ICT/ICM in Agricultural Research and Development: Status in Sub-Saharan Africa

Ajit Maru

A background paper for FARA.RAIS Workshop

27-28 April 2004 Accra Ghana

List of Acronyms: AGORA Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture AGRIS Agricultural Information System for the Agricultural Sciences and Technology Agro forestry) AJOL African Journals Online AR4D Agricultural Research for Development ARD Agricultural Research and Development AROW Agricultural Research on the Web ASARECA Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa CABi CAB International CD-ROM Compact Disk – Read Only Memory CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CIRAD Centre de Cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Development COL Commonwealth of Learning COP Community of Practice CORAF West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development CSS Cascading Style Sheets CTA Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (Netherlands) DVD Digital Video Disk FAO Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations FARA Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa GFAR Global Forum on Agricultural Research GIS Geographical Information Systems HTML Hypertext Markup Language IARC International Agricultural Research Centre ICRISAT International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics ICM Information and Communication Management ICTs Information and Communication Technologies IDRC International Development Research Center IFPRI International Food Policy Research Institute IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development IICD International Institute for Communications for Development IM Information Management IMARK (Information Management Resource Kits) INASP International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications iNARS Information in NARS IPR Intellectual Property Rights IT Information Technology ISNAR International Service for National Agricultural Research (Netherlands) ISP Internet Service Provider LAN Local Area Networks M & E Monitoring and Evaluation NAIFPs National Agricultural Information Focal Points NAIS National Agricultural Information System

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NAL National Agricultural Library (USA) NARS National Agricultural Research Systems NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development NGO Non-governmental organizations RAIN Regional Agricultural Information Network (ASARECA) RAIS Regional Agricultural Information System RMIS Research Management Information Systems SACCAR Southern African Center for Cooperation in Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Training SADC/FANR Southern Africa Development Council SDI Selective Dissemination of Information SMS Short Messages System SRO Sub Regional Organizations SR.RAIS Sub Regional Agricultural Information System SSA Sub Saharan Africa STI Scientific and Technical Information TEEAL The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library USAID United States Agency for International Development WAICENT World Agricultural Information Centre, FAO WISARD Web based Information System for Agricultural Research for Development WWW World Wide Web XML Extended Markup Language

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Contents PageExecutive Summary Introduction 1National Agricultural Information System 2Regional Agricultural Information System 3Scientific and Technical Information Services 4Research Data Management 8Research Management Information 9Extension, Outreach and Market Information Services 10Agricultural Education and Capacity Development 18Organization and Management Information 19Messaging and Communication 19Content Management 22Infrastructure 23Strengths and Weaknesses of ICT use and ICM in NARS 23ICT/ICM Activities in Sub-Regional Organizations 26Collaboration and Coordination among Stakeholder Agencies 27Summary of Gaps and Weaknesses 27Advantages of Collaboration among Sub-Regional and Regional Agricultural Information Systems 29Suggestions for Discussion at FARA.RAIS 30Bibliography 31Appendix I Appendix II

ICT/ICM in Agricultural Research and Development: Status in Sub-Saharan Africa

Executive Summary

Using a variety of information resources including a survey, this document attempts to synthesize the main ICT/Information and Communications Management (ICM) activities and initiatives around the frameworks of National Agricultural Information Systems (NAIS), Sub-Regional and Regional Agricultural Information Systems (RAIS) for agricultural research and development (ARD) for the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Region. It collectively, at the regional level, highlights their major strengths and weaknesses. Finally, it draws the collaborative advantages for the Agricultural Information Systems of the three Sub-Regional Organizations (SROs) – ASARECA, CORAF and SADC/FANR as also of FARA that can help leverage agricultural development in the SSA region. It concludes by suggesting areas for action for enhancing effective ICT use and ICM in ARD in the SSA region.

The use of ICT, with personal computers and Internet connectivity, is ubiquitous

in the SSA NARS. However, these NARS have major gaps and weaknesses in ICT infrastructure including skills and Internet connectivity, capacity to generate digital information content, apply and manage use of ICT effectively and provide ICT enabled information services.

In area of Scientific and Technical Information, library automation, the ability to

provide NARS wide services such as Current Awareness and Selected Dissemination of Information or on-line catalogues and full text documents is weak. There exists a need to strengthen and improve the capacity and collaboration in sharing research and other databases and information among the sub-regional and regional ARD networks. While applications and the technology for RMIS at NARS level exist, the uptake and “institutionalization” of these information systems in the NARS and at the sub-regional and regional information systems is very weak. The weakness in using ICT in agricultural extension, outreach and education, in addition to ICT infrastructure, is the availability of digital content that can be transmitted through new ICT and is also useful and relevant to users. ARD Institutions in SSA NARS also have weak Institutional ICM structures that can enable them to use effective and efficient use of ICT. Most of these weaknesses, as indicated above, stem primarily from lack of capital investment in ICT in the NARS.

The gaps and weaknesses of ICT use in NAIS, RAIS and the NARS of SSA can

be summed under the following heads:

a. Capacity, including infrastructure and skills b. Content, including generation and management c. Capital, with the focus on funding not only ICT but also ICM d. Connectivity, not only physical but the ability to access information buy

individuals and user communities

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e. Collaboration within and across ARD Institutes at National, sub-regionally and regionally

f. Organizational/Institutional Culture g. Conceptual frameworks related to ICT use and ICM for ARD

The main advantages of collaboration among SSA NARS through sub-regional

and regional agricultural information systems at present and the near future taking into consideration the various weaknesses, limitations and gaps are:

• Increased and improved sharing and exchange of data, information,

knowledge, skills, technology and resources, including financial, laboratory facilities, experimental farms etc. for multi-disciplinary and multi-location research, especially through networks.

• Improved, more efficient and effective information flows to clients and communities across national boundaries around commodities, eco-regions, farming systems, scientific and technical disciplines and areas, watersheds etc.

• Increased leverage in attracting donor, government and private sector funding for improving, further enabling and enhancing agricultural information systems at the NARS, sub-regional and regional levels.

• Increased capacity to influence national, regional and International policies and strategies related to telecommunications and agricultural development.

The focus of the FARA.RAIS meeting should be on prioritizing action among

the following areas:

• Enabling capacity building in SSA ARD Institutions, especially skills through training and sensitization in:

Content Management related to: • Scientific and Technical Information • Collaborative Research Data, especially in

Bioinformatics, Geographical Information Systems and Modeling that contribute to development of “precision” agriculture suitable adapted to SSA

• Research Management Information • Extension and Outreach including providing market

related information • Open and Distance Learning in Agriculture

Computer Networks, Web and Internet Services administration and management with a focus on Open Source Software that would contribute to reduction in total cost of operation of information systems

Information Systems Management Sensitization of Senior Managers and Policy Makers

regarding ICT use and ICM policies, strategies, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and governance for agricultural development

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• Developing the following: Sub-regional and regional agricultural virtual libraries Sub-regional and regional information directories on: • Institutions • Experts • Projects, including Project Outputs such as documents,

technologies etc., Open and Distance Learning Centers for Agriculture

• Enabling and Enhancing Capacities of Senior ARD policy makers and managers in influencing telecommunications and other policies and strategies at National, Regional and International levels

• Leading initiatives for increased funding for ICT use and ICM in ARD

It is suggested that the Consultation Workshop consider a short-medium and long term strategy including the specific suggestions listed above.

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ICT/ICM in Agricultural Research and Development: Status in Sub-Saharan Africa

Ajit Maru Consultant, FARA

Introduction

1. The importance of agriculture, the need for its further development at a rapid pace and the role of agricultural research in the development process in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) region and countries is documented in several published documents.

2. The practice of agriculture in SSA, like other countries of the South, now faces several challenges. These include the urgent need to improve productivity, ability to participate more equitably in agricultural markets, many of which are now global in scope, and the sustainable use of increasingly scarce natural resources.

3. The continuous need for new information and knowledge to increase and sustain agricultural production and the natural environment, and participate effectively in markets is universally recognized. The critical role of using information and communications technologies (ICT), especially newer technologies such as cellular telephony and the Internet, to enable and enhance as also create new information flows for agricultural development is now gaining more widespread acceptance.

4. The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, FARA, is a lead regional coordinating and facilitating body to support and promote agricultural research for development (AR4D) in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) Region. One of the major functions of FARA is sharing and dissemination of agricultural information and knowledge within and amongst all AR4D stakeholder groups. FARA, to contribute to GFAR’s GLOBal ALliance of the Regional Agricultural Information Systems (GLOBAL.RAIS) project, has initiated a regional consultation with close collaboration of sub-regional organizations for ARD and representatives of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS). The aim of this consultation is to achieve a regional agenda in ICM for AR4D. For this initiative, it aims to collectively identify strengths and weaknesses of National Agricultural Information Systems (NAIS) and Sub-Regional (SR.RAIS) and Regional Agricultural Information Systems (RAIS) as also critical gaps and approaches to fill them to improve ICM and bring more effective ICT use in AR4D, especially for sharing and dissemination of agricultural information and knowledge in SSA.

5. This document, using a variety of information resources, attempts to synthesize the main ICT/ICM activities and initiatives for AR4D for the SSA Region using the frameworks of NAIS, SR.RAIS and RAIS. This document collectively, at the regional level, highlights the major strengths and weaknesses of the NAIS, SR.RAIS and RAIS and draws the collaborative advantages for the Agricultural Information Systems of the three Sub-

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Regional Organizations (SROs) – ASARECA, CORAF and SADC/FANR as also of FARA that can help leverage agricultural development in the SSA region. It will provide the basis of discussion for setting the regional agenda at the FARA.RAIS Workshop to be held at Accra, Ghana on 26th-27th April 2004.

National Agricultural Information Systems

6. The conceptual basis of a NAIS has its foundations on the concept of a National Agricultural Research System (NARS). This is a system that brings structure and organization to agricultural research and development at the National level of a country. This concept has evolved over the last forty or so years. It considers the mainly public sector agricultural research in the South Countries to be organized under a central command structure. In each country the NARS manages financial, human and information resources and assets to meet the overall national objectives, through research and development, for agriculture. The NARS, as a concept, consists of public agricultural research and development Institutions, Universities, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and, has over a period of time, been expanded to include the private sector as also public-private and the emerging public-private-community partnerships in agricultural development.

7. The NAIS, similar to the NARS, is considered a “system” that organizes and manages the flow and use of information related to agricultural development at the National level. In many situations, the NAIS may be equated to the information management system of the NARS. Its constituents, such as its actors, stakeholders and clients are also similar to those of the NARS.

8. One of the ways to describe ICT use and ICM in a NAIS is to use a framework of describing the information services of the NAIS, the applications of ICT to support the information services, the information content that flows through the ICT enabled services and the ICT related infrastructure that is needed to provide the services, use the applications and generate and manage the information content that flows through the NAIS. Included in this framework are management structures that govern the NAIS through formulation of appropriate policies, strategies and resources allocation for its functions, administration and growth.

9. Assessing ICT use and ICM in a NAIS would therefore be an assessment of its services, applications, availability of content and capacity to generate content, the ICT infrastructure that supports services and the related management and governance structures. For a rapid appraisal of ICT use in NAIS of SSA Countries for this document, a questionnaire (See Appendix I.1: Sample Questionnaire for NAIS:English1) was used to assess these NAIS elements. The indicator information services assessed were those related to the following areas:

a) Scientific and Technical Information b) Research Data Management, especially in applications of collaborative

data use such as in models, Geographical Information Systems and Knowledge Based/Expert Systems

1 A French Translation of the Questionnaire was sent to Francophone NARS.

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c) Research Management Information d) Extension and Outreach Information including market related

information e) Distance and Open Education f) Organization and Management g) Messaging and Communication which included use of telephones, Fax,

E-Mail and Internet

Questions related to content management, perceived status of infrastructure and the ICT and ICM structures were also included in the Questionnaire. The Questionnaires were sent to NARS Institutes (See Appendix I.2: List of SSA NARS Institutes that were sent Questionnaires and those that responded)

Regional Agricultural Information Systems (RAIS)

10. The concept of RAIS gained acceptance when a consensus was reached at a consultation organized by GFAR “Build an Enabling Global Framework for Agricultural Research Information for Development” in 1999, as a first step towards the emergence of a “Global Knowledge System in Agricultural Research and Development (ARD)”.

11. The building blocks for the Global Knowledge System in ARD are the national institutions and the various stakeholders of agricultural research. The GFAR consultation stated “whereas the national institutions should increasingly be encouraged to organize their information in an electronic mode, strong regional/sub-regional ICT support and coordination should facilitate the display of information in this broader framework. Besides facilitating the display and circulation of national information, Regional/Sub-Regional Information Systems also facilitate the interaction between global information facilities and end-users at the local level. Thus Regional/Sub-Regional Information Systems play a strategic role in the development of a Global Knowledge System in ARD.”

12. The following factors were also identified at the same Consultation as concrete requirements that the enabling framework can help to address, through closer cooperation and improved coordination:

a) The need to avoid overlaps and duplication. b) The need to articulate better the four levels at which information is

generated and is utilized: the Global, the Regional/Sub-Regional, the National and the Local/Community level.

c) The need to reduce costs and increase efficiency and effectiveness, through economies of scale and through the sharing of tools and approaches.

d) The need to develop learning processes and learning networks, through sharing experiences, “best practices” and knowledge on ICT approaches, strategies and applications.

e) The need to assure end-user involvement and participation of NARS in the process.

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f) The need to promote the applications of ICT to agricultural and rural development.

g) The opportunities that the new technologies open in terms of developing an information and knowledge space that helps to interconnect the main stakeholders.

13. Assessing ICT use and ICM in a RAIS would therefore also, as in a NAIS, be

an assessment of its services, applications, availability of content and capacity to generate content, the ICT infrastructure that supports services and the related management and governance structures that support the above requirements. For a rapid appraisal of ICT use of the 3 sub-regional and FARA RAIS for this document, a questionnaire (See Appendix II: Sample Questionnaire for RAIS) was used to assess these requirements. The indicator information services provided by RAIS assessed were those related to the following areas:

a) Scientific and Technical Information b) Research Data Management, especially in applications of collaborative

data use such as in models, Geographical Information Systems and Knowledge Based/Expert Systems

c) Research Management Information d) Extension and Outreach Information e) Distance and Open Education f) Organization and Management g) Messaging and Communications support

Questions related to content management, perceived status of infrastructure and the ICT and ICM structures were also included in the Questionnaire. The Questionnaires were sent to all Sub-regional organizations and FARA. Only ASARECA responded to the questionnaire.

14. The frameworks for NAIS and RAIS also enable to identify the entry points for suitable interventions by FARA, the sub-regional organizations and ARD Institutions such as the NARS at country level.

Scientific and Technical Information Services

15. Scientific and Technical Information (STI) services offered in agricultural research Institutes of SSA countries are only through “brick and mortar” libraries and information centers. South Africa has a system to share documents across agricultural libraries in the country.

16. Some of these libraries are automated to provide access to electronic catalogues and services such as current awareness services and selected dissemination of information. Poor infrastructure including computer hardware, software and connectivity as also skills limit more widespread automation of libraries in NARS Institutes.

17. Libraries of major Research Institutes in some countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe, as reported on their

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NARS websites, offer access to abstracting and full text scientific literature through CD-ROMs such as of AGRIS, CABi, and TEEAL.

18. The following table lists the more prominent initiatives and sources of agricultural scientific and technical information that support low income countries including those of SSA.

Table 1: Initiatives and Sources of Agricultural STI that support low income countries

Initiative Description AGRIS

AGRIS is the international information system for the agricultural sciences and technology. It was created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1974, to facilitate information exchange and to bring together world literature dealing with all aspects of agriculture.

AGRIS is a cooperative system in which participating countries input references to the literature produced within their boundaries and, in return, draw on the information provided by the other participants. To date, 240 national, international and intergovernmental centers participate from all over the world.

AGRICOLA

AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) is a bibliographic database of citations to the agricultural literature created by the National Agricultural Library (NAL) and its cooperators. Production of these records in electronic form began in 1970, but the database covers materials in all formats, including printed works from the 15th century. The records describe publications and resources encompassing all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines, including animal and veterinary sciences, entomology, plant sciences, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries, farming and farming systems, agricultural economics, extension and education, food and human nutrition, and earth and environmental sciences. Although the AGRICOLA database does not contain the materials,

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thousands of AGRICOLA records are linked to full-text documents online, with new links added daily. AGRICOLA is searchable on the World Wide Web.

AGORA—Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture

The AGORA site provides free access to more than 500 journals from major scientific publishers in the fields of food, agriculture, environmental science, and related social sciences. AGORA is available to students and researchers in qualifying not-for-profit institutions in eligible developing countries, over half of which are in Africa.

More information can be obtained from: agora@fao.org.

CABi electronic Journals Delivery Service (eJDS) Programme

The electronic Journals Delivery Service (eJDS) Programme is geared to facilitate free access to current scientific literature. The goal is to distribute individual scientific articles via email to scientists in institutions in Third World countries that do not have access to sufficient bandwidth to download material from the Internet in a timely manner and/or cannot afford the connection. Providing scientists with current literature will support their ongoing research.

Food Security and Food Policy Internet Directory for Sub-Saharan Africa

This directory seeks to help researchers conducting studies of country- and region-specific African food security.

Global Development Network (GDN) - Free Journal Access Portal

GDN supports and links policy research institutes from 11 regions and more than 100 countries. GDN fosters research and knowledge sharing. GDN offers a range of journals services to address the difficulty faced by many researchers in the global south in accessing journal articles to support their research.

International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications(INASP)/Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERI)

This network provides access to scientific and scholarly information through electronic means. It includes more than 10,700 full-text online journals, current awareness databases, and document delivery of major scientific, technical, medical, social science, and humanities materials from a wide range

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of sources.

More information can be obtained from: inasp@inasp.info.

African Journals OnLine (AJOL) The International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) launched AJOL in 1998 with only 14 journals. By January 2004 it had more than 175 African journals covering most subject areas. The service remains free to both users and participating journals (with charges only for document delivery requests from outside developing countries). It has a new website: http://www.ajol.info More information can be obtained from: ajol@inasp.info.

TEEAL - The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library

TEEAL is a full-text and bibliographic CD-ROM library of more than 140 of the world’s most important scientific journals in the field of agriculture. It is available well below cost to more than 100 of the lowest-income food-deficit countries, as listed in the World Bank’s 1998-99 World Development Report. More information can be obtained from: gracian@cyberplexafrica.com.

CTA support to subscription and capacity development

CTA supports several ACP countries through subscription fees and capacity development in STI access and management

SIST Project This is a European Union / French Government Initiative to provide STI access to SSA countries

19. AGORA reports that out of the 39 Sub-Saharan countries eligible for AGORA,

at least one institution in 30 countries have registered. The 9 Sub-Saharan countries yet to register for AGORA are Angola, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sao Tome & Principe, and Somalia.

20. Internet access to scientific and technical literature is available through several NARS Institute libraries particularly of the Universities and at Institutes located in capital cities, large towns or at NARS Headquarters. However, cost and available bandwidth as also user skills in searching agriculture related literature limit effective use of the Internet as a source of internationally available agricultural STI. Apparently, poor or total lack of or the cost of Internet connectivity and access is a limiting factor in its generalized use in the NARS Institutes and, more so, by individual users located at outlying and remote Institutes and Research Stations away from the Headquarters. Widespread awareness of availability of STI through Internet from sources such as of those listed in Table 1 also limits Internet use.

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21. International Agricultural Research Institutes such as of the CGIAR in some cases provide access to STI services, especially when they are co-located with the NARS Institutes. However, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) prevents many of these International Institutes to share STI with NARS Institutes and individual agricultural research scientists.

22. Some NARS have reported virtual libraries in their response to the NAIS survey. Upon visit to the reported websites, while a few documents are available on-line on their websites, they can at best be considered as being very rudimentary as an “electronic/virtual” library. This reporting could be an error in defining a “virtual” library. As such, it can be concluded that there are no accessible agricultural electronic/virtual libraries serving the needs of SSA region originating from an African country or sub-regional organization.

23. Poor funding for libraries across all SSA countries has led to limited access to quality scientific and technical information to scientists, extension agents, managers and policy makers. Poor funding also prevents automation of libraries, digitization of documents and electronic dissemination of scientific and technical information within the NARS and with other Institutions within and outside the country.

24. Several countries such as Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe publish agricultural research journals. However, except in case of Ghana, contents of these journals are not available online.

25. A major issue is the limited opportunity for SSA agricultural scientists to publish in scientific journals, especially quality international journals. There are two main factors, Internet connectivity and costs associated with submitting the document. Most International journals now expect electronic versions to be submitted on-line which is not easy for authors as research Institutes are either not connected or poorly connected through e-mail and the Web.

Research Data Management

26. Responses to the survey and country papers indicate that NARS use (personal) computers for managing research data. Some NARS indicate centralized research data management. A few NARS, such as of Kenya have reported the use of GIS, most of which is albeit for agriculture such as land use planning and watershed management at a rudimentary level. Geographical Information Systems need data from a multiple sources and this is indicative of collaborative data use at the NARS level. The application of computer models and knowledge based systems that induce collaborative use of data and information is limited.

27. Sub-regional and regional initiatives can boost the use of these applications through improved collaboration for data sharing along common watersheds and littoral eco-regions. Similarly, common crop and other simulation model building, usually a very costly exercise, based on collaborative development and shared datasets such as of metrology can enable use of “precision” agriculture techniques at National and Regional levels.

28. A major area of concern is regarding Bioinformatics capabilities of the SSA NARS. While the questionnaire did not address this issue directly and there is

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little information available on ICT use for Biotechnology research and application in SSA, the current status of Internet connectivity and access to STI indicate that the capacity for Bioinformatics is weak. This may hinder the application of Biotechnology for agriculture in SSA ARD.

29. In many International and Regional Research Networks, there are goals such as of creating common databases, models that use the data collected through networks for simulation, generating common data for geographical information systems and for use in knowledge based/expert systems etc. These data are collected, shared and or exchanged remotely through dedicated data networks or through the Internet. While there are several research networks established under the Sub-Regional Organizations such as ASARECA, very little is available in a documented form about how multi-disciplinary and multi-location data is shared within and across these networks. There is very little evidence that the various research networks in the SSA have devised methods, including standards, for the exchange of data and information through their own common information systems. It is apparent that significant data and information management is needed at the operational level for these networks.

30. Research Networks within a NARS, in a region and those of an International nature benefits significantly from the use of electronic discussion lists (e-lists) and on-line “Communities of Practice” (COPs). A few discussion lists such as AgAfricaICT and iNARS for ICT and ICM have limited participation from researchers, managers and policy makers of SSA countries. Apparently, access to Internet connectivity may be a limiting factor to the initiation and further development of e-lists and COPs among research networks in SSA.

Research Management Information

31. Several NARS have or are in the process of implementing Research Management Information Systems (RMIS). Some like Mozambique and Uganda are attempting to use modified versions of ISNAR’s Relational INFORM Research Management Information System. INFORM is now available as a Web based system also. Table 2: Countries that have acquired INFORM Research Management Information System

Countries with INFORM-R or Light1 Countries with INFORM2

Cote d’ Ivore Kenya Ethiopia Sudan Ghana Lesotho Mozambique Nigeria South Africa Tanzania Uganda Zambia

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Zimbabwe 1 – INFORM-R and Light use a relational database management system (Microsoft Access) which offers significant technical advantages in maintaining Research Projects and Programs data

2 – INFORM, an older version, uses a ”flat” file structure and its application software, REFLEX, is now not supported.

32. The benefits of an RMIS for the NARS not only are in managing research but also in the ability to cost outputs including technology generated from research projects. As new approaches, such as competitive grants, to ARD funding emerge, there will be a need to estimate research project costs more accurately. However, the implementation and what is termed “Institutionalization” of RMIS in the NARS have been found not to be without problems that range from those related to infrastructure, operationalizing the RMIS, coordination and control of data and information flows and making use of information such as in priority setting for research, budgeting and fund allocation, and monitoring and evaluation.

33. Outputs from an RMIS, such as information about NARS Institutes, Expertise, Research Programs and Projects, Project outputs including scientific papers, extension documents, technologies, processes etc. if shared through the Web and/or offline media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs can bring greater effectiveness of research. In case of the more technically developed countries of SSA, these outputs, especially technologies, can bring commercial benefits as also establish IPR, which is emerging as a major issue, as in case of seed, in agricultural technologies and knowledge also.

34. ASARECA and SACCAR (on its website) indicate that they are developing and managing research project databases at the SRO level.

35. There are several agricultural research and development networks operational in SSA. Some are through the SROs and others supported by International donors and agencies span sub-regions according to commodities and eco-regions. AGRHYMET for the Sub-Sahel region of Africa is an example of the cross SRO ARD networks. The use of ICT to further enable, enhance and enlarge these networks and their communities is not very well documented.

Extension, Outreach and Market Information Services

36. Agricultural extension systems in SSA in the 1990’s have been significantly weakened and reduced in their effectiveness due to a variety of reasons primarily reduced funding to agricultural development due to weak national economies. Investments in use of ICT in extension by NARS have consequently been very limited. Table 3 lists examples of global and sub-Saharan ICT enabled initiatives for agricultural development

Table 3: Examples of Global and Sub-Saharan ICT enabled initiatives for Agricultural Development

Title Description Global Farm forums

Farm forums began in Canada in the 1940s and have been used to reach large audiences in e.g., India, Ghana, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Benin, Niger and Senegal.

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Radio programs on farming issues are produced in collaboration with agricultural extension services and broadcast, using a ‘listen-discuss-act’ pattern of audience participation.

Radio Club

Radio Club is the francophone version of the farm forums. But where the latter used a transmissionist, top-down, deficit approach, Radio Club was an early example of the empowerment approach. It involved listeners in selecting the topics for investigation, collecting the information, producing the programs, and finding solutions to locally determined problems.

Radio campaigns

Like farm forums and radio clubs, radio campaigns can involve study groups and print materials for follow up clarification, contextualization, decision-making, and action. However, they run for shorter periods and are often more tightly-focused, sometimes only focusing on single issues. They often involve collaboration between several agencies and because of their large audiences, use study group leaders for discussions on the issues covered in the broadcasts. Radio campaigns have been successfully employed in, e.g., India, Tanzania, Botswana, and Zambia.

CGIAR Learning Resource Centre (CGLRC)

The CGLRC (www.knowledgebank.irri.org/cglrc) provides CGIAR learning resources in standardized electronic to the agricultural and natural resources management community. This pilot repository of learning objects is hosted by IRRI in the Philippines. National institutions can use these learning resources and adapt them to the language, contexts, and specific learning needs of their users. Some of the materials can be used by extension workers and farmers literate in English. The learning resources currently available include decision support tools, techniques in dryland agriculture, fishing and aquaculture, forestry, law and policy on the management of plant genetic resources, livestock breeding and diseases, plant breeding and genetics, rice production, soils, water and irrigation, and training materials for trainers

ISNAR Learning for Institutional Innovation

ISNAR (www.isnar.cgiar.org) (archived site) was one of the 16 Future Harvest Centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ISNAR, now an IFRPRI program, aims to contribute to the generation and use of knowledge to foster sustainable and equitable agricultural development and help bring about innovation in agricultural research institutions in developing countries. Its main areas of work is strengthening human capacity in institutional innovation in agricultural research. The outputs include training modules and materials, distance learning programs, publications, and radio and TV programs. ISNAR’s training approach involves interactive, action-oriented learning and group work grounded in work contexts. ISNAR’s Learning Team offers programs and communities-of-practice for research program managers and plans to introduce e-learning courses.

IRRI Rice Web

IRRI Rice Web (www.riceweb.org) is a compendium of the history of rice, where and how it is grown, its processing and trade, recipes, research issues, terminology and literature. It has been developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, in collaboration

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with the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA), Cote d’Ivoire and Centro International Agricultura Tropical (CIAT, Colombia. It has received international recognition as an outstanding educational Website for students, researchers and the community at large. The site is user-friendly and the information is multi-layered. For example, a click on ‘Research’ opens up a page providing access to critical research issues, international research centers, international rice research collaborative mechanisms, new research tools, research databases and conversion factors.

World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF)

ICRAF(www.worldagroforestrycentre.org) is concerned with raising awareness and providing training in agroforestry and integrated natural resource management. It works in collaboration with a consortium of educational and training institutions, and its target groups are the rural poor in the developing countries of the tropics. It is beginning to use ODL and ICT to deliver its programs and form links with other global providers and learning systems.

Virtual Academy of the Semi-Arid Tropics (VASAT)

VASAT (www.vusat.org) is an information, communication and non-formal distance education coalition for rural communities and intermediaries led by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) (www.icrisat.org). It comprises an e-library, working documents, a research projects database, an image library, meteorological data, IARC training material and other resources. VASAT’s partners are research institutions and councils, higher education institutions, corporate bodies, state government bodies and project groups, the Commonwealth of Learning, the International Water Management Institute, South Asia Regional Office, international Service for National Agricultural, research and the International Livestock Research Institute in South Asia. This coalition shares information, knowledge and skills related to climate literacy, drought preparedness, best practice in dryland agriculture and other issues through ICT and distance learning. VASAT offers a compilation of training materials and is currently planning to design, develop and test ICT-based information exchange models and a Learning Objects Repository, and to link rural communities and their organizations with international and national centres of excellence and expertise in drought and desertification management. It will do this in collaboration with the CG IARCs, CGIAR partners such as FAO, Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and NARES, Intermediary Organizations and the rural communities and it will adopt a common approach with the proposed CGIAR KM-ICT and learning projects.

Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems (AKIS)

AKIS has been developed by the World Bank and FAO to link farmers, agricultural educators, researchers and extension workers and generate, share and utilize agriculture-related technology, knowledge and information. This Website covers such topics as livestock and animal resources, fisheries and aquaculture, crops, markets and agribusiness, producer organizations and irrigation and drainage.

Sub-Saharan Africa INADES-formation

INADES-formation (African Institute for Economic and

12

Social Development) (www.sdnp.undp.org) operates primarily in francophone West Africa. It is designed for smallholder farmers and uses print, radio, audio and local facilitators to support group and individual study. It aims to give farmers the socio-economic power to become responsible for their own development and manage their own community resources. INADES programs have been translated into more than 50 local languages. The program has been effective in teaching young male farmers and extension workers in a wide range of ethnic and language groups, but the number of participants has recently declined and the program’s focus is now moving to financial management, marketing, group management and networking.

University of Namibia Centre for External Studies: Action Research Pilot Project on the Use of Affordable Media for Farmer Education in northern Namibia

This program was established by the University of Namibia’s Centre for External Studies, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Department of Information and Communication Sciences in close cooperation with the local extension services and traditional authorities in the four regions served. It aims to provide education on animal husbandry for smallholders in the north-central regions of Namibia, using radio, simple post-literacy printed handouts, audiocassettes, study groups, and visits by extension workers.

ACACIA Initiative

The Canadian government, through the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), is supporting the Acacia Initiative Programme in Africa, which is designed to empower Sub-Saharan rural communities in applying ICT for their own social and economic development and test ICT as a tool for transformation in developing countries. IDRC funds telecentres and ICT-based projects in collaboration with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), UNESCO and the national governments. The initiative operates as an integrated research and development program in applications, technology, infrastructure and governance. Acacia supports Canada’s contribution to the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) (www.bellanet.org/partners/aisi) which has been endorsed by African governments as an action framework to build Africa’s information and communication infrastructure. Acacia 1 operated in Senegal, Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa. Acacia 11 will continue in Uganda, Mozambique and Senegal, but it will also operate in South Africa in partnership with the Development Bank of South Africa, Angola and Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda, Benin and Ghana, and Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.

Information and Communication Support forAgricultural Growth in Nigeria(ICS-Nigeria) (ICS-Nigeria).

ICS-Nigeria (www.ics-nigeria.org) is a USAID pilot project aimed at strengthening the capacity of farmer assistance organizations in six states of Nigeria by identifying, developing, packaging and disseminating agricultural information in print, radio, video, CD-Rom and the Internet through farmer resource centres. One training program is an illustrated guide on how to grow cassava commercially in Nigeria in pdf. format for semi-literate farmers.

Electronic Delivery of Agricultural Information to Rural Communities in Uganda

This project (www,agricinfo.or.ug) operated in Central Uganda in 2000-2002 in response to the need for information on new skills and farming techniques and serve rural communities through telecentres. The project

13

was funded by the IDRC and was a collaborative effort between the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and CAB International (CABI). The project involved assessing the information needs and ICT preferences of rural farmers, women’s groups, extension workers, youth groups, NGOs and community-based organizations, identifying, acquiring and repackaging agricultural information, research findings and indigenous knowledge from Ugandan and international sources into appropriate formats and languages, empowering and capacity building within the local communities, facilitating extension workers through training of trainers workshops, and developing a sustainable business model for these products and services.

Commonwealth of Learning Media Empowerment (COLME) in Ghana

COLME (www.col.org) has set up a pilot project using digital video technology to produce instructional programs for farmers. It works in collaboration with in-country agencies, identifies rural community needs and provides training for extension workers in shooting and editing videos addressing regional concerns. The tapes are used by the extension officers and/or broadcast nationally. In Ghana, COLME is aimed at addressing the high rates of illiteracy among smallholders and lack of training for women smallholders, despite their traditional predominance in food production, and the project is managed by the Women in Food and Agricultural Development Unit of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s extension service.

AGRINET

AGRINET is the communication network of the Agricultural Services Sub-sector Investment Programme (AgSSIP) in Ghana. It is designed to improve the flow of information between Ministry of Food and Agriculture offices, gricultural researchers, extension officers, students and universities. A Web-based agricultural information system is being developed for smallholders, traders, researchers, and the general public.

Simli (Friendship) Radio

Simli (Friendship) Radio broadcasts throughout northern Ghana, with assistance from the Danish aid agency, Danida. It provides educational and extension services, using local agricultural information to support ‘school for life’ programmes for 8–12 year olds and adult learning programmes. Local schoolteachers are trained to integrate these programs into their classes to enable local people, including smallholders, to improve their skills and literacy. The agricultural extension programs are prepared by community radio extension officers who visit the smallholders to discuss their problems and priorities and then record discussions with local experts, interviews with smallholders, etc. The programs are broadcast in local languages, and are far more accessible to local smallholders because they can hear themselves or their neighbours discussing issues.

World Bank Agicultural Extension Centres

The World Bank has set up ICT-supported agricultural extension information and communication centres throughout Tanzania, where 30% of places are reserved for women.

Electronic Delivery of Agricultural Rural Communities in Uganda

This project aims to improve access to agricultural information to rural communities in Uganda through print, radio, TV, video and CD-Rom in order to increase agricultural production. IDRC-supported telecentres serve

14

as resource centres, providing access to the Agricultural Research Information Service (ARIS), training resources, reference materials, market information, e-commerce opportunities, and various advisory services. Project staff identify and acquire agricultural information, research results and indigenous knowledge from local and international sources and repackage these into appropriate formats and languages. Training is provided for extension officers in ICT, business management and information repackaging. The target groups are rural smallholders, women’s groups, extension workers, youth groups, NGOs and community-based organizations. The project is a collaborative effort of the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), CABI and IDRC.

Radio Apac

Radio Apac is an initiative of the Commonwealth of Learning Media Empowerment (COLME). It is a community radio service that broadcasts in Luo language in northern Uganda from a radio station that fits into a suitcase. The system comprises earphones, a microphone, a mixer, two tape recorders/players, two CD players, a transmitter, and a hook-up to commercial FM networks and satellite feeds for off-air programming. It can broadcast up to a 50 km radius, run on a car battery and be modified for solar power. The system costs US$3500, a fraction of the cost normally associated with radio broadcasting. Similar systems are in use in Canada, Jamaica, and several countries in Africa and South America.

Arid Lands Information Network-East (ALIN-

ALIN-EA is a network of community development workers and extension staff involved in dryland development. In partnership with the WorldSpace Foundation, digital satellite broadcasting technology is used to disseminate information to remote areas via the AfriStar satellites and simple radios. ALIN provides ICT training to community development workers so that they can educate local people about new water-saving technologies that increase crop yields. In collaboration with the Intermediate Technology Development Group (UK) and DFID, ALIN is assessing the potential benefits of satellite radio for isolated rural communities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. Extension staff and community development workers report that the system allows them to access and share a wide range of information, but that the information was often too technical, the equipment was prohibitively expensive, and the one-way transmission prevented the all-essential feedback.

Panos Institute West Africa

Panos Institute West Africa has set up a production studio in Mali that serves a network of 23 journalists in francophone Africa who produce documentaries and educational programming for rural communities. More than 100 documentaries have been produced and distributed to 100 independent community stations in West and Central Africa. Panos has compiled a database of the radio programme materials, which are available on cassette or via the Internet for community radio stations to use directly or translate and assimilate into local programmes.

Le Réseau d’Information et de formation sur le sustainable développement (RIFOD)

RIFOD has initiated a Web and CD-Rom based information platform on sustainable agricultural development for Burkino Faso called DEVENET. This draws upon the results of research and input from the local communities and examines methods, practices, experiences and thoughts in agriculture, tillage, water,

15

environment, gender and development.

Farm Radio

Farm radio (www.farmradio.org) is an initiative in Ghana and West Africa supported by Guelph University, Canada and COL.

Centre interafricain d’études en radio rurale (CIERRO)

The pan-African Centre for Studies into Rural Radio (CIERRO) in Ouagadougou uses the Internet, CD-Rom, and community, local and rural broadcasting within member countries to improve communications between national coordinators and their partners.

37. Most of the initiatives in the use of ICT, including community radio, cellular

telephony, especially SMS and the Internet through tele-centers, information kiosks, multipurpose community centers etc., have been through national and international Non-Government Agencies including farmer based organizations rather than by public sector NARS.

38. The IDRC of Canada has supported establishment of rural tele-centers and community radio stations in several SSA countries.

39. CTA, in addition to supporting ICT/ICM systems development at the National level through infrastructure support and capacity building also has several information services and projects such as its ICT Update, SPORE and a knowledge portal http://knowledge.cta.int However, their use for extension of agricultural technologies has been marginal for a variety of reasons which include literacy, weak intermediary organizations with poor ICT use skills, distance and lack of relevant and useful content.

40. A common learning from these ICT enabled initiatives for agricultural development has been that farmers’ information needs to be satisfied through use of ICT are for market related information including price trends, accessing input and support services and solving individual and community agricultural problems, especially diagnosis of disease and pest problems and getting solutions to them.

41. The type of services that use of “new” ICT can provide include call centers, help desks, web based question and answers, frequently asked questions, e-mail based electronic discussion lists and on-line “communities of practice”. There have been very few initiatives in SSA providing such services through the public sector NARS. A major issue in the provision of these services, in addition to poor ICT infrastructure is also lack of readily accessible, relevant and useful information content and the organizational and management structures of the NARS that tend to isolate research from extension at various levels including in exchange and sharing of information and knowledge.

42. Several initiatives such as in Benin, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have introduced the use of SMS services of cellular telephony for market prices of agricultural commodities.

43. The use of community radio, especially by pilot projects in West, East and Central Africa and its linkage with conventional and cellular telephony as also the Internet has been considered promising. However, linkage for relevant and

16

useful content available on-line or through CD-ROMs, DVDs and other such means with radio broadcasting stations has been weak.

44. Almost all new ICT enabled initiatives for rural, including agricultural, development have had problems related to sustainability, in being scaled up and in being replicated elsewhere. The major issue is the costs of infrastructure and telecommunications, its access to farming communities and the usual generic nature of “public good” agricultural information which is easily available through conventional media. The advantage in using new ICT is primarily in reducing time and distance in accessing information. Without information, such as that related to participation in the market, the use of ICT offers little advantage in the SSA situation.

45. Agricultural information provided by the SSA NARS at the moment is largely considered as a “public” good. It also excludes the more useful and relevant information to individual farmers and farming communities. The information flow is also not symmetric, being largely top-down from research Institutes to user communities and not vice-versa i.e. flowing back with the needs of the farmers to the research Institutions and in sharing innovations developed by agricultural communities.

46. Private sector investment and involvement in providing agricultural information services, as in the agriculture of economically developed countries, has not occurred. This could be because private sector involvement in agricultural research and development in SSA has been mostly weak except in South Africa and Kenya.

47. During the iNARS Workshop “Developing a Framework for Effective ICT use to benefit smallholder farmers” at The Hague in December 2002 and the CTA observatory “ICT-Transforming Agricultural Extension” in September 2003, where SSA had considerable representations, indicated that linear information flows that dominated the traditional model of technology transfer from the formal research systems to the farmers by way of the formal, government-owned extension system, are being replaced by pluralistic information flows between farmers as the demanders of services, and various providers of these services. These information flows can be enhanced through the use of ICTs - but probably to a different extent at different levels in the system, as different actors have different kinds of information needs and communication problems, and different access to ICTs. New perspectives are needed to understand and manage these pluralistic information flows and effectively use ICTs.

48. One perspective that emerges from the proceedings of these workshops and other activities related to use of ICT for Development is that at a generic or “systems” level these information flows through use of ICT are enabled through a chain of components which include:

a) An “information organization” that generates and processes

information b) An “information platform” that enables dissemination, sharing and/or

exchange of information c) An “information bus (pathway)” that transports information between

the “information platform” and its user community

17

d) “Information and Knowledge Intermediaries” that intermediate by either localizing and/or globalizing information as per the needs of the user community

e) A user community that is not geographically defined but forms on the basis of common needs, objectives, values etc. Communities that use agricultural information are formed on the basis of commodities, eco-regions, disciplines etc.

Apparently, the basis for providing information services are defined not by “suppliers” of information but by needs of the user communities who use information to enlarge their “information space” and learn from it to act in ways that are beneficial at individual, household and community levels. The role of ICT is primarily to further enable, enhance and enlarge the “information spaces” and the user communities.

This perspective has several ramifications on the development of an ICM agenda for AR4D. Primarily, taking consideration of pluralistic information flows, it questions the central place the NARS occupy at present as the prime “suppliers” of agricultural information and “managers” of information flows for AR4D. Further, it accepts that a large number of new actors for satisfying the information needs of user communities by generating information, enabling its dissemination, sharing and exchange, providing pathways as also act as information and knowledge intermediaries are emerging. For an ICM agenda for AR4D, this perspective can also enable evaluate the gaps and propose new approaches to fulfill them.

49. From some responses to the questionnaire, available literature and proceedings of electronic discussions such as iNARS Workshop and the CTA Observatory, there have been issues raised that question whether the NAIS should conceptually be related on the concept of NARS, the Agricultural Knowledge and Information System (advanced by FAO and World Bank) or the Agricultural Innovation System, that incorporates the concept of information and knowledge sharing and exchange across the agricultural commodity market chain or something else. There appears to be links between each of the concepts and how information flows are defined within them, but a clear framework on how a National and Regional Agricultural Information System can be defined and described is still missing.

Agricultural Education and Capacity Development

50. The most visible use of ICT in education in Africa is the African Virtual University.

51. There is very little information available on the use of ICT in open and distance agricultural education. Some NARS, through the survey, indicate that they collaborate with other Institutions in providing distance education.

52. There are no initiatives by SROs for Open and Distance Learning in Agriculture.

53. The CGIAR, through IFPRI, is initiating a Global Agricultural Open University aimed at providing post graduate agricultural education in the

18

distance mode. ICRISAT has initiated the Virtual Academy for Semi-Arid Tropics with a focus initially on drought mitigation in SSA and South Asia.

54. The FAO through its iMARK (Information Management Resource Kits) have initiated an open learning program for capacity development in ICT use and ICM for professionals in ARD Institutions.

55. Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), The International Institute for Communications for Development (IICD), FAO, the CGIAR International Agricultural Research Centers, CIRAD, the World Bank, African Development Bank and several other International and Regional Development Agencies have programs and projects that support, through a variety of ways which include face-to-face training, workshops, toolkits etc, capacity development in ICT use and ICM.

Organization and Management

56. The use of ICT in NARS offices, especially the use of the personal computer, is becoming ubiquitous. Some countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have implemented computer based financial management and personnel information systems. Most use of computers at the individual level is for word processing and presentation graphics even when LANs exist in the Institutes. Poor connectivity across NARS Institutes limits the use of computer networks across the individual NARS and with sub-regional and regional organizations and networks.

57. The linkage between the computerized financial management and personnel information systems and the Agricultural Research Management Information Systems in many NARS is weak primarily because of organizational structures and lack of data integration at the ICT applications’ level.

58. While several NARS indicate centralized organizational structures for managing ICT and its use and ICM, this still remains an area of weakness when viewed with an overall regional perspective, especially as regards skills in network management, content generation and information management.

59. Apparently there is poor linkages between the various ICT enabled services, where they exist, for more integrated information flows for example between research and research management and STI services, between research management and financial and personnel management, between STI and extension and outreach information systems etc. Organizational culture and structural changes are brought about by introduction of ICT and organization cultures and structures govern not only effective use of ICT but also the choice of ICT. Weak ICM at the Institute, NARS, NAIS and various other levels appears to be a central issue in most AR4D organizations.

Messaging and Communication

60. Almost all NARS Headquarters and many of the outlying Institutes have telephone and fax connectivity. However access to individual users, as in more economically developed countries, may be limited to researchers and other users, especially those who do not hold supervisory positions.

19

61. The following table based on data from NARS Directory on the ASARECA website gives a clue to E-Mail and Internet connectivity in SSA NARS.

Table 4: E-Mail and Internet Connectivity of East and Central African NARS

Country No Email Indirect E-Mail E-Mail

E-Mail with Internet*

Unlimited Access Total Comments

Burundi 1 0 0 6 0 7 D.R. of Congo 2 1 1 1 3 8 Eritrea 1 0 2 1 0 4 Ethiopia 2 0 13 1 2 18 (ILRI)

Kenya 0 0 15 14 6 35

(Several CGIAR Institutes)

Madagascar 0 0 7 4 0 11 Rwanda 1 1 0 1 1 4 Sudan 0 1 12 6 0 19 Tanzania 0 2 5 2 4 13

Uganda 0 1 6 24 8 39 Includes ASARECA

Total 7 6 61 60 24 158

* Regulated hours of Internet Connectivity

While there is significant number of research Institutes and Stations connected through E-Mail and Internet, there are very few NARS Institutions other than the Headquarters with unlimited access to the Internet and even lesser numbers with “good” bandwidths (> 64 kbps). This bandwidth is essential for effective uploads and downloads of documents from websites, FTP sites and through E-Mail.

62. The following table based on data collected from the printed edition of FAO’s Directory of Agricultural Institutions in Africa (2002), FARA-SPAAR Directory (2002), GFAR stakeholders database, ISNAR’s AROW and WISARD websites indicates presence of NARS websites and whether they have dedicated Internet domains. The URLs of these websites have been verified before being reported in the table.

Table 5: Websites and Domains of NARS in SSA

Country

Website URL

Dedicated Internet Domain*

Angola ? ? Benin http://www.bj.refer.org/benin_ct/rec/cern

a/cerna.htm Yes Botswana http://www.dar.gov.bw/dar/temp4.html Yes Burkina Faso http://www.inera.bf Yes Burundi http://www.asareca.org/naris/iraz No Cameroon http://www.ambafrance-

cm.org/html/camero/ensrech/irad.htm No Cape Verde ? ? Chad ? ? Congo ? ?

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Country

Website URL

Dedicated Internet Domain*

Cote d’ Ivore http://www.cmaoc.org/fr/recher/reonat/chcoiv/cnra.htm Yes

D.R. of Congo http://aochycos.ird.ne/HTMLF/PARTNAT/DGRST/DGRST.HTM No

Eritrea ? ? Ethiopia http://www.earo.org No Gabon http://www.gabon-

forests.org/html/iraf.htm Yes Ghana http://www.csir.org.gh/ Yes Guinea http://www.agricta.org/partners/irag/inde

x.html No Kenya http://www.kari.org Yes Lesotho ? Madagascar http://www.takelaka.dts.mg/fofifa

http://www.refer.mg/rec/fofifa/ Yes Malawi http://www.agricresearch.gov.mw No Mali No No Mauritania ? No Mauritius http://ncb.intnet.mu/moa/areu No Mozambique ? No Namibia ? No Niger http://www.fao.org/FORESTRY/FOR/F

ORC/ARIDLAND/NIGER.HTM No Nigeria ? No Rwanda ? No Senegal http://www.isra.sn/ No Seychelles ? No Sierra Leone ? No South Africa http://www.arc.agric.za Yes Sudan http://www.arcsudan.org Yes Tanzania http://www.drd.mafs.go.tz Yes Togo ? No Uganda http://www.naro.go.ug No Zambia ? No Zimbabwe http://www.arc.org.zw/ No Total out of 38 SSA Countries 22 13Regional And Sub-Regional Organization FARA http://www.fara-africa.org/ ASARECA http://www.asareca.org CORAF http://www.coraf.org/ SADC/SACCAR http://www.sadc.int

http://www.info.bw/~saccar/ 63. Data from the AROW Website indicates increase in the number of NARS

Websites in SSA region from 2000 to February 2004. However, in a yet to be published study conducted by the author of this document and his ISNAR associates2 regarding information content of these websites, it was found that

2 Tony Murray and Gert Jan Stads

21

most of the websites of SSA NARS Institutes assessed did not follow HTML, CSS and Bobby standards. They had very little information content for policy makers, managers, researchers, extension agents or farmers. Many of the NARS websites listed in the above table when browsed were only a single HTML page. A few were hosted by regional and International organizations. Most websites were not regularly updated with some remaining as they were when first created. The lack of use of the Internet, especially, the web, indicates that the NARS have yet to take advantage on new ICT either to publicize their capacities or their needs as also create a channel and medium to communicate with their clients and stakeholders including international development agencies and donors. The lack of a registered, dedicated NARS Internet Domain indicates that the NARS have not yet matured in the use of the Internet. The domain name with the country level ISP (now available in all SSA countries) establishes the “cyber” presence of the NARS. Similarly, not using established Internet/WWW standards for websites prevents universal access and will, in future, need major overhauling to integrate through use of technologies such as XML into sub-regional and regional information systems.

64. ASARECA and CORAF offer directory services with contact information of NARS Institutions of their member countries. ASARECA offers a search facility for its Institute’s related contact information.

65. As indicated in Table 3 and paragraph 47 above, taking into consideration only of the NARS ICT platforms such as websites does not reveal the full vibrancy of ICT use for AR4D in SSA. A large number of Non-Government, civil society, community and farmer organizations information platforms are excluded by the conventional NAIS based assessment approach.

Content Management

66. The Survey indicates that some NARS have content management policies. However, with limited content available on NARS websites or published in digital media, there appears to be a weakness in implementing and/or “institutionalizing” these content management policies.

67. ICT use needs to be integrated at the very basic content generation/management work process, information content and Institutional/Organizational structures so that ICT contributes effectively and efficiently to useful information flows and services in an organization. Content management also includes appropriate governance which includes policies, strategies, monitoring and evaluation and quality assurance. The publication of digital documents is only the tip of an Institutional “iceberg” of organization needed to make effective and efficient use of ICT. Based on experience gained from ISNAR’s activities in implementing INFORM, operationalizing ICT use in the NARS still faces problems in integrating ICT within the organization’s processes.

68. Among several workshops, observatories and meetings related to development of information systems for ARD, content management emerges as a major recommendation. However, this subject is vast and cannot be dealt as a “generic” recommendation. There is a need to specify content management needs at the information service such as STI or for extension and outreach as

22

also at each system component level i.e. the information organization, the information platform, the intermediaries and at the User community in an integrated manner.

Infrastructure 69. Almost all NARS indicate that they have inadequate computer hardware and

supporting infrastructure which in many cases include quality electricity needed to operate computers, local area networks and Internet connectivity.

70. Similarly, some NARS indicate that their software needs, including security utilities such as anti-virus software, remain unsatisfied.

71. While some NARS report adequate trained staff to use ICT, a majority of them indicate that trained human resource with computer use, network administration and information management skills within the NARS remains a major problem. The NARS cannot retain trained and skilled staff who are attracted to better career prospects in the private sector.

72. The status (and many a times spectacular progress) of telecommunications infrastructure including Internet connectivity in each country is regularly (almost on annual basis) reported by many initiatives including ASIS. However, these indices bear no relation to the state of rural telecommunications or Internet connectivity or to NARS connectivity. NARS Institutes and Research Stations are, by virtue of their activities, located in rural areas with limited telecommunications facilities.

73. The USAID Africalink project in late 1990s benefited several NARS through supporting ICT connectivity.

74. Funding of ICT infrastructure appropriately appears to be a major bottleneck. ICTs, especially computer and network hardware and software have very short useful life spans. When these are upgraded, new skills for their effective and efficient use are again required. Most governments and donors have either funded part of initial costs and do not include maintenance, repair and up-gradation costs as also operational costs including continued capacity development. This, again, is an issue of ICM. The need for planning total costs of operation of the entire ICT lifecycle, the use of open and free software etc. is not thoroughly looked at by most AR4D Institutions because they lack organizational structures and capacities to do this.

Strengths and Weaknesses of ICT use and ICM in NARS 75. From the above review, the use of ICT, with personal computers and Internet

connectivity, is ubiquitous in the SSA NARS. However, compared to their counterparts in developed countries and the more economically developed countries in Asia and Latin America the NARS in SSA have major gaps and weaknesses in ICT infrastructure including skills and Internet connectivity, capacity to generate digital information content, apply and manage use of ICT effectively and provide ICT enabled information services.

23

76. In area of STI, library automation, the ability to provide NARS wide services such as Current Awareness and Selected Dissemination of Information or on-line catalogues and full text documents is weak. Effective and full use of global initiatives to provide STI to low-income countries is therefore limited. There is little evidence that electronic / virtual libraries are being established at the NARS, sub-regional or Regional level in SSA. However, with the present status of Internet connectivity, the priority to establish these libraries immediately may be questioned. It would be more important to focus on strengthening automation towards off-line provision, such as through CD-ROMs and DVDs, of STI to the outlying and more remote agricultural research and development Institutes in the NARS.

77. There exists a need to strengthen and improve capacity and collaboration in sharing research and other databases and information among the sub-regional and regional networks as also develop more relevant data/information/knowledge bases especially of bio-information, geographically related data, crop data and expert knowledge for developing their applications through GIS, models and expert systems.

78. Information from an RMIS can enable and enhance national and regional capacities to collaborate, thereby bring more effective use of all resources for ARD. While applications and the technology for RMIS at NARS level exist, the uptake and “institutionalization” of these information systems in the NARS and at the sub-regional and regional information systems is very weak. Action to provide current Institute related information including contact addresses, availability of expertise and ARD projects and their outputs appear to be an ideal area of focus for SSA sub-regional and regional organization.

79. While there is general recognition of the potentials of using ICT, both “conventional” such as the radio and the “new” as also what is termed as “mixed media” or the convergence of conventional and digital telecommunications technology in agricultural extension, outreach and education, the weakness, in addition to ICT infrastructure, apparently is the availability of digital content that is useful and relevant to users and can be transmitted through these new media and technologies. Developing the capacity to generate useful, relevant, authoritative digital content and use it effectively is an area that regional organizations should be able to tackle on priority.

80. A NARS centric perspective for ICT use and ICM for AR4D focuses on infrastructure, content generation and its management. However, from the perspective expressed in paragraph 47, this limits development activities in organizations that generate and disseminate information or the “information organization” and the “information platform”. Apparently, most NARS have very little influence on the development of a national “information bus” for rural development or rural telecommunications infrastructure. While there is a need to enhance the capacity of the NARS to influence this component of an information system, especially at policy level, the NARS also has to focus on satisfying capacity development needs of the information and knowledge intermediaries and the various types of user communities.

81. The following Table, modified from “A Rural ICT ToolKit for Africa” based on 10 Country case studies and 104 ICT projects, indicates project typology for ICT use in Africa. The table indicates that there has been marginal investment in ICT

24

for agriculture. The share for ICT use in agricultural research and development among projects funded under agriculture is not known. The data of NARS investment in ICT is also not available even from NARS budgets and the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) produced by ISNAR and IFPRI.

Table 6: ICT Project Typologies in Africa

Location Urban Rural Both % 28.8 26.0 45.2 Objective Health Agriculture Higher

Education Schools Training Govt. Finance Trade

% 11.1 9.1 17.2 13.1 18.2 5.1 11.1 12.1 Type Content Networking Telecentre Voice

Only Internet Access

Backbone Media

% 32.7 25.0 16.3 1.0 24.0 1.9 4.8 Initiator Development

Agency Private Academic Governme

nt

% 47.1 19.2 13.5 20.2 Status Complete Planned Tangible

Progress Cancelled Not

Available

% 18.3 10.6 35.6 1.0 34.6 Financial Requirement

< 200,000 200,000- 1 Million

> I million

> 10 Million

% 27.9 24.0 33.7 14.4

82. Most of these weaknesses, as indicated above, stem primarily from lack of

capital investment in ICT in the NARS, especially following the “Dot Com” failure in the late 1990s, when International Development Agencies and Donors reduced their interest in use of ICT for development. Further, debates about the role of ICT’s usefulness in rural development, being masked by a multiple of issues around poverty alleviation and quality of life, has remained ambivalent without drawing any conclusions. This contributes to the waning of donor interests. A large number of project remaining “paper tigers” or being unsustainable did not help the cause of using ICT for rural development and, in turn, AR4D.

83. There appears to be a revival of international development agencies and donors in the use of ICT for agriculture. Donors are interested in putting ICT to the service of the achievement of their broader strategic objectives. The focus is on meeting development objectives and not on technology. The sub-regional and regional organizations can play a major role in enabling and enhancing NARS capacities in project formulations that include development of ICT use and ICM in meeting development objectives.

84. An important issue for cooperation and collaboration in sharing and exchange of information is of a common language. In addition to local and regional languages such as Kiswahili, Africa also has three international language regions and sub-regions which include English, French and Portuguese.

85. An attempt, based on responses to the questionnaires, country case studies presented at iNARS Workshop and CTA Observatory, AISI reports etc, using the ICT enabled services indicators has been made to classify the status of SSA NARS in ICT use in Table7 below:

25

Table 7: Classification of NARS on status of ICT use

Group Countries A- Fairly Advanced User of ICT in AR4D

South Africa

B- Less Advanced Users of ICT in AR4D

Benin, Botswana, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivore, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe

C- Slow development in ICT use in ARD

Angola, Burundi, Chad, D.R. Congo, Congo, Eritrea, Guinea, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo, Zambia

86. The use of ICT and implementation of ICM at the “systems and its

components” level is very heterogeneous in SSA NARS/NAIS as also at the sub-regional level. Some NARS are reported not to even have a personal computer and/or Internet connectivity whereas NARS of countries such as South Africa and Kenya report a fair level of infrastructure and provision of information services using ICT. Similarly, the status of ICM varies between NARS with some having clear policies and strategies in ICM and others indicating poor capacities. This has implications in the design of interventions. A categorization of separate needs of the NARS in ICT and ICM capacity building on the basis of their capacity to use new ICT may become essential for the regional agenda.

ICT/ICM Activities of Sub-Regional Organizations

87. ASARECA has, in continuation of nearly a decade activities related to ICT and ICM, initiated in 2003 its Regional Agricultural Information Network (RAIN). It has recently finalized its 2004-2008 strategic plan. Elements of this plan have been considered in suggesting action points for consideration in the ICT/ICM Agenda for the FARA.RAIS Workshop.

88. SADC/SACCAR and CORAF have not responded to the questionnaire and in providing access to documents related to their ICT/ICM Strategies.

89. SADC/SACCAR representative has informed that a new strategy was developed for the whole of the SADC Secretariat - the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP). Agricultural Information is still a priority and it will be integrated within the SADC Secretariat Information System. A SADC Web information system is being developed and it will include elements envisaged in the regional agricultural information system. It will include links to SADC Networks and serve as a gateway for NARS to regional and global information sources.

26

Collaboration and Coordination among Stakeholder Agencies

90. As reviewed above there are a large number of ICT enabled initiatives and projects funded by International development agencies, donors, national governments, non-government organizations, civil society organization, farmer organizations and community based organization at regional, national and global levels. However, there appears to be relatively little collaboration and partnerships between and across these agencies and between and across the implementing organizations. This appears to be a major weakness in using the scarce funds available for development in this area.

91. Sub-regional and regional organizations in SSA regions can initiate and support collaboration among all stakeholders to ARD through:

a) Maintaining an index of ICT enabled initiatives and projects in the

SSA region which also include lessons learnt during the implementation and operations of these projects

b) Building a Community of Practice for ICM and ICT use for AR4D.

Summary of Gaps and Weaknesses

92. In summary, from available information, the gaps and weaknesses of ICT use in NAIS, RAIS and the NARS of SSA can be summed under the following heads:

a) Capacity, including infrastructure and skills b) Content, including generation and management c) Capital, with the focus on funding not only ICT but also ICM d) Connectivity, not only physical but the ability to access information by

individuals and user communities e) Collaboration within and across ARD Institutes at National, sub-

regionally and regionally f) Organizational/Institutional Culture g) Conceptual frameworks related to ICT use and ICM for ARD

Table 8 compares the issues as discussed in the meeting “Development of a sub-Saharan African Agricultural Information Strategy, Dakar, 26-27 July 1999 and as reviewed in this document.

Table 8: Comparison of issues – 1999 and Present

Issues 1999 Present Capacity

Hardware Limited -More Ubiquitous Software -Emergence of Open

Source Skills User -User skills more common

27

Network Administration Information Management

-Difficult to retain skilled staff iMARK Toolkit -Global and Regional Capacity Development in Place

Connectivity including Costs

Connectivity and Cost of Connectivity a major constraint

-Improving but connectivity beyond major cities still a constraint -Cellular Telephony common -Wireless/WiFi hold potential

Content Integrated used of media proposed

-Generating digital content a major issue -Reasons: -High cost -Problems in integration into NARS work processes

Scientific Limited Access - Several Global Initiatives for STI access for low income countries in place -Internet connectivity and awareness still a constraint

Grey Very little attention Very little attention Extension Research-Extension

Linkage a problem -New forms of communication emerging, needs new types of content and interaction such as:

• Q&A • FAQ • Help Desks • E-Lists and

Communities of Practice

• Knowledge based systems

• On-line/CD-ROM based content

and approaches to content management

Databases Collaboration and issue -Collaboration, standards, ontology and use of new technologies such as XML an issue

Capital Donor enthusiasm waning -Donor interest on rise but ICT/ICM to be integrated in meeting donor/government development objectives

Connectivity Major constraint -Connectivity to be viewed as user community and

28

individual being able to effectively and efficiently use information (not ICT). -Cellular Telephony -Wireless/WiFi hold potential

Collaboration Planned -Emerging through sub-regional and regional networks, ICT use and ICM support needs to be integrated into the disciplinary, commodity, eco-regional and other networks

Organizational/Institutional Culture

-ICT use / ICM development and implementation viewed in isolation -Senior Managers sensitization on potentials of ICT use

-Need for a more integrated viewpoint emerging -Senior Managers sensitization on “operational” and “integration” issues for effective ICT use and ICM

Conceptual Framework Primarily NARS based -NARS -AKIS -Agricultural Innovations Systems -Agricultural Information Exchanges, “Hotspots” and Networks

Advantages of Collaborative Sub-Regional and Regional Agricultural Information Systems

93. The main advantages of collaboration among SSA NARS through sub-regional and regional agricultural information systems at present and the near future taking into consideration the various weaknesses, limitations and gaps are:

a) Increased and improved sharing and exchange of data, information, knowledge, skills, technology and resources, including financial, laboratory facilities, experimental farms etc. for multi-disciplinary and multi-location research, especially through networks.

b) Improved, more efficient and effective pluralistic information flows between ARD Institutions, clients and communities across national boundaries around commodities, eco-regions, farming systems, scientific and technical disciplines and areas, watersheds etc.

c) Increased leverage in attracting donor, government and private sector funding for improving, further enabling and enhancing agricultural information systems at the NARS, sub-regional and regional levels.

d) Increased capacity to influence national, regional and International policies and strategies related to telecommunications and agricultural development.

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Suggestions for discussion at FARA.RAIS Workshop

94. The focus of the FARA.RAIS meeting should be on prioritizing action among the following areas:

a) Enabling capacity building in SSA ARD Institutions, especially skills

through training and sensitization in: a) Content Management related to:

1. Scientific and Technical Information 2. Collaborative Research Data, especially in

Bioinformatics, Geographical Information Systems and Modeling that contribute to development of “precision” agriculture suitable adapted to SSA

3. Research Management Information 4. Extension and Outreach including providing

market related information 5. Open and Distance Learning in Agriculture

2. Computer Networks, Web and Internet Services administration and management with a focus on Open Source Software that would contribute to reduction in total cost of operation of information systems

3. Information Systems Management 4. Sensitization of Senior Managers and Policy Makers regarding ICT use

and ICM policies, strategies, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and governance for agricultural development

5. Developing the following: a) Sub-regional and regional agricultural virtual libraries b) Sub-regional and regional information directories on:

1. Institutions 2. Experts 3. Projects, including Project Outputs such as documents,

technologies etc., 4. Open and Distance Learning Centers for Agriculture

6. Enabling and Enhancing Capacities of Senior ARD policy makers and managers in influencing telecommunications and other policies and strategies at National, Regional and International levels

7. Leading initiatives for increased funding for ICT use and ICM in ARD

91. It is suggested that the Consultation Workshop consider a short-medium and long term strategy including the specific suggestions listed above.

30

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Besemer, H (2003) Changes in agricultural knowledge systems, information society and the ICT agenda of NARS. Proceedings of the iNARS Workshop, ISNAR, The Hague.

Chapparo, F (1999) ICT, Networking and Knowledge Systems in Agricultural and Rural Development. Second Conference of the European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (EFITA). Bonn, September 27-30, 1999

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Rudgard, S. (2000) The Impact Of The Information and Communications Technology Revolution In ARD: Opportunities And Threats. GFAR – 2000, May 21 – 23 Dresden, Germany

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Asaba, J and Day, R. (2003) ICTs and Agricultural Research Systems – Africa. Proceedings of the iNARS Workshop, ISNAR, The Hague.

Arokoyo, T (2003) ICTs In The Transformation Of Agricultural Extension: The Case Of Nigeria. Technical Center For Agricultural And Rural Cooperation (CTA), 2003.

Asingwire, N. (2001) Acacia and ICT based Development Projects: An Evaluation Study of Economic Empowerment of Women through ICTs and AHI-Acacia Projects in Uganda. International Development Research Center.

Bernard, M (2003) Demand driven development of information and communication systems From Need to Demand. CTA ICT Observatory 2003: ICTs – Transforming Agricultural Extension? Technical Center For Agricultural And Rural Cooperation (CTA), 2003.

CORAF (1999) Systeme Regional Integre d’information de CORAF (SR2I – CORAF) - Draft. CORAF, Dakar.

Damby, D (2003) ICTs and National Agricultural Research Systems: The case of Senegal. Proceedings of the iNARS Workshop, ISNAR, The Hague.

Hambly-Odame, H and Atibila, J. (2003) Linking Agricultural Research and Rural Radio in Africa: New Opportunities for Communicating Innovation and Experiences

from Northern Ghana: A Case Study for the CTA ICT Observatory 2003: ICTs – Transforming Agricultural Extension? Technical Center For Agricultural And Rural Cooperation (CTA), 2003.

Kapange, B (2003) ICTs and National Agricultural Research Systems – The case of Tanzania. Proceedings of the iNARS Workshop, ISNAR, The Hague.

Libenburg, F. (2003) ICTs and National Agricultural Research Systems – The case of South Africa. Proceedings of the iNARS Workshop, ISNAR, The Hague.

Miller Esselaar Associates (2001) A country ICT survey for Mozambique. SIDA.

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Nkuuhe, J (2003) ICTs and National Agricultural Research Systems – The case of Uganda. Proceedings of the iNARS Workshop, ISNAR, The Hague.

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Sraku-Lartey, M. and Sam, J. (2003) ICTs and National Agricultural Research Systems – The case of Ghana. Proceedings of the iNARS Workshop, ISNAR, The Hague.

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Tola, E. (2003) Hinari and Agora: free access to scientific information for poor countries. Jekyll.comm, 7th December 2003

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Anonymous (2002) AGRIS - A strategy for an international network for information in agricultural sciences and technology within the WAICENT Framework. FAO, Rome.

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Draft for Discussion for Consultation Organized by GFAR, with the support of FAO and the World Bank. Rome, FAO Headquarters, March 29–31, 1999

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Opkapu, J (2002) Background Paper on ICT-for-Development in Africa For the United Nations ICT Task Force. Regional Workshop on Building e-Governance Capacity in African Countries. Johannesburg, South Africa – 28-31October 2002

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Websites (In addition to NARS, SRO and RO websites) Agricultural Research on the Web (AROW) http://www.isnar.org/arow Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI)http://www.asti.cgiar.org CTA http://www.cta.int Development Gateway http://www.developmentgateway.org FAO http://www.fao.org GFAR http://www.egfar.org IDRC http://www.idrc.ca IICD http://www.iicd.org WISARD http://www.wisard.org World Bank http://www.worldbank.org

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Appendix I.1

FARA Assessment Studies on:

Information related to ICT*/ICM** activities of a National Agricultural Research System

Survey form

I. Contact Details: 1. Country 2. Name of National

Agricultural Research System

2. Name of Respondent: 3. Address: 4. Telephone: 5. Fax Number 6. E-Mail:

II. Questionnaire Q.No. Subject Please

answer Yes/No

Remarks, if any

A. ICT related Policies and Strategies 1.Does your country have a National

Telecommunications Policy? If yes, please respond to no. 2.

2.Is the role of Telecommunication/ICT in Agriculture specified in National Telecommunications Policy?

. 3.Does your country have a National Agricultural Development Policy? If yes, please respond to no. 4.

. 4.Is the role of ICT use specified in the National Agricultural Development Policy?

5.Is there a national strategy to use ICT in agricultural and rural development?

B. Scientific and Technical Information Services

1.Does any of the National Agricultural Research Institutes or organization use computer in their libraries? If yes, please respond to no. 1.

2. Does your Institute/NARS use computers in Libraries for:

a. Procurement b. Cataloguing

1

Q.No. Subject Please answer Yes/No

Remarks, if any

c. Circulation 3. Do your Institute/NARS library provide: a. Computer based Catalogues b. On-line Catalogue search c. On-line Full text access d. Virtual / Electronic Library e. Internet access

C. Research Data Management 1. Does your Institute/NARS use computers

for research data management? 2. Is there a centralized research database(s)

in your NARS? 3. Do your Institute/NARS use Geographical

Information Systems with Research Databases?

4. Does your Institute/NARS use Computer Models?

5. Does your Institute/NARS use Expert/Knowledge Based Systems

D. Research Management Information 1.Does your Institute/NARS use computers

in Research Management? 2.Does your Institute/NARS have project

management related databases? 3.Does your Institute/NARS use a common

computer application for research management such as ISNAR’s INFORM?

E. Extension and Outreach 1. Does your Institute/NARS provide

extension information through: a. Radio (including community radio) b. Television c. CD-ROM/DVDs d. Telephone Help Desk e. E-Mail f. Internet Website g. Internet Website with Question and

Answer Services 2. Does your Institute/NARS provide

agricultural markets related information? F. Agricultural Education

1. Does your Institute/NARS offer Open and Distance education in agriculture through radio/TV/internet?

2. Does your Institute/NARS collaborate with other organizations to offer Open and Distance education in agriculture through radio/TV/internet?

G. Organization and Management 1. Does your Institute/NARS use computers

2

Q.No. Subject Please answer Yes/No

Remarks, if any

for: a. Financial Management b. Personnel Management

H. Messaging and Communication 1. Does your institute have telephone

connection between your headquarters and Research Stations?

2. Does your institute have fax services at NARS Headquarters and Research Stations?

3. Does your institute have E-Mail facility at Headquarters?

4. Does your institute have E-Mail facility at Research Stations?

5. Does your institute provide individual E-Mail Facility for its researchers, administrators and managers

6. Does your institute provide Internet connectivity for World Wide Web browsing? If yes,

a. is it accessible 24 hours a day? b. Do you have good speed?

I. Information/Knowledge Generation 1. Does your institute have a Website? If

yes, please give URL below: http://____________________________

2.Does your Institute/NARS have a policy for generating information in electronic form? If yes, please respond to no. 3

3.Is the information/knowledge in electronic form published on your Institute/NARS Website?

J. Infrastructure 1. Does your institute provide individual

computers to all researchers and/or personnel?

2. Do you have Local Area Networks at your Institute?

3. Does your Institute provide the all the necessary software applications to facilitate research or its management?

4. Are the personnel in your institute have adequate computer training such as:

a. Basic computer skills of individuals such as researcher, administrator/ manager

b. Computer Network Administration and Management

c. Information Systems Management K. ICM/ ICT Governance

1. Is there an identified an organizational structure/Unit/Department that coordinates

3

Q.No. Subject Please answer Yes/No

Remarks, if any

and manages ICT in the NARS? 2. Is there a budget head in the NARS for

ICT /Information Management? • * **Information and Communications Management

III. Setting Priorities for ICT use in NARS: Prioritization Rank How would you rank, from 1 (Highest)-5(Lowest), your institute’s priority for ICT use:

1 2 3 4 5

a. Scientific and Technical Information Services

b. Research Data Management Services c. Research Management Information d. Extension and Outreach Services e. Education and Distance Learning f. Organization and Management g. Messaging and Communication h. Research Networks IV. Do you have any suggestions related to ICT use and ICM in your National Agricultural Research System and for developing a Regional / Sub-Regional Agricultural Information System? If yes, please specify.

4

Appendix I.2 Table: NARS Institutions sent Questionnaires and their response

S.No. Country Response1 Benin No 2 Botswana No 3 Burkina Faso No 4 Burundi Yes 5 Cameroon No 6 Cape Verde No 7 Chad No 8 Congo No 9 Cote d'Ivoire No 10 D.R.Congo No 11 Eriteria No 12 Ethiopia No 13 Ghana Yes 14 Guinea No 15 Kenya Yes 16 Lesotho No 17 Madagascar No 18 Malawi Yes 19 Mali Yes 20 Mauritania No 21 Mauritius No 22 Mozambique No 23 Namibia No 24 Niger No 25 Nigeria No 26 Rwanda No 27 Senegal No 28 Sierra Leone No 29 South Africa No 30 Sudan Yes 31 Tanzania Yes 32 The Gambia No 33 Togo No 34 Uganda No 35 Zambia No 36 Zimbabwe No

5

Appendix -II

FARA Assessment Studies on Agricultural Information System activities at Sub Regional and Regional level

Survey form

I. Respondent’s Details : 1. Category: Sub Regional

(SRO) or Regional Organization (RO)

2. Name of Sub-Regional / Regional Agricultural Research Organization

2. Name of Respondent: 3. Address : 4. Telephone : 5. Fax Number 6. E-Mail :

II. Questionnaire S.No. Subject Please

answer Yes/No

Remarks, if any

A. ICT related Policies and Strategies 1. Is there a Regional Agricultural

Development Policy?

2. If yes, is the role of ICT use specified in the subregional/Regional Agricultural Development Policy?

3. Is there a Regional Strategy to use ICT in agricultural and rural development?

B. What kind of Scientific and Technical Information Services is available in the sub region or the region?

1. Computer based Catalogues 2. On-line Catalogue search 3. On-line Full text access 4. Virtual / Electronic Library 5. Internet access C. Is there a sub regional or regional

Research Data Management such as

S.No. Subject Please answer Yes/No

Remarks, if any

1. ICT Enabled Research Networks that share common databases

2. Common Geographical Information System

3. Common Computer Models 4. Common Expert/Knowledge Based

Systems

D. What is the Research Management Information that are available in the sub region or region?

1. Agricultural Research and Development Institutes Database/Directory

2. Experts Database 3. Research Projects Database E. What are the agricultural extension and

outreach information services that are available in the sub region or region?

1. Radio (including community radio) 2. Television 3. CD-ROM/DVDs 4. Telephone Help Desk 5. E-Mail 6. Internet Website 7. Internet Website with Question and

Answer Services

F. Agricultural Education 1. Does your organization offer Open

and Distance education in agriculture through radio/TV/internet

2. Do you collaborate with other organizations to offer Open and Distance education in agriculture through radio/TV/internet

G. Do you have any computerized Organizational and Management System?

1. Financial Management 2. Personnel Management H. Messaging and Communication 1. Do you have E-Mail facility at your

organizations Headquarters?

2. Do you have 24 hr Internet connectivity for World Wide Web browsing?

I. Information/Knowledge Generation

S.No. Subject Please answer Yes/No

Remarks, if any

1. Does your institution have a Website? If yes, please give URL below: http://____________________________

2. Does your institution have a policy for generating information in electronic form? If yes, please respond to no. 3

3. Is the information generated in electronic form published on your Website?

J. Infrastructure 1. Does your institution provide

computers to its staff sufficiently i.e. all researchers have access to a computer?

2. Do you have Local Area Network at your headquarters?

3. In your opinion is there adequate software in your institution for use to implement activities/jobs properly?

4. In your opinion, are the computer skills level adequate of:

a. Individual user such as researcher, administrator manager

b. Computer and Computer Network Administration and Management

c. Information Systems Management K. ICM/ ICT Governance 1. Is there an identified an organizational

structure/Unit/Department that coordinates and manages ICT in the RO/SRO?

2. Is there a budget head in the RO/SRO for ICT /Information Management?

III. Setting Priorities for ICT use in Sub-Regional/Regional Agricultural Information System: Prioritization Rank How would you rank, from 1 (Highest)-

5(Lowest), priority to use ICT in a RO/SRO in:

1 2 3 4 5

1. Scientific and Technical Information Services

2. Research Data Management Services 3. Research Management Information 4. Extension and Outreach Services 5. Education and Distance Learning 6. Organization and Management 7. Messaging and Communication 8. Research Networks Do you have any suggestions related to ICT use and ICM in your National Agricultural Research System and for developing a Regional / Sub-Regional Agricultural Information System? If yes, please specify in detail.