On 27 May 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its platform AGRIS, hosted an insightful webinar titled “Enhancing Metadata Standards & OAI-PMH Compliance”, gathering librarians, repository managers, IT specialists, and researchers. 

Designed for current and prospective AGRIS data providers, the event aimed to equip institutions with the tools and knowledge needed to improve the visibility and accessibility of agricultural research through better metadata practices.

AGRIS plays a crucial role in connecting over 1,400 data providers across more than 160 countries, making millions of bibliographic records freely accessible and discoverable through a powerful open-access platform.

Introducing AGRIS: What It Is and Why It Matters
The webinar started with Chelsey Scalese, AGRIS communications specialist, who gave participants a comprehensive tour of AGRIS and its components. She described how AGRIS functions not only as a multilingual database of scientific literature but also as a global network of data providers. She also emphasized its value for institutions seeking international exposure and long-term preservation of their research output. 

Why Metadata Matters
Mercy Moyo, Deputy Director for Research and Training at ITOCA and the AGRIS focal point, underscored the foundational role metadata plays in maximizing research visibility. She explained how well-structured metadata enables discoverability, enhances search engine indexing, and supports interoperability between systems.

Moyo also introduced good practices for keeping metadata clean, standardized, and up to date—highlighting that consistency and simplicity are key to ensuring it remains usable and shareable. She provided a practical overview of OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting), explaining how institutions can set up and configure OAI-PMH endpoints to facilitate smooth metadata harvesting by AGRIS. 

By aligning with this widely accepted protocol, institutions can ensure that their research outputs are automatically and efficiently integrated into global databases, increasing their reach and impact.

A Hands-On Approach to Metadata Submission
To bridge theory with practice, Onan Mulumba, librarian at Makerere University, shared a concrete example of how institutions can submit metadata to AGRIS. He demonstrated how metadata can be generated and submitted via email, providing a low-barrier method for contribution that is especially relevant for smaller institutions or those just starting their digital repository journey.

What Participants Took Away:

• A solid grasp of AGRIS metadata requirements
• Practical steps to prepare their repositories for integration
• A clearer understanding of the OAI-PMH protocol and endpoint setup
• Access to support tools and documentation from FAO
• Real-world examples and use cases from current contributors

This webinar exemplified AGRIS’s mission to make agricultural knowledge open, inclusive, and actionable. It reinforced the idea that improving metadata quality isn’t just a technical task—it’s a strategic investment in research visibility, institutional credibility, and global knowledge sharing.

Missed the webinar or want to get involved?

Webinar recording: https://fao.zoom.us/rec/share/uYbo9mGpIMRBy3GzUIvuS_Q5Hi5mwROwzuNVJdfaZC68KcVkjdN_UuxdFIjqzatv.FF0KQmcBZQVxMnj8
Passcode: t=a#?%5T

Learn more about AGRIS at: https://www.fao.org/agris