En auge las Ferias del Conocimiento

Una publicación nueva presenta ocho estudios de caso de gestión del conocimiento que fueron presentados durante la Feria del Conocimiento América Latina y el Caribe llevado a cabo entre el 25 y 27 de mayo de 2010. En dicha feria se reunieron experiencias relacionadas con el desarrollo rural, principalmente agropecuario que pueden ser consideradas como una muestra de lo que viene ocurriendo en gestión de conocimiento en América Latina.

La sede del evento fue el Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT). El evento fue organizdo por el Programa de Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación y Gestión del Conocimiento (ICT-KM) del Grupo Consultivo para la InvestigaciónAgrícola Internacional (CGIAR), la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO), el Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) y la Comunidad de Gestión de Concocimeinto para el Desarrollo (KM4Dev).

Una feria regional similar fue realizado en Ethiopia en Octubre pasado y está por celebrarse una feria global del 27 al 29 de septiembre de 2011 en la sede del FIDA (Fondo Internacional para el Desarrollo Agrícola) en Roma.

AIW - an important platform for professional exchange

In this video, Johannes Keizer, Head of the Editorial Board of IAALD's journal Agricultural Information Worldwide (AIW) emphasizes the need for a strong platform for professional information exchange in the area of agricultural research and innovation.

Former IAALD vice-president on broad membership base

In this video, Stephen Rudgard, FAO Chief of Knowledge and Capacity for Development and former IAALD Vice-President (2005-2010) reflects on the value of the assosciation and its transformation towards a broad membership base of information and knowledge professionals.

A tribute to Anton Mangstl

At the end of March 2011, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says goodbye to one of its leaders in information management, Dr. Anton Mangstl, Director of the Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension (OEhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifK) and past IAALD Board member.

Dr. Mangstl moved FAO’s information function from one of a traditional library and indexing services to one of information management and document availability. He has moved information management beyond libraries with labor intensive processes to providing access to housed documents by taking FAO's documents directly to the user while reducing the labor required to provide the access and service.

Read the tribute in AgInfo Worldwide

Mobilizing the potential of rural and agricultural extension

This paper presents an overview of current opportunities and challenges facing efforts to increase the impact of rural and agricultural extension. The starting point for this analysis is in recognition that the days when agricultural extension was synonymous with the work of public sector agencies are over.

The ‘extension services’ described here may just as likely consist of an input vendor advising a farmer about what seed to plant, a television station broadcasting a weather forecast, a supermarket advising traders about what standards are required for the vegetables they purchase or a farmer organization lobbying for research that reflects the demands of its members for new technologies.

Mobilizing the potential of extension is about enhancing this broad and complex flow of information and advice in the agrifood sector.

The paper presents the position of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) on where agricultural extension stands today and where it needs to go in the future.

Download the report

Researchers and farmers in Burkina Faso benefit from AGORA

A recent video illustrates how INERA (Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles), Burkina Faso's leading institute for agricultural and environmental research, is using the Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) programme to access online scientific research journals with information on fertilizers and dosages, including a focus on maximizing production.

View the video / download the press release (PDF)

Módulo IMARK disponible en español

El módulo de aprendizaje en línea de IMARK sobre el tema de la Web 2.0 y los Medios Sociales está ahora disponible en tres idiomas: español, inglés y francés.

La Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO) tiene el placer de anunciar, en nombre del Grupo Directivo del Repertorio de Recursos para la Gestión de Información (IMARK), la publicación del módulo de IMARK titulado Web 2.0 y los Medios Sociales para el Desarrollo en español y francés.

El módulo describe cómo la Web 2.0 y los medios sociales pueden beneficiar a las organizaciones al afianzar la colaboración y el intercambio de conocimientos. El módulo está compuesto de 11 lecciones, cada una de unos 15 a 60 minutos de duración, agrupadas en dos unidades, para un total de 6 horas de aprendizaje autodidáctico. El curso describe cómo las herramientas de los medios sociales pueden apoyar el intercambio de conocimientos y la colaboración en el contexto del desarrollo rural y agrario.

Específicamente, el módulo explica:

* los conceptos básicos que rigen los medios sociales y la creación de redes sociales;
* la amplia gama de herramientas de medios sociales que mejoran la forma en que se elabora y publica la información;
* cómo la Web 2.0 proporciona los medios para colaborar y compartir recursos en línea, y
* cómo aprovechar estas herramientas para la creación más eficaz de redes, la colaboración y el intercambio de conocimientos en su trabajo.

Para hacer el curso en línea o para solicitar un CD gratis, visite el sitio web de IMARK: www.imarkgroup.org

AgriDrupal: FAO convenes e-consultation

A growing number of institutions in the agricultural domain are building web-based applications with Drupal.

Earlier this year, some people at the IAALD congress in Montpellier exchanged experiences and views around the term ‘Agridrupal.’

In September, FAO are hosting an e-consultation to clarify how the “Agridrupal” initiative should go forward.

Participants are requested to register themselves at http://aims.fao.org/community/group/agridrupal

AIMS adds service on aginfo events

The Agricultural Information Management Standards (AIMS) website is an initiative aiming to improve the coherence among agricultural information systems in order to create a clearing house for information management standards, and to share and promote the use of common methodologies and tools. To reach the above mentioned goals, AIMS provides semantic-based services in the agricultural domain by providing resources such as metadata standards, methodologies, knowledge organization systems, online – and web services.

As a new feature among its online services the AIMS Events Service is now available. It is a regularly updated list of meetings, workshops and conferences as well as other activities associated with agricultural information management standards.

You can also follow upcoming events on the AIMS-Events Twitter account.

We are encouraging everyone to give Feedback regarding the service on the Meetings, Conferences and Workshops on AIMS Forum

If you are not member of AIMS yet, please register here.

USAIN 2010: Introducing CIARD

On May 10th, several of the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) Interest Groups (including the International Agricultural Information Interest Group) organized an afternoon of presentations and demonstrations.

The first presenter, Stephen Rudgard, Chief of Knowledge and Capacity for Development of the FAO, gave a virtual presentation entitled "Global Coherence for Truly Accessible Information".

Stephen outlined the Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD) Initiative including the vision, values and objectives of CIARD to "make public domain agricultural research information and knowledge truly accessible to all." He discussed the CIARD Checklist for developing institutional readiness and increasing the availability, accessibility, and applicability of research outputs.

He encouraged U.S. engagement in the CIARD movement, particularly in registering information sources and services on the "Routemap to Information Nodes and Gateways" (RING) directory http://ring.ciard.net .

He also mentioned an AgriDrupal initiative (http://aims.fao.org/community/group/agridrupal) and a set of Information Management Resource Kits available for capacity building in this area (www.imarkgroup.org).

More information on how to participate is as www.ciard.net

Story by Barbara Hutchinson

More on the 2010 USAIN Congress

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.

Read the full article

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.
Leer el artculo completo

Bibliotecas y acceso a la información es central para Forestal

Hablando en la Reunión RIBDA 2009 en Lima, Vanda Ferreira Dos Santos, responsable del el centro de información forestal de la FAO, reflexiona sobre el reciente Congreso Mundial Forestal donde, por vez primera, la información forestal fue una de los temas relevantes de discusión.

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The AGRIS 2010 project: A portal for resource discovery in agriculture

At the 2009 International Conference on Dublin Core, Stefano Anibaldi made a presentation entitled "How data is collected and integrated by FAO."

He posed two problems:

1. "Classic bibliographic metadata is often understood in an overly-simplistic fashion: users are seeking information against a system populated with metadata, which provides a metadata-driven interface through which users find their way to their target documents."
   
2. "The results are bibliographic descriptions rich in its metadata but too often not sufficient for researchers who want to extend their knowledge on a specific topic."

And shared some solutions:

• "With the rise of full text search and online availability of more research material, such a role for metadata can appear redundant."
  
• "Bibliographic metadata grows in value as the Web grows in connectivity, and can provide researchers with a map of the global research community, linking their papers, thesis, articles with a wider grey literature (preprints, drafts) and with communication platforms (blogs, forums) that help researchers put formal findings into a wider context."
  
• "The main objective of the new AGRIS portal is to become a hub to access the diverse knowledge in agricultural science and technology available globally on the web."
  
• "It not only gives the researchers access to the AGRIS metadata, but it also provides data services to extend their knowledge, accessing Web data such as full text documents and news."

Download the presentation ...
More on AGRIS ...

Call for ICT use in agricultural research

A recent news item reports from the Hyderabad workshop on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) organised by ICRISAT, GFAR and FAOGlobal Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and FAO.

The article highlights that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has immense potential in empowering farming communications and it should be put to greater use by the agricultural research and extension institutions, as said by Dave Hoisington, Deputy Director-General (Research) of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

Hoisington pointed out that politicians were able to effectively use new technologies including ICT and the agricultural scientists must take a cue from them. “Unfortunately, till now ICT has not been given the due importance it deserves, and this has to be corrected to achieve more positive results,’’ he added.

ICRISAT Director-General William D Dar highlighted the importance of information in agriculture, and encouraged the workshop to come up with fresh and innovative ideas that could be the mainstream in the new paradigm of international agricultural research.

Ajit Maru, GFAR, defined the theme of the consultations and opined that ICT should be accorded prominence by treating it as frontier technology on a par with biotechnology and nanotechnology.“Once this is done, it should be able to attract more investments to take on new and challenging tasks of improving the livelihoods of resource-poor small holders and producers,’’ he said.

Read the article.

The role of ICT in agricultural value chains

Join the virtual discussion!

Monday, 7 December through Friday, 18 December

e-Agriculture will be hosting a special online forum on "The Role of ICT in Agricultural Value Chains", which will look at key opportunities and challenges of ICT interventions in the agricultural value chain with a special focus on the most beneficial interventions in rural areas.

This will be an opportunity for knowledge sharing on good practices; presenting expectations of future challenges and outcomes; and reviewing the critical roles of policy makers, rural service providers, and the agricultural community-at-large. The forum will be conducted in English.

All members of the e-Agriculture Community are invited to participate.

Register online at http://www.e-agriculture.org/regform2.html

REDSAN: FAO lanza una Red de Intercambio de Conocimiento en Seguridad Alimentaria

La REDSAN es una red de intercambio de conocimiento, integrada por científicos y profesionales de diferentes disciplinas relacionadas a la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional. Se trata de un iniciativa promovida por FAO, que lanzó su portal web el pasado 10 de noviembre: www.redsan.org.

En dicho portal, los integrantes pueden participar de las discusiones del blog y de los foros, y postular al concurso de investigación. Además, pueden publicar sus investigaciones en la base de artículos, informarse sobre fondos concursables de investigación y enterarse de conferencias, seminarios y eventos.

Además, a partir del jueves 19 de noviembre se dio inicio el foro de discusión virtual de la REDSAN, cuyo tema es la versión corta de la Escala Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Seguridad Alimentaria (ELCSA).

Group on Earth Observations strengthens access to data and information

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is holding its annual Plenary meeting in Washington on 17-18 November to assess and promote progress towards making information about global environmental change readily available to policy-makers, managers and anyone else who needs it.

"GEO is on track to make critical information about global changes widely and easily available. By making petabytes of data accessible on-line, we will dramatically improve decision-making for the benefit of society," said Jose Achache, Director of the GEO Secretariat.

The Washington meeting will review emerging monitoring and information systems, web portals and data-sharing principles.

Read the full article

Panamá: Equipo de Red del Campo se capacita en redes y comunidades virtuales con aplicaciones web 2.0

Los días 11, 12 y 13 de noviembre de 2009, inició la fase presencial del curso Construcción de Redes y comunidades virtuales con aplicaciones web 2.0 (basado en IMARK), se está capacitando a un grupo de funcionarios pertenecientes a instituciones y organizaciones vinculadas al sector agropecuario como el IDIAP, MIDA, CIDAGRO.

Rodrigo Donoso, consultor especialista en gestión de información de la FAO, explicó que el objetivo de este proyecto, es que los extensionistas, tecnicos y productores agropecuarios sean parte de los esfuerzos que desarrolla el gobierno para dar acceso libre a la información, mediante la creacion de una comunidad virtual, para que a su vez los miembros puedan obtener, incorporar y compartir sus conocimientos, experiencias y recursos con otros usuarios del mundo, las 24 horas del día.

Estas instituciónes trabajan para la modernización institucional en el que se desarrollan y aprovechan las fortalezas de herramientas WEBs, como lo son: Twitter, RSS y Moodle.
Lea el artículo completo.