AGRIS Webinar: Linked Open Data Architectures - ICARDA Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)

As part of the 2020 Annual AGRIS Community O nline Meeting, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Enrico Bonaiuti, Monitoring, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) presented a webinar on 2 July 2020.

The webinar focused on Linked Open Data Architectures: ICARDA Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL). ICARDA is committed to the promotion of Open Access (OA) agricultural information, providing users with free online access to knowledge, ensuring FAIRness, proper fruition and attribution. ICARDA contributed directly to AGRIS with more than 3,000 publications and datasets, dating from 1977 to 2005, and more than 1,000 ICARDA related additions through CGIAR Gardian from 2006 up to date.

Supporting and adopting the Linked Open Data methodology, ICARDA has led the development of Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL), a multi-stakeholder knowledge management platform outputting to DSpace, DataVerse and EPrints Open Access repositories. MEL stores and makes available agricultural information according to data curation and interoperability best practices, involving the adoption of the AGROVOC vocabulary, the ORCiD unique identifier, SHERPA/RoMEO publication guidance and maintenance of an active API. ICARDA has also led LOD experimental initiatives, such as the CGSpace Explorer “AReS” development.

The ICARDA MEL initiative looks up to AGRIS architecture as effective example of Linked Open Data beacon and online portal from a global leader in knowledge management.

Enrico Bonaiuti

Enrico Bonaiuti, is the monitoring, evaluation and learning specialist for the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals. He has 15 years-experience in agricultural and rural development, with an inter-disciplinary academic background. His recent work has focused on strengthening the performance assessment/management functions of local institutions, development agencies, and organisations. Previously, Bonaiuti served as Program Coordinator for the CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems, responsible for implementing a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework, which defined indicators, conducted evidence-based evaluations at the systems level, and enhanced co-learning among stakeholders. Before joining ICARDA, Bonaiuti served as monitoring and evaluation specialist for the ‘Harmonized Support for Agricultural Development’ initiative in Iraq, where he analyzed cropping systems, socio-economic data, and soil and water conditions for specific irrigation projects managed by Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources. He holds a master’s degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Florence, Italy, and a master’s degree in marketing and economics from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.