1. Use of an ‘Information Needs Assessment Matrix’ as a Participatory
Method to Determine Information Needs of Stakeholders of a
System
Chandrabose Sembhoo
Extension Officer, Agricultural Information Unit
Agricultural Research and Extension Unit
Food and Agricultural Research Council
Reduit, Mauritius
Krishan J Bheenick
Programme Manager (Production Systems incl. IT Systems)
Food and Agricultural Research Council
Reduit, Mauritius
Email: kjbheenick@yahoo.com
Abstract
The process of designing and developing an information system always starts with an
analysis of the information needs of stakeholders. This may apply in the context of an
institution, a network of individuals such as a thematic research network, a network of
institution such as the National Agricultural Research System (NARS), or a commodity value
chain. In addition to the information needs, the relationship among the stakeholders and
how the information influences their decision making processes, are essential information
elements that guide the establishment of mechanisms for decision support systems for these
stakeholders.
In the context of a project aiming at enhancing the capacity of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) region to coordinate agricultural research and
development (ARD) in the region, a regional network of ARD Information Managers
comprising researchers, extension officers, documentalists, librarians and planning officers
from the National Agricultural Research System was established. The project, together with
the network, developed methods for information needs assessment, organised workshops to
plan and later carry out such assessments which then enabled the start of the process of
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2. developing information, communication and knowledge management strategies at national
and regional level. Nevertheless, the ‘Information Needs Assessment Matrix’ method
developed by the network provides a sound basis for any kind of information needs
assessment.
The Matrix approach starts off with the identification of stakeholders that influence
information flow at the level of each stakeholder category or value-chain operator. Each
stakeholder identified is then brought to a workshop environment to respond to a series of
questions around (a) the current status of knowledge of the stakeholder and their current
practices in obtaining information, (b) information requirements and preferred modes of
communication, and (c) challenges faced in making the information available and accessible
to the stakeholder and proposed actions to overcome the challenges. The workshop
environment enables all stakeholders to critique, individually and collectively, the contents of
the matrix filled in by the stakeholders themselves. It also enables cross checking of
expectations of information with those being produced. The involvement of all stakeholders
in determining information needs brings about more ownership of the process.
Interactions among the participants generally causes a change in their mindset from
thinking from their institutional compartmentalised perspectives, to better appreciate the
role of each and every stakeholder, both as a producer and user of information along the
chain of information flow, and eventually to ‘contributing to the pool of knowledge’ for use
by the ‘community’ or ‘value chain’. The completed matrix is captured and stored in a
spreadsheet for use by the group for other purposes, such as development of communication
and information management strategies. Furthermore, participants have also continued to
improve on the spreadsheet-based matrix after the workshop and see the matrix as a
representation of the information needs of the sector. The approach has been applied in
several countries in the SADC region, including Mauritius, where a local team has been
established to continue the process of developing a national strategy document. Thus the
method using the information needs assessment matrix has been tested and found to be an
effective tool for several purposes related to ARD information management.
Introduction:
The process of designing and developing an information system always starts with an
analysis of the information needs of stakeholders. This may apply in the context of an
institution, a network of individuals such as a thematic research network, a network of
institution such as the National Agricultural Research System (NARS), or a commodity value
chain. In addition to the information needs, the relationship among the stakeholders and
how the information influences their decision making processes, are essential information
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3. elements that guide the establishment of mechanisms for decision support systems for
these stakeholders.
The issue of stakeholder information needs assessment at a sub-regional level in the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) region was discussed at an assembly of
stakeholders of Agricultural Research and Development (ARD) in the 15 countries of the
region in September 2008. The stakeholders were brought together in the context of the
‘Implementation and Coordination of Agricultural Research and Training (ICART) project
implemented between 2006 and 2010. Group discussions among representatives from
research, extension, university, farmer organizations, agricultural trade and private sector
concluded that it was essential that strategies for communication and information
management in ARD be developed both at national and regional level. From that point
onwards, the ICART project facilitated a process of establishing a regional network of ARD
Information Managers comprising researchers, extension officers, documentalists, librarians
and planning officers from the NARS, and together with the network, establish methods for
information needs assessment, organise workshops to plan and later carry out such
assessments and finally develop strategies at national and regional level. The method using
the information needs assessment matrix has been tested and found to be an effective tool
for several purposes related to ARD information management.
Purpose:
This paper describes the development of the method of the ‘Information Needs Assessment
Matrix’, its testing, validation and applications in the context of national and regional
workshops in the SADC region. This method would also be applicable to Value Chain
analysis.
Methods:
Following recommendations by the regional stakeholders of ARD in the SADC region to
establish Communication and Information Management Strategies, the ICART project called
for a workshop with representatives of research, extension and information and
documentation services of the 15 Member States to consult on the process that could be
facilitated by a regional network of ARD information specialists (like themselves). An
approach used by the Soil and Water Management Network of Eastern and Southern Africa
to develop its communication strategy was used as a starting point and the network
elaborated on the questions to determine the information needs. The initial steps, as
worked out in a workshop in 2008, involved the development of guidelines for the
identification of the stakeholders that influence information flow at the level of each
category of stakeholders, the latter ranging from farmers and their associations to policy
makers and finally to consumers and their associations. The guidelines thus enable a
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4. systematic identification of stakeholders (by name) of information at any level –
institutional, national, value-chain, and regional. The stakeholders identified were grouped
as summarized in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Stakeholders of agricultural information exchange
Stakeholder Stakeholders
Category
Farmers and -Traditional leaders -Government institutions
their -Community leaders -Private sector institutions
Associations -Farmer Unions/Assoc. -Financial institutions
-Associations/Cooperatives. -Regional & International institutions
-Faith-based orgs -Donors and Cooperating Partners
-Labour unions
-Commodity-based orgs
Extension/ -Traditional leaders -Government institutions
Technical -NGOs -Private sector institutions
Advisory -Faith based orgs -Financial institutions
Services -Media organizations -Regional & International institutions
-Training providers -Donors and Cooperating Partners
-Tertiary education
institutions
-Commodity-based orgs
Market -Input Suppliers -Government institutions
intermediaries -Marketing orgs -Private sector institutions
-Traders & Assoc. -Financial institutions
-Transport providers -Regional & International institutions
-Commodity-based orgs -Donors and Cooperating Partners
Processors -Small & Medium Enterprises -Government institutions
- Associations/Coops -Private sector institutions
-Commodity-based orgs -Financial institutions
-Regional & International institutions
-Donors and Cooperating Partners
Consumers Consumers -Government institutions
and their Consumer groups/assoc. -Private sector institutions
Associations Media organisations -Financial institutions
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5. -Regional & International institutions
-Donors and Cooperating Partners
Researchers -Scientific/Disciplinary -Government institutions
networks/institutions -Private sector institutions
-Tertiary education -Financial institutions
institutions -Regional & International institutions
-Donors and Cooperating Partners
Policy makers -Traditional leaders -Government institutions
-Politicians -Private sector institutions
- Administrators -Financial institutions
-Consumer associations -Regional & International institutions
-Commodity-based orgs -Donors and Cooperating Partners
In 2009, the group of ARD Information Managers consolidated the work done by producing
a set of 13 questions for each of the stakeholders identified leading to the creation of an
Information, communication and knowledge management matrix for stakeholders’
information needs assessment. These questions were laid in a matrix (see Table 2) and were
grouped into three sub-sets, addressing different aspects of information needs assessment,
namely (a) the current status of knowledge of the stakeholder and their current practices in
obtaining information, (b) information requirements and preferred modes of
communication, and (c) challenges faced in making the information available and accessible
to the stakeholder and proposed actions to overcome the challenges. Most countries like
Mauritius and Zambia favoured group interaction to complete the matrix. On the other
hand, a questionnaire-based approach had been tested to administer these questions in
Seychelles, with the responses subsequently filled into the matrix of questions v/s
stakeholders. However, there were advantages to the matrix being filled in simultaneously
and in a participatory manner by the stakeholder representatives, in a workshop
environment. The matrix approach also enabled cross checking of expectations of
information with those being produced. The completed matrix was available to all to
critique, individually and collectively. It was captured and stored in a spreadsheet for use by
the group for other purposes, such as the development of communication and information
management strategies. The workshops held to identify the information, communication
and knowledge management information needs assessment of stakeholders exceeded
expectations in several cases. From the basic need of such information at national and
regional level to become available arose the interest of developing a national Agricultural
Information, Communication and Knowledge Management Strategy (AICKMS). Thus,
countries like Mauritius, Seychelles and Zambia took initiatives to continue the process
independently. In the case of Mauritius, a team of 10 persons; representing stakeholders
from the public sector, private sector and farmer organization, was constituted under the
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6. chairmanship of the National ICART Focal Point. Meetings were held on a regular basis and a
draft document prepared.
The ownership of the process by countries like Mauritius triggered another step towards
regional collaboration. The SADC Secretariat through the ICART project held a regional
workshop with aim to prepare a regional AICKMS. A draft document was prepared based on
the workshop findings and submitted to the SADC Secretariat. However, with the winding
up of the ICART Project in 2011, the ARD Information Managers are expecting that
CCARDESA will continue with the work carried out and produce a finalized document for the
benefit of region. In the mean time, the ARD Information Managers have taken ownership
of all the communication platforms created through the ICART Project for networking and
information sharing.
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8. Results and Conclusions:
The matrix approach has been used in the context of four national and one regional
workshops subsequently leading to the drafting of communication strategies. In addition,
the group interaction enabled participants to better appreciate the role of each and every
stakeholder; both as a producer and user of information along the chain of information flow
and to have a more holistic approach to their information needs as opposed to their initial
institutional compartmentalised perspectives. The involvement of all stakeholders in
determining information needs also brought more ownership of the process. In general, the
mindset changed from ‘generating any information’ to ‘contributing to the pool of
knowledge’ for use by the ‘community’ or ‘value chain’.
The participants also continued to improve on the spreadsheet-based matrix experience
after the workshop. Thus, from a sectorial needs analysis arose a common vision to develop
national Agricultural Information, Communication and Knowledge Management Strategies.
By taking ownership of the process and bonding with similar aims, the region has initiated a
bottom to top approach in developing AICKM strategies similar to top to bottom approaches
being worked out or implemented by major international agricultural organisations.
Recommendation:
The Information Needs Assessment Matrix method has been developed and validated by
the SADC Network of ARD Information Managers for use in any activity that involves
information needs assessment. It can therefore be used by the NARS to better serve their
stakeholders. In particular, it is recommended that the Information Needs Assessment
Matrix be exploited to:
 Review the current situation with respect to information, communication and
knowledge management.
 Identify areas that can be implemented in the short term, medium term or long term.
For instance, the ARD Information Managers have been of view that Communication
Strategies could be implemented immediately as most stakeholders are disseminating or
requesting information.
 Start implementation of a coherent AICKMS at institutional, national and regional levels.
 CCARDESA to continue the process left by ICART Project.
 International organizations to promote such strategies via ownership of processes.
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9. References:
 SADC-ICART Project (2008) Proceedings of the SADC FANR workshop on the establishment of an
Agricultural R&D Information Exchange Platform, Sept 2008. Gaborone, Botswana
[http://www.sadc.int/fanr/agricresearch/icart/meetings/ReportICART-ARDPlatformDev-Sept08.pdf]
 SADC-ICART Project (2009) Proceedings of the SADC FANR workshop on Agricultural Information,
Communication and Knowledge Management Strategy on Agricultural R&D, May 2009,
Gaborone, Botswana
[http://www.sadc.int/fanr/agricresearch/icart/meetings/ICARTREGIONALWORKSHOPONAICKM.pdf]
 SADC-ICART Project (2010a) - Proceedings of the regional workshop on development of the
Regional AICKM Strategy and Meeting of the SADC Network of ARD Information Managers,
30Aug-3Sep 2010, Pretoria
[http://www.sadc.int/fanr/agricresearch/icart/meetings/RegAICKMStrategySADCNetARD.pdf]
 SADC-ICART Project (2010b)- Presentations of the SADC Network of ARD Information Managers
at the ICART Scientific Symposium, September2010. Pretoria.
[http://www.sadc.int/fanr/agricresearch/icart/inforesources/SADCNetARDInfoManagersAtSymposium.pdf]
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