What are SARD Resources?

Learning of others’ successes and experiences and the context in which they were implemented lends itself to sharing and replicating good practices for SARD. FAO and a number of organizations are therefore working to document SARD successes in Good Practice databases. A wide range of other SARD-related tools, approaches and methods have also been developed and are available to improve implementation of good practices and processes related to SARD. Training materials; workshop, conference and e-forum proceedings; applied research reports and policy briefs allow diverse stakeholder partners to share information about the latest available tools, approaches and methods and possible solutions to key issues of interest to them.

Internet access to SARD resources is currently provided on the Information and Knowledge Resources page of the SARD Initiative website.

What is the SARD Initiative Resource Facility?

Developing and maintaining a Resource Facility for SARD is a central element of the work programme of the SARD Initiative. The Facility is still under construction. When complete it will provide an interactive web-based platform for sharing information about SARD in a variety of forms.

However, the ultimate beneficiaries of the Resource Facility are meant to be rural communities and disadvantaged groups that can benefit from adopting and promoting SARD-related good practices. Thus disseminating pertinent information to them directly, or through intermediaries such as central and local governments, civil society organizations and development workers, is the primary objective.

The SARD Resource Facility will be a key component of the SARD Initiative, and it will be web-based, coordinated by FAO, and available to governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, with a view to reducing the information gap existing between available information resources and the most disadvantaged groups. It will promote decentralized information sharing through national and regional institutions and networks and convey information to rural communities by establishing appropriate linkages with local and national media (e.g. rural radios) and communication facilities. SARD Initiative Project Document