Appendix 1 - Consultant in agricultural documentation
Appendix 2 - List Of Persons Met
- This report presents the work done during a Consultant Mission from 12 to 21 October 1997 in the framework of Project TCP/SUD/4553 "Strengthening the Documentation Services of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF).
- The detailed terms of reference, the list of persons met, and the schedule of work of this final mission to the project are given in Appendices 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
- The consultant mission started by a meeting with the FAO Representative in Khartoum, and the National Program Officer. The consultant was briefed of his mission, and received all the related documents he needed to accomplish his mission. Throughout the mission the consultant worked in cooperation with the FAOR Khartoum.
- Before making any field visits, the consultant studied the project agreement, the reports of the missions and training courses that had been carried out during the project.
- The field visits started by a meeting with the Director of the Documentation and Information Dept. at MAF to review the project achievements, the impact of the training courses in improving the working standard of the staff, the sustainability and the methods of improving the department's activities.
- The rest of the Documentation and Information Dept. staff and the library staff in MAF were visited each at their working station. It was noted that one of the well trained staff left to work in one of the Gulf States; another staff member recently joined the department and needs to be trained in order to become productive. This raises concern about the sustainability of the staffing situation, and its future effect on the sustainability of the department's activities as a whole.
- A special session was held with the Director of the Documentation and Information Dept. in MAF to discuss the proposed agreement between MAF and the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) to microfiche 1500 theses. The agreement was revised in order to comply with the rules and regulations of both MAF and AOAD.
- A discussion was held with the Director of the Statistics and Information Administration in MAF, who explained the efforts of his administration in securing the equipment maintenance that falls under his administration, including those of the Documentation and Information Dept. He described the efforts to establish a computer training lab which will provide MAF staff with basic training on the use of computers, as well as training on specialized software, in collaboration with national and international institutes. Such efforts will definitely support the Documentation and Information Dept. to maintain its equipment and provide training to their staff, especially those who newly joined the department.
- A meeting was held with the Senior Under Secretary of MAF who was briefed on the consultant mission and its findings, in particular the need to complete the rest of the library maintenance according to the project agreement. In addition, the matters of the Documentation and Information Dept. budget and staff training were raised. In general the Senior Under Secretary expressed his support to the department and was looking forward to the establishment of an agricultural information network in Sudan.
- The establishment of an agricultural information network in Sudan was discussed with the FAO consultant who prepared the relevant proposal. The discussion covered the important points in the proposal such as the current telecommunication infrastructure, its future development, and its effects on the work of the network. The discussion also covered the sustainability of the network, particularly its running cost, staff training, regular flow of information from different sources, standardization of software and data, etc. It was noted that the proposal did not clearly define the network products and its usefulness to the different users.
- The travel to Wad Meddani to visit the Headquarters of the Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) was arranged in cooperation with the Administration Officer at FAOR. The visit was planned to take place on the last day of the mission, but it was delayed a couple of days until the consultant was granted a travel permit. During this visit, the consultant was accompanied by the Director of the Documentation and Information Dept. of the MAF.
- The visit started with a meeting with the Deputy Director of the Publication and Training Dept. to review the project achievements, the impact of the training courses in improving the working standard of the staff, and the response of researchers to the development in information services provided.
- A meeting was held with the Director and the staff of the Centre of Information Systems (CIS) during which the centre's efforts in data collection and entry to AGRIS were reviewed.
- The library at ARC was visited and a meeting was held with the library staff, except the Chief Librarian who was absent. The library activities were reviewed. It was found that the library does not keep any record of its users. It was further determined that it needs a budget to acquire new books, especially foreign publications.
- The visit to ARC was concluded by a meeting with the Deputy Director General to discuss the project's achievements and the importance of having a maintenance contract for the equipment supplied under the project, the required support to CIS in its efforts in data collection and entry into AGRIS, continuous staff training, exchange of data with the different information centers and improving the information services for the benefit of researchers in ARC.
A draft Terminal Statement using the data collected during the mission was prepared and submitted separately. The Terminal Statement contains several recommendations for the consideration of the MAF in furthering the work begun during this project.
TCP/SUD/4553
SUDAN
Terms Of Reference
In the framework of project TCP/SUD/4553 "Strengthening the Documentation Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Animal Wealth", the consultant shall:
- review the activities and achievements of the project with regard to the
objectives stated in the project document;
- provide technical assistance, as required;
- prepare a draft Terminal Statement
Upon completion of the mission the consultant shall submit a typed report in machine readable form, summarizing the mission's activities and findings and making appropriate recommendations.
TCP/SUD/4553
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
- Prof. Abdel-Gilil Abdel-Gabbar, Senior Under Secretary.
- Mr. Mohammed S. Sirab, DG Statistics and Information.
- Mr. Mansour Fath El-Rahman, Director, Computer Dept.
- Mrs. Safia Mustafa, Director, Documentation and Information Dept.
- Mrs. Allawia A. Ali, Assistant Director, Documentation and Information Dept.
- Ms. Afaf Al-Zobier, Computer Specialist.
- Ms. Mahasen Ismail, Computer Specialist.
- Mr. Mohammed H. Ibrahim, Librarian.
- Mr. Haider Ibrahim, Librarian.
- Ms. Safia Abdel-Aziz, Librarian.
Agricultural Research Corporation
- Prof. Gaafar Ibrahim M. Ali, Deputy DG for Programs.
- Prof. Maqbol El-Hady Lazem, Deputy Director, Training and Publications.
- Mr. Sayed A. Nasir, Director, Center of Information Systems (CIS).
- Ms. Fawzia A. Musa, Computer Specialist, CIS.
- Ms. Sanaa Abdel-Karim, Computer Specialist, CIS.
- Ms. Ahlam I. Musa, Computer Specialist, CIS.
- Ms. Hanan M. Yagoub, Computer Specialist, CIS.
- Mr. Alaa El-din A. Ibrahim, Librarian.
- Mr. Ajoke Lewis, Librarian.
FAO Consultant
- Dr. Awad Elkarim M. Yousif, Technical Science collage.
FAOR - Khartoum
- Dr. Omar Saleh Ahmed, FAO Representative.
- Mr. Salah Moddather Ahmed, Program Officer.
- Mr. Emad E. Yagoub, Administration and Finance Officer.
TCP/SUD/4553
12/10
- Meeting with FAO Representative in Khartoum.
- Receiving and studying the project documents.
13/10
- Meeting with the Director of the Doc. and Info. Dept. in MAF
- Inspecting the library and the project equipment.
- Meeting with the Doc. and Info. Dept. staff and the Library staff.
14/10
- Meeting with the Director of the Statistics and Info. Admin.
15/10
- Meeting with the First Under Secretary of MAF.
- Meeting with the Director of the Doc. and Info. Dept. in MAF to
outline the microfiche agreement between AOAD and MAF.
16/10
- Meeting with the FAO consultant to discuss the Agricultural
Information Network proposal.
21/10
- Travel to Wad Meddani to visit ARC HQ.
- Meeting with the CIS and Library staff in ARC.
- Meeting with the DD of Pub. and Training Dept. in ARC.
- Meeting with the DDG of ARC.
