunteers gather, pool, develop and share know-how from a mass-based, much-ignored source.

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