Making access to information a priority in the developing world

Overview

Results

The team

Related information

So what's the problem?

The Compendium Programme, co-ordinated by CABI, has been responsible for creating a collection of interactive electronic information storage and sharing facilities each specific to a particular subject area. So far, there are compendia covering aquaculture; animal health and production; crop protection; and forestry. The compendia have been compiled in collaboration with key stakeholders using information from experts. And innovative multimedia tools allow users to find the information they are looking for with great ease and efficiency.

With much of the developing world facing agricultural and environmental challenges key to alleviating hunger and rural poverty, it has become clear that these countries could benefit greatly from the information held within the compendia. These knowledge management tools could contribute to the rehabilitation and support of rural economies by helping those involved to increase agricultural productivity.

What is this project doing?

CABI is collaborating with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in a project that aims to improve the awareness of and access to the Animal Health and Production Compendium (AHPC) and the Aquaculture Compendium in Tanzania. The core of the project will see training courses and activities that will help to move towards the maximum utilization of the two compendia in developing countries, starting with Tanzania.

The training courses target staff working in various roles within the livestock and aquaculture sectors. A framework for measuring the impact of the AHPC on the capacity of the trained professionals within the livestock sector to address problems and training needs will be put into place. In addition to this the project also hopes to set up an information exchange between the AHPC and IFAD’s complementary Livestock and Rangeland Knowledgebase.

Results so far

A three day training workshop on the Animal Health and Production Compendium has been held in Tanzania. 16 people participated, including researchers, scientists, vets from a central diagnostic lab, livestock extension workers and a farmers’ magazine publisher. The participants were trained on how to use the compendium, and data was collected relating to the current status of information sharing and IT within the participating stakeholders. Each participant was given a copy of the compendium, along with training materials, to use and promote in their place of work.

A day-long Aquaculture Compendium awareness seminar was also held in Tanzania with nine people attending including researchers, lecturers, development workers and aquaculture conservation officers. After a rundown of the background of the project, course participants were taught how to use and search the compendium. An introduction to the EU-funded SARNISSA project (Supporting Research Networks in Sub-Saharan Africa) – which CABI is also contributing to – was also made. This project aims to fill the gaps in information relating to research in sub-Saharan countries. It was generally agreed that the seminar had demonstrated how to access more information than participants had previously managed but it was also acknowledged that information relating specifically to sub-Sahara is currently lacking. All attendees were issued with a copy of the compendium to promote at work.

Attendees of both courses drew up plans to incorporate the use of the compendia into their future work and to continue to feed their experiences back to the group in order to keep up the momentum and to continue to learn from each other.

Plans for incorporating a link to the Animal Health and Production Compendium on IFAD’s Livestock and Rangeland Knowledgebase have also been drawn up. This will give IFAD’s Project Managers access and will be supported with online training facilities.

With more courses planned and a network of compendia users being built up, it is hoped that these information resources will continue to grow in content and accessibility and play a role in the improvement of many poor people’s lives. Success in Tanzania will open the doors to many other developing countries which would benefit from such a valuable resource.

Project reports

Paper presented at IAALD XIIIth World Congress, Montpellier, April 2010
Technical Advisory Note

Project Executive