- Information and knowledge management play a major role in today's world of information abundance and information overflow. New information technologies and the Internet represent means of distributing information and knowledge in a much faster and a more efficient way. These developments provide essential advantages for various sectors, including sustainable agricultural development and agricultural management. In order to make the best use of available agricultural information it must be disseminated effectively in order to ensure that the right information can be accessed by the right person at the right time. The Internet is a powerful mean to ensure this process and enables people and agricultural managers to store, retrieve, and access agricultural information in a more effective and efficient way... Sarah, Baues, Germany (25 years old).
- ICTs will not replace extension officers or absolve them of their responsibility. If anything, officers will need to become true "facilitators" that help farmers - almost on a one-to-one basis become familiar with the technologies that exist so that they can readily participate in information exchange... Maria Protz.
- The issue as regards to ICT use for agricultural information sharing will be accessibility of information through use of ICT by smallholder farmers. The public and community sectors will have to play a greater role here to enable these farmers and their communities to access increasingly "private" information on new technologies such as biotechnology and market participation. I believe that more community-based organizations will form to satisfy information needs of this category of farmers. At the moment they are nascent in information. This is another institutional transformation... Ajit Maru.
- ICTs basically only improves the speed and scope of communication (one to many, many to many, different formats of communication, easy conversion from one format to another) and the transformation of Agric Extension will only be a function of how we make use of the technology to solve the problems we face. Transformation will be relative to what we know extension was a decade ago; we can do more things quicker, integrate information better and communicate faster. The current generation may see it as a transformation but the next generation will think it was always like that. But let's hope that the transformation occurs in places where its benefits are needed the most... Krishan J. Bheenick.
- The Ministry of Agriculture of Spain is working with FAO on the exchange and management of agricultural information in areas such as irrigation, rural development and agricultural statistics. I consider the improvement of the agricultural information as a key to develop the rural areas, all over the world... Francisco Martínez, Spain.
