The impact that public knowledge and research can have on agricultural and rural development and natural resources management is limited because most of these outputs are not easily or widely accessible. Each organization follows its own approaches to share and exchange information and adopt different information management practices. There is a great need for coherence in agricultural information management by all the concerned agencies in order to create more impact and use of information and knowledge for agricultural research for development. Creating a global network of truly accessible outputs of research and innovation greatly increase the chances they can be put to use, locally, nationally, regionally and globally. Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD) is a multi-stakeholder global initiative working to make agricultural research information publicly available and more accessible.

The Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East & North Africa (AARINENA) which is mandated to promote the development of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in the WANA region has been fostering use of ICT/ICM in AR4D in the region through its program, AARINENA Regional Agricultural Information System (AARINENA-RAIS). AARINENA as a partner of the CIARD initiative intends to facilitate the CIARD process in the WANA region, with the support of GFAR and FAO, through AARINENA program by strengthening the National Information Nodal Points (NINPs) in the NARS in the region to actively engage in the CIARD initiative. As part of Bridging Knowledge Gap activities towards the transformation of AR4D systems, as described in the GCARD Roadmap, AARINENA organizes the CIARD sub-regional workshop with an objective to improve partnerships among NINPs so as to strengthen capacities and skills of personnel to promote greater sharing of knowledge for outscalling of innovations.

The training workshop is aimed to strengthen capacities and skills of participants to improve sharing of information and knowledge through AARINENA-RAIS activities and to equip those who have been involved or likely to be involved in the CIARD to not only use CIARD concepts effectively but also advocate and build improved skills to participate better in CIARD and enable users to make more effective use of information including that accessed through CIARD.RING. It is also intended to train the trainers who in turn train users in their organizations and countries to enable them in improving skills to participate better in the CIARD activities. The Workshop will be hosted by AARINENA in Amman, Jordan, from 4- 6 October 2011.

Objective of the Workshop:

The objective of the Workshop is to train trainers who can train and support ICM managers of CIARD partner organizations in:

• Becoming active members of CIARD
• Train users in improving skills to participate better in CIARD and enable them to participate effectively in the CIARD.RING as also make more effective use of information including that accessed through CIARD.RING
• Advocating and supporting implementation of CIARD and CIARD.RING concepts at national levels to develop national CIARD.RINGs
• Being resource persons at National and Regional levels for supporting effective use of CIARD pathways, applications and CIARD.RING