The World Agricultural Information Centre of FAO

Contributing to FAO's mandate to collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information relating to nutrition, food and agriculture

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its Member Nations highlight information as one of the priority areas in achieving agricultural development and food security. FAO established the World Agricultural Information Centre (WAICENT) as a corporate framework for agricultural information management and dissemination. This is a strategic effort to fight hunger with information.

The WAICENT framework integrates and harmonizes standards, tools and procedures for the efficient and effective management and dissemination of high-quality technical information, including relevant and reliable statistics, texts, maps, and multimedia resources. WAICENT was established in response to the high priority accorded by FAO to:

1. the enhancement of access to timely and relevant technical information by FAO Member Nations and the general public; and
2. the encouragement of FAO Member Nations to utilize information as a key resource for development.

Since the creation of WAICENT in 1989, there have been enormous advances in information technology and the task of managing and disseminating information in a digital environment has become increasingly complex. Two tasks in particular are assuming greater importance: first to enable better access to FAO's information resources and to promote partnerships with other agricultural information networks; and, second to assist FAO Member Nations to build their own capacity to manage and utilize food and agricultural information.

IMPROVING ACCESS TO INFORMATION

The FAO Web site (http://www.fao.org) provides access to information on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, sustainable rural development, economics, food and nutrition. The FAO WAICENT Portal is one of the tools for navigating and accessing the rich content of the site, incorporating the WAICENT Information Finder.

The FAO Web site is a comprehensive source of agricultural information, having approximately 500 000 web pages, over 100 databases, and thousands of documents. With over two million visits per month, the Web site gives access to the accumulated knowledge and expertise of FAO. This information helps to guide decision-makers and professionals in finding solutions to the challenges of sustainable agriculture development and hunger. The Web site is also useful for informing the general public about key issues in agriculture.

Many of FAO's specialized information systems are also available on CD-ROMs: FAOSTAT, AGRIS, Gender and Food Security, and Combating Desertification, among many others.

Information Management Standards

Effective information integration, retrieval, and exchange require agreed standards. For over 20 years, FAO has been setting standards in information management in agricultural development and food security. FAO works with Member Nations and other partners to develop and disseminate global standards and procedures for agricultural information management and exchange. For example, the agricultural metadata standards initiative (AgMES) and the Agricultural Ontology Service (AOS) are two internationally-recognized initiatives led by FAO and aimed at improving standards globally within the WAICENT framework. With partners such as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), FAO promotes the adoption of standards for agricultural data exchange and retrieval through the adoption of XML and other new techniques. For more information, visit http://www.fao.org/kce.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND OUTREACH IN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

FAO works closely with stakeholders in Member Nations and fosters international partnerships under the WAICENT framework to develop facilities and networks for access to and sharing of agricultural information. Areas of collaboration include improving efficiency, quality and relevance of knowledge exchange in agriculture, and using electronic media to enhance communication for rural development. Activities also include:

• Capacity Building Activities - advice and technical assistance for governments, institutions and rural communities to strengthen capacities in agricultural information management and the effective use of information and communication technologies.
  For more information, visit http://www.fao.org/kce.
• The Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK) - a partnership-based e-learning initiative comprising a comprehensive suite of distance learning resources covering concepts, approaches and tools for agricultural information management.
  For more information, visit http://www.fao.org/imark/ .

INTERGOVERNMENTAL PROCESS

KCE organizes consultations and workshops with FAO's members and the international community on subjects related to agricultural information and knowledge management.
The Division also brings forward policy-related items on agricultural information management to FAO's Governing Bodies, in relation to direct requests from members and outputs of consultations.
For more information, visit http://www.fao.org/gil/consultations/consultations_en.asp.

OTHER LINKS

Press releases

17/05/2002 Pirelli "INTERNETional" Award granted to FAO's WAICENT Portal

16/10/2001 FAO launches WAICENT Internet Portal

Audio material

16/10/2001 DG message for Waicent portal launch

• In RealAudio (Instant play, 82Kb)
  
• MP3 (Broadcast quality, 589Kb to be downloaded)

Video material

WAICENT Video - 2001 (Quick Time Movie - 6Mb)

For more information, contact