FAO is providing technical assistance to the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the strengthening and operation of its Agriculture Information Centre (AGRICENT). The purpose of the initiative is to strengthen the existing experiences and resources of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the UAE by drawing on the expertise and tangible inputs from FAO through a collaborative programme that will develop strong links to the mutual benefit of the two organizations. The programme will be action-oriented and aimed at achieving a shared agenda to ensure maximum benefit to the two parties as well as FAO´s other Member Countries. The partnership will also seek to maximize the strategic location and international profile of the United Arab Emirates as well as the status of FAO in the development assistance arena with the view of achieving tangible development outcomes in the area of agricultural information management that are based on clearly defined indicators of impact.
As part of this collaboration, the government of the United Arab Emirates convened a workshop on agricultural information strategies held in Dubai, from 10 - 12 January, 2004. The main objective of the meeting was to review national policies, programmes and activities to improve access to and dissemination of agricultural information in the region. The workshop was attended by representatives from eight countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as well as representatives from seven national institutions based in the Emirates. The participants attending the workshop, recommended to strengthen and develop decentralized national agricultural information systems based on international information standards and to promote the development of national strategies, which include the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agriculture, among other recommendations.
Further information on the activities developed by the UAE Agriculture Information Centre (AGRICENT) is available at: http://www.uae.gov.ae/uaeagricent
