Global CIARD Consultation 2013
Background
The renewed worldwide interest in agriculture and in issues relating to food crises in different parts of the world has highlighted the need for providing quality information to actors in rural development. Scientific and technical information specialists can help provide this information by sharing and pooling their knowledge and know-how. Much attention has been focused internationally on how digital information and communication technologies (ICT) can improve access to scientific and technical information.
In 2008, many international and regional organizations active in facilitating access to the outputs of agricultural research founded the CIARD (Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development) movement. In June 2011, the partners organized a virtual and a face-to-face consultation on the theme of “Building the CIARD Framework for Data and Information Sharing” from which an agenda for action was developed, and the implementation of that agenda has continued to date. In October 2012, the partners organized a session which featured CIARD at the Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD2) in Uruguay, under the title of “Access, Sharing and Transformation of Agricultural Data and Information”. The session highlighted the achievements of the CIARD movement, and GCARD stakeholders revisited and proposed adjustments to the priority areas of action determined in 2011. The founding partners are now organizing a Global CIARD Consultation in 2013.
CGIAR hosted the Global Consultation in 2013 on behalf of the partners at the ILRI main campus in Addis Ababa.
Objectives of the Consultation
- review progress and achievements to date, and identify lessons learned
- consider the priority areas of action identified in 2011 and 2012
- in relation to the priorities, determine a programme of work for the next 2 years in relation to (a) advocacy/policy, (b) institutional/human capacities, and (c) technical issues
- revisit and reconsider the CIARD “Checklist” and “Pathways”
Participation
Representatives from organizations and individual experts representing a range of stakeholders involved in the open exchange and communication of the outputs of agricultural research and innovation.
Donwload the Consultation Final Report, the Summary of the Consultation or the CIARD 2013 Review
CIARD Endorsement in 2012
GCARD endorses CIARD, October 2012
A session at the Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD2) on “Access, Sharing and Transformation of Agricultural Data and Information” featured CIARD. Several members of the CIARD Advocacy Task Force and representatives of CIARD partners attended in the session, as chair, panelists, facilitators, and participants.
In terms of resource materials, the new CIARD policy brief was provided to all participants. Links to new country case studies prepared by various national colleagues and regional partners were made available.
Enrica Porcari (CGIAR), the session chair, gave the context of the session on opening access and enhancing use of agricultural information and data, with reference to the G20 and G8, as well as ongoing policy shifts by major agencies such as the European Commission and the CGIAR. A major background presentation was provided on “Framework for Information and Data Sharing” by Krishan Bheenick (CTA) describing the progress made under the CIARD movement to develop and bring forward a coordinated series of actions to enhance access and use of information and data. Then, two panels of three experts made short presentations on key topics. In the first panel, Myra Wopereis (FARA) spoke on the roles for regional organizations in opening access and improving use and the main opportunities and challenges, Eija Pehu (World Bank) described the key opportunities and challenges in the Bank’s role in fostering investment in knowledge sharing approaches, and William Dar (ICRISAT) analysed the most important opportunities and challenges the CGIAR faces in sharing research data and information with its stakeholders.
In the second panel, Mary Bohman (USDA-ERS) described the most important priorities for policy and practice for opening access to agricultural information and data in the USDA, Feng Dongxin (CAAS) talked about the policies and actions has CAAS taken on opening agricultural information and data in China, and Joel Sam (CSIR) covered the principal opportunities and challenges opening the outputs of research in Ghana to farmers.
After these panel presentations, the participants broke into groups to look at three action areas (a) to improve investment through introduction of sound policies and coordinated approaches; (b) to develop the information-sharing capacities of organizations, and foster the formation of networks; and (c) to make data and information accessible by promoting open content and common standards and tools that support sharing of agricultural information. Priority actions were identified at national, regional, and global level, which relate to actions identified by the CIARD partners in 2011 in the CIARD Technical Issues Paper.
The message sent forward from the session to the final plenary, and presented by Enrica Porcari, comprised three recommendations for action for all GCARD stakeholders to:
- continue to engage with the CIARD movement to enhance the coherence and effectiveness of access and use of agricultural information and data
- call on managers and policy-makers to lead the development of enabling strategies and policies for more effective access and use of information and data
- to collaborate on development of methodologies and indicators for measuring the outcomes of enhancing access information and data
A blogpost on the session can be found at the CGIAR website. A post on the session was also made (in Spanish) on the GCARD blog.
CIARD Consultations in 2011
The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), in collaboration with the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), hosted an International Expert Consultation on the theme “Building the CIARD Framework for Data and Information Sharing”. The International Consultation was organized by the Coherence in Information in Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD) partners. The consultation was held from 20 to 23 June 2011 in Beijing, China. Read more here.
CIARD Endorsement in 2010
CIARD was featured at the 1st Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD), France - more than 700 experts, scientists, policy makers as well as media and development partners. The GCARD recommended that stakeholders to "use the potential of multi-partner movement such as CIARD to facilitate availability and access to information and knowledge in innovative ways".The GCARD recommended that stakeholders to "use the potential of multi-partner movementsuch as CIARD to facilitate availability and access to information and knowledge in innovative ways". Read more
The 5th African Agricultural Science Week and General Assembly of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Burkina Faso – with more than 400 experts, scientists, policy makers as well as media and development partners. The FARA Assembly recognized that the key challenge for agricultural research in Africa is that too few of its outputs are truly accessible and applicable. Participants called on the two principal movement in Africa facilitating greater accessibility of agricultural research outputs – namely the RAILS (Regional Agricultural Information and Learning System) and the CIARD movement:
- to advocate with all national actors in agricultural research the need for more coherent approaches to knowledge sharing and communication of the outputs of agricultural research in support of innovation
- to support development of national capacities by sharing sound institutional strategies and policies, providing tools and practices, and offering learning resources and events for all types of individual stakeholders.
CIARD Regional Consultations in 2009
Five consultations were held in different regions during 2009 to introduce and discuss the CIARD agenda. More than 150 individuals participated from almost 70 countries. Participants in the consultations had the opportunity to (a) learn about and comment on the CIARD Manifesto and Values and the main CIARD communication materials, and (b) offer guidance on how institutional support could be gathered and evidence of relevant outcomes compiled. The participants worked in groups through a series of four or five facilitated sessions. Following these consultations, the CIARD Manifesto and Values were revised, and the Checklist of Good Practices was reformulated.
Countries represented in the 2009 Regional Consultations
CIARD Near East and North Africa Regional Consultation. 17 - 20 May 2009. There were 33 participants in the consultation held in held in Cairo, Egypt, with national-level representatives (information focal units) from national agricultural research institutions in 12 countries. There were representatives of regional and international organizations, namely AARINENA, GFAR, FAO and ICARDA. The consultation was held as part of a Regional Training Workshop on “Building National Capacities in Information and Knowledge in Support of Agricultural Research for Development in Near East Region”
Download the Report of the CIARD Near and East North Africa Regional Consultation
CIARD Africa Regional Consultation. 14 July 2009. Over 40 people participated in the consultation held in 
Accra, Ghana, including representatives of the regional forum FARA itself, and the three sub-regional fora i.e. ASARECA, CORAF, SADC-FANR. From the national level, representatives (managers of information units) participated from 24 countries spread across all three sub-regions. Finally, representatives from four international institutions participated, namely FAO, CGIAR, CABI, and IAALD. The consultation was held in association with the 2nd Conference of the IAALD Africa Chapter.
Download the Report of the CIARD Africa Regional Consultation
CIARD Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Consultation. 30 October 2009. There were 30 participants in the consultationheld in Lima, Peru, including a representative of the regional forum FORAGRO and of IICA, and of the sub-regional organization CARDI. National-level representatives (managers of information units) participated from 10 countries, and finally there were representatives from four international institutions, namely CGIAR, FAO, GFAR, and IAALD. The consultation was held in association with the Regional Conference of the regional association of agricultural information specialists (AIBDA).
Download the Report of the CIARD Latin America and the Caribbean RegionalConsultation
CIARD Regional Consultation for Russian-Speaking Countries. 1-2 December 2009. There were 22 participants in the consultation held in Moscow, Russia, with national level representatives (managers of information units) from 9 countries and representatives from FAO at the international level.
Download the Report of the CIARD Russian-speaking Countries RegionalConsultation
CIARD Regional Consultation for Asia and the Pacific. 30 October
2009. There were 31 participants in the consultation held in Hyderabad, India, with national level, representatives (managers of information units) from 13 countries. The regional forum APAARI and the sub-regional organization SAARC were represented. Representatives from four international institutions participated, namely CABI, CGIAR, FAO, and GFAR
Download the Report of the CIARD Asia-Pacific RegionalConsultation
International Expert Consultations in 2005/2007
Two international Expert Consultations on "International Information System for Agricultural Sciences and Technology” (IISAST) brought together representatives from key organizations providing information services in the field of agriculture and related fields.
The 1st Expert Consultation was organized in Rome in October 2005 by five institutions, namely GFAR, CGIAR , FAO, CTA and INASP, with the support of DFID (UK). About fifty experts working in networks and information systems in agricultural science and technology met and agreed that a more structured global partnership was required. This would bring together the existing range of initiatives into a more cohesive alliance that would cooperate towards improved information management in agricultural science and technology. The 2005 Consultation Report details the recommendations agreed upon.
The 2nd Expert Consultation was organized in Rome in September 2007 by the above organizations and IAALD and MAE (France). This Consultation reviewed the progress made since 2005 and set priorities for further work. A major outcome was a review of collaboration mechanisms that led to the development of the CIARD movement.
In the picture, the 2nd Expert Consultation on International Information System for Agricultural Sciences and Technology (IISAST), September 2007
