1. Information,
Communication
(& Knowledge)
Management
strategies
in Africa
Krishan Bheenick
Snr Programme Coordinator
(Knowledge Management)
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

2. Lessons learnt from implementing
PSTAD project (2007-2013)?
• Diversity of ARD and ICT environments existing in
African countries
• Rural population and small holders live far from
connectivity
• Innovations occur at local scale (communities)
• Knowledge sharing to support innovations needs
to occur at several levels
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

3. Lessons learnt from implementing
PSTAD project (2007-2013)?
• Despite progress made in capacity development
on the use of ICTs and Innovation platforms
among the NARS, a lot remains to be done…
• Technology also changes with time as capacity to
use such technologies is strengthened
• Approaches developed and tested have to be
adapted locally for best impact…
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

4. Lessons learnt from implementing
PSTAD project (2007-2013)?
• Regular opportunities for personal interactions,
professional exchanges and capacity building
through the PSTAD project have established a
strong Community of Practice among the RAILS
and DONATA teams, at national, subregional and
regional level.
• The CoP can increasingly complement physical
meetings through online interactions
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

5. Lessons learnt from implementing
PSTAD project (2007-2013)?
• Good practices in Information, Communication
and Knowledge management (ICKM) have to be
promoted and adopted at all levels, in order to:
– enable effectiveness of innovation systems among
collaborating partners
– Document and share knowledge about innovations at
local multi-stakeholder level; value chain level,
commodity-sector, national and sub-regional levels
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

6. CTA’s Strategic Goals 2011-2015
1. Support well informed, inclusive agricultural
policy processes and strategies in ACP regions
2. Promote smallholder agricultural value chains
3. Strengthen the information, communication
and knowledge management capacities of ACP
institutions and networks
(ICT4D; ICKM; M&E; CIARD Movement)
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

7. Strengthening skills methodologies and tools for
•

8. Trends in ICT4D at CTA 2007-2013
• ICT4D: (web 2.0 technology, social media)
– CTA led Web 2.0 Learning Opportunities (f2f group)
– Online modules on social media
(IMARK CD individual)
– Online course on social media
applications (UNITAR – group learning)
• ICT4D now:
– Social media and mobile applications for AR&D
– Open Data
– National e-agriculture strategies
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

9. Trends in ICKM at CTA 2007-2013
• ICM: CTA Publications, Info Management
– Information needs assessments – country level
– CTA led ICM Strategy development manuals (facilitators’
guide and Users’ guide) (f2f group)
– Online module Strategic Approach to Agric Information
(IMARK CD individual)
• ICKM (or Knowledge Management) now:
– KM integrating ICM, M&E and innovation (KM scans)
– KM advocacy materials (KM Tree)
– Knowledge Management curriculum (?)
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

10. Capacity building in ICKM
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

11. Trends in M&E 2007-2013
• M&E:
– CTA, IICD & KIT SMART Toolkit for M&E of Information
Projects, Products and Services (Publication, 3-day
awareness, 5-day training EN & FR (f2f group)
– French version of SMART Toolkit & CD-ROM version
• Organisational Learning, M & E now:
– Joint learning for Organisational Development; Outcome
& Impact Indicators
– Impact Pathway analysis & Impact Stories
– SMART Toolkit as a wiki version for updates
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

12. Trends in CIARD Movement-2013
• CIARD 2013-
– AR4D shifting to be more inclusive; M&E as a strong
component; Content Management CoP; Expanded set of
pathways; Advocacy and best practices documentation
• CIARD-CTA medium term contribution?
– Integration of ICM strategy development, M&E materials &
KM scans in toolkit for CIARD movement
– Use of pathways as a guide for self- assessment, indicator of
institutional development and guide to signposted learning
resources
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

13. Integrated KM to support
Food Security in Africa
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013
ICT4D
ICM & KM
M&E
Organisational
Learning
Impact
Analysis
Regional
Sub-Regional
National (NARS)
Organisational (Institution;
Network; value chain)
Innovation Platform
Commodity-based
Information and
Knowledge
Management
Platforms
(Physical & virtual
interactions; Web-
mediated;
professional
exchanges;
knowledge
capturing, curation,
sharing and
exchange
Information and
Knowledge
Management
Platforms
(Physical & virtual
interactions; Web-
mediated;
professional
exchanges;
knowledge
capturing, curation,
sharing and
exchange
The KM tree

14. 6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013
The KM tree
approach
The KM scan
results

15. Some areas for collaboration
1. Increased opportunities for personal interaction
and improved techniques for technology-based
personal interaction, collective reflection and
documentation of such reflection
2. Mutual recognition of the roles, responsibilities
and dependence of actors along the Value chain,
commodity chain, innovation system and
knowledge management system
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

16. Some areas for collaboration
3. Harmonisation of data exchange formats and
usability along the value chain, commodity chain
and innnovation system
4. Improved interoperability and harmonisation of
information sharing formats, knowledge capture,
curation, sharing and exchange
5. Harmonisation of M&E Indicators and
measurement along the VC, CC & Innovation
system for improved aggregation
6th
AASW Side Event:
Information and Knowledge for Food Security
Africa Agriculture Science Week, July 2013

17. CTA 2013 Annual Conference
• 4-8 November 2013, Kigali, Rwanda
• 400 participants including farmers organisations
• Focus on ICT for Agriculture
• Broad media coverage
• 1 day innovation discovery
(Plug and Play Day)
• 3 day conference
• 1 day on the field
• + Exhibition
• + Hackathon
• + 3 competitions’ awards