AGRIS Documents

AGRIS Network: Main documents

Introduction

The AGRIS network is constantly progressing with the current times to keep abreast with the constantly changing technologies and cultures for sharing data, information and knowledge. Various Expert Consultations on Agricultural Information Management have been held by the AGRIS partners to review the mandate and activities as well as discuss the development of a strategy for the AGRIS network. From these Consultations members agreed that AGRIS could have a key role in the area of scientific and technical information, by improving access to relevant research outputs relating to food security and agricultural development.

This section provides a series of documents resulting from these Consultations outlining the strategies taken by AGRIS network to become “a key enabler and catalyst in establishing a new model of agricultural information management in the 21st century”.

Strategy Documents

AGRIS Vision
Titled "AGRIS - A strategy for an international network for information in agricultural sciences and technology within the WAICENT Framework", the document outlines the background, development and founding principles of the AGRIS network. It highlights the shortcomings of these principles and present the new revised principle to strengthen the AGRIS initiative. The challenge of the initiative, is how to improve accessibility of science and technology information about agricultural development and food security. The document emphasises that one key aspect of the approach would be to establish better collaboration with international initiatives on support to and co-ordination of agricultural research for development without imposing too rigid a collaborative framework.
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AGRIS Open Archives
Titled "Towards an architecture for Open Archive networks in Agricultural Sciences and Technology" defines and describes a high level architecture based on the Open Archives framework for the AGRIS community. The document illustrates how the Open Access (OA) and the Open Archive Initiative (OAI) models together with the AGRIS methodologies and tools can be used within the AGRIS Network as a means of solving the problems of dissemination and exchange of agricultural research outputs. It defines two levels of participants namely data providers which insitutions that provide data using the agreed standards of data exchange and Service providers who gather the data and provide value added services to the users.
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Expert Consultation Reports

Consultation on Agricultural Information Management (COAIM)
Two Consultations on Agricultural Information Management (COAIM), in 2000 and 2002, discussed the development of a strategy for the AGRIS network and its participating Centres. It was agreed that AGRIS could have a key role in the area of scientific and technical information, by improving access to relevant research outputs relating to food security and agricultural development. The Consultation partcipants agreed that FAO should work with Member Countries to strengthen the role of the AGRIS network, so that it would become “a key enabler and catalyst to establish a new model of agricultural information management in the 21st century.

Read more from the consultation reports at:
2000 COAIM report and other documents
2002 COAIM report

Coherence on Information for Agricultural Research Development Initiative (CIARD)

CIARD is a collaborative network of institutions, whose aim is to make public domain agricultural research information and knowledge accessible to all. The vision is to harness the existing range of agricultural information management initiatives by fostering the exchange of agricultural knowledge through common subject oriented standards, development of communities of practices, and active communication supported by electronic fora.

Key stakeholders have been working for several years to bring greater coherence in agricultural information and knowledge management between international initiatives in this area. To this effect two expert consultations have been held as follows:
- The first Expert Consultation was held, in Rome on 19-21 October, 2005 where participants (40-50) experts working in networks and information systems in agricultural science and technology met. This was held under the leadership of five leading agricultural research institutions namely, GFAR, CGIAR , FAO, CTA and INASP. The outcome was that the participants felt that a more structured global partnership was required, to bring together the existing range of initiatives into a more cohesive alliance that would increase the chances of enhancing information management in agricultural science and technology.
  The 2005 Consultation report details the issues agreed upon. This consultation gave way to the establishment of the alliance now so called as the "International Information System for Agricultural Sciences and Technology-IISAST".
- The 2nd Expert Consultation on International Information Systems for Agricultural Science and Technology was convened in Rome on 23-24 September,2007 at FAO headquarters in Rome. The objectives of the 2nd Expert Consultation were:
  - Review progress since the 1st Expert Consultation on International Information Systems for Agricultural Science and Technology (IISAST) of October 2005
  - Reassess the objectives of the IISAST initiative on and confirm commitment of the partners
  - Reassess the modalities of implementing the initiative
  - Establish future priorities for and contributions to the initiative
  The 2007 Consultation report discusses the issues raised in respect to the progress, challenges, and way forward for the IISAST initiative.