Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development

Franz Martin (FAO) presenting on opening access

to agricultural research outputs CIARD Africa 

Consultations, Accra, Ghana19 - 21 June 2012

10 August 2012. Agricultural researchers in developing countries are keen to communicate their research to non-experts, but often feel hampered by institutional barriers and a lack of support, according to a survey published in the current issue of Agricultural Information Worldwide.

The results are based on responses from 1,500 researchers, the majority working in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and will be presented at the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) in Uruguay this October.

Some 80 per cent of respondents in all regions considered "contributing to alleviating hunger and poverty" to be a key driving factor for communication, and there was an overwhelming preference for open access, no- or low-cost routes for research publishing. Yet almost 85 per cent of respondents cited a perceived lack of institutional support and resources as the biggest impediment to communication.

In developing countries, particularly French-speaking ones, traditional channels — including journals, books and conferences — were still the most widely used platforms for disseminating research findings.

However researchers also expressed a desire for training in the use of digital communication platforms and social media, citing a "lack of workplace incentives" as the main reason for the low uptake of digital platforms.

The report was produced by the global agricultural research partnership CGIAR, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), on behalf of the Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD).

The authors say that to improve science communication senior research managers should revise their policies to encourage individuals to change their behaviour.

"There must be enabling frameworks for change; if you don't provide enabling environments, you are not going to change the way researchers share their information," Franz Martin, an FAO staff member and co-author of the study.