Effective Communication and Information Management among Agricultural Research,
Extension and Farmers
for Rural Development in Georgia

Jointly organized by the Biological Farming Association (ELKANA), Georgia and FAO

This workshop was a follow-up to the study, Georgia: ICT Infrastructure and Use in Agriculture, Agricultural Policy, Research, and Education Organizations (T. Temel, A. Maru, 2003), commissioned by the Sustainable Development Group (REUS) of the FAO Regional Office for Europe (REU).

Ten presentations and discussions on information and communication systems (ICS) in their respective organizations showed relative strength in technologies and databases at institutional levels, but weak connectivity to the local user levels. Thus the 40 participants of 22 local organizations, including agricultural research, education, extension, non-governmental and farmer organizations and media, agreed that a way must be found for farmers participation in developing agricultural policy and to bring scientists, extension workers and farmers closer together to improve relevance of research and quality of extension and advisory services. A draft proposal prioritized the use of ICS to improve market access and higher production, specifically for district level training and strengthening consultation centers. The proposal also suggests to build stronger ICS at all levels and to create a much needed platform for participation in national agricultural policy development.

Click here to view the full report with address lists of participants (PDF file, 280KB).

Effective Communication and Information Management among Agricultural Research, Extension and Farmers for Rural Development in Georgia

Effective Communication and Information Management among Agricultural Research,
Extension and Farmers
for Rural Development in Georgia