Information and Communications

Management for Agricultural

Research and Development

(ICM4ARD):2005 Activities and 2006 Plans

Ajit Maru

Agricultural Research Officer

GFAR

Presentation for the Program Committee

Outline

• ICM4ARD: Development of the GPP Proposal

• Bonn Consultation

• Inter-Regional Meeting at Cairo

• 2005 Activities

• 2006 Planned Activities

AARINENA

APAARI

CACAARI

FARA

FORAGRO

EARD-InfoSys+

Preliminary project

E-discussion RAIS WorkshopFebruary 2003

Country Papers

RAIS WorkshopDecember 2003

ICT Consultation

2000

ICT Consultation

2002Country Papers

RAIS WorkshopJanuary 2004

Country Papers

Background Paper

RAIS WorkshopApril 2004

SROs Papers

Background Paper

Survey

RAIS WorkshopMay 2004

E-discussionSurvey Summary

RAIS WorkshopMarch 2004

RAIS Workshop2003

Towards a GPP on ICM4ARD

Recommendations

Recom

mendations

Recommendations

Recommendations

Recommendations

Strategy

Document

Strategy

Docum

ent

Strategy Document

Strategy

Document

Strategy

Docum

ent

Inter-RAIS June Meeting

Advocacy

Capacity Building

Inter-regional collaboration

Governance

Products & Tools

ICM4ARD: Development of the

GPP Proposal• GlobAL.RAIS Initiative

– 5 Regional Consultations in 2004

– GlobAL.RAIS Inter-Regional Workshop in October 2004 at Rome

• 4 Issues for Intervention

– Advocacy

– Capacity Development

– Integration

– Governance

• ICM4ARD GPP Proposal around the 4 Intervention issues in November 2004

Bonn Consultation

Towards GFAR Focus on a Research Management Information System

• The building blocks of a global agricultural information and knowledge sharing system are the National Agricultural Information Systems (NAIS).

• The NAIS was conceptually articulated as an information system that includes a Management Information System (MIS). This MIS provides, as a service, integrated information on Institutions, Experts, Activities and Research Outputs related to ARD.

• The MIS is to be managed at the national level by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS).

Bonn Consultation

Bonn Consultation: GFAR to focus on the 4 Intervention issues related to NAIS Development and Research Management Information Systems (RMIS)– All the RAIS managers have shared the opinion that

development of this RMIS for the NAIS was of high priority

– The RMIS could be linked through a network and made accessible through a regional gateway implemented by the RAIS to share and exchange ARD related information collectively at the regional and global level.

Bonn Consultation

• The reasons why an MIS was prioritized were:

– It would promote and enable sharing and exchange of data, information, knowledge, skills, experience and technology between NARIs/NARS within and across regions, disciplines and commodities.

– It will enable the NARS to enter global agricultural technological markets

– It would enable costing of public agricultural research so that its true/more realistic costs are available for commercial pricing of the technology they generate

Inter-Regional Consultations at

Cairo

• Study of 9 Agricultural Information Systems related to research information to prepare for Inter-Regional Consultations at Cairo

• Inter-Regional Consultations at Cairo in May 2005 to consider Regional and Inter-Regional Activities under ICM4ARD Framework

Inter-Regional Consultations at Cairo

• This Inter-Regional Meeting recommended to establish:– A core data set, in the form of a common data

dictionary, for data on Institutions, Experts, Research Projects and Research Output.

– Standards for:• Terms to be used in the database. A subset of AGROVOC

can be developed and used for the purpose

• Meta-data of the dataset

• Unique identifiers for Institutions, Experts and Research projects that will enable a relational database to be developed

Inter-Regional Consultations at Cairo

• Support capacity development needs of NARS and Regional Organizations to initiate and further develop their MIS to share and exchange the common data set.

• Contributions, such as support to Institutions and National systems from each of the ARD Information systems, for applications and tools needed to develop their MIS.

• EGFAR website to include a Directory or “Market Place” where technical details and support of each application and tool for ARD Information System are available.

Inter-Regional Consultations at Cairo

• Development of methods, including technology,

that will enable sharing and exchanging the data

from decentralized, distributed MISs at National,

Regional and Global level

• Governance mechanisms for the sharing and

exchange of the MIS data at National, Regional

and Global level. Task forces around standards

and regional and GFAR level steering

committees.

Inter-Regional Consultations at Cairo

Follow up action:– AARINENA.RAIS and INFOSYS+ proposal for:

– Initiating Inter-Regional sharing and exchange of experiences, skills and tools leading to development of NAIS (which will include participation of WISARD, FORAGRO and APAARI) prototype

– Web-based platform for collaboration between researchers and agricultural communities

– Organizing an Inter-regional consultation on the methodology and tools for capacity development of NAIS managers that will be followed by development of a strategy for action for capacity development for period 2006-2007

Inter-Regional Consultation at Cairo

Follow up action:– Further financial support for enabling exchange of

resource persons and trainees across regions in addition to the Regional Organizations’ proposals for capacity development of NAIS and RAIS managers

– The need for an ICM Coordinating Committee at GFAR was recognized. A draft TOR is being developed by GFAR Secretariat and will be circulated among participants of the Inter-Regional Consultation for suggestions.

ICM4ARD Activities in 2005

• Advocacy

– Status Report on ICM for ARD in the Asia-

Pacific Region by APAARI

– Inter-regional Workshop at Cairo

– GFAR Electronic Bulletins

ICM4ARD Activities in 2005

• Capacity Development

– AARINENA-RAIS and InfoSys+ Consultation for Inter-

Regional collaboration at Bonn to develop a strategy for the development a prototype NAIS dealing with

information on institutions, experts, research activities and outputs of research and capacity development to

manage it

– APAARI training program for National Agricultural

Information Systems Managers at Bangkok

ICM4ARD Activities in 2005• Integration

– Study of 9 Agricultural Information Systems providing information on Institutions, Experts, Research Projects and Project outputs

– CGIAR-CTA-FAO-GFAR-INASP Expert Consultation on Coherence and Integration of Agricultural Information Systems

– FAO-GFAR-IAC-RWC Pilot Study on integration of NARS Database of FAO, FODABASE and NGO Database of GFAR, WISARD of IAC and PRISM of RWC

– Restructuring of EGFAR Web Site and initiation of GFAR Communications Strategy

ICM4ARD Activities in 2005

• Governance

– FARA-RAIS Task Force

– Initiation of Setting up of EGFAR Task Force

for Integration of Agricultural Information

Systems, Capacity Development of ICM

Managers in Agricultural Institutions and

Content Management for Agricultural

Research and Development

ICM4ARD Activities in 2006

• Advocacy

– Regional Status Reports on ICM for ARD

– Global Status Report on ICM for ARD

– Advocacy Workshops for Senior NARS

Management

– Task Force for Advocacy for ICT enabled

Agricultural Information Systems

• GFAR and FAO to lead advocacy activities identified by the Task Force

ICM4ARD Activities in 2006

• Capacity Development

– Further development and re-engineering of

RO Websites (FARA, AgroWeb CAC) and

EGFAR

– Training Workshops for NARS ICM Managers

by all Regional Organizations

– Inter-regional Workshop on Coherence and

Integration of NAIS and RAIS to be organized

by APAARI

ICM4ARD Activities in 2006

• Integration– AARINENA – INFOSYS + NAIS Prototype

Development

– INFOSYS + AARINENA Web based Collaboration Platform Development

– Evaluation of FAO-GFAR-IAC-RWC Pilot Study on integration of NARS Database of FAO, FODABASE and NGO Database of GFAR, WISARD of IAC and PRISM of RWC

– Restructuring EGFAR

ICM4ARD Activities in 2006

• Governance

– EGFAR Task Force recommendations on

Integration and Governance Mechanisms

– Steering Committees and Task Forces

meetings of all ROs

Thank You

Thank You