Iraq Rural and Agricultural Knowledge Exchange Network (IRAKEN) An Overview on Iraq Rural and Agricultural Knowledge Exchange Network (IRAKEN) Magdi Latif Knowledge and Capacity for Development Division Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension Office FAO/RNE, Cairo, Egypt

Current Situation of Agricultural Institutional Support Weak institutional support which is translated into a drastic reduction of the performance and coverage of the research and extension services mainly due to: Lack of staff incentives and physical infrastructure; Lack of an effective extension and training strategy, involving decentralization, pluralism, privatization, gender-sensitivity, client participation, and application of modern IT tools; Poor linkages with research and other institutions such as universities, NGOs, private sector; Shortage of qualified manpower; and low operating budgets; Linkage and coordination are also weak between the central extension organization and extension bodies in the governorates Lack of support to women farmers and rural youth;

Current Situation of Agricultural Information in Iraq Lack of ICT infrastructure for disseminating information and exchanging knowledge. Lack of adequate information management and communication between decision makers/researchers in the various sectors in MOA/HQ and staff at MOA/Regional offices, representing a significant handicap to properly address the issues of agricultural and rural development.  Inadequate co-ordination among various agricultural research institutes, programmes and personnel. Inadequate linkages between researchers and extension officers in the various research and extension sectors in MOA/HQ and MOA/Regional offices to provide the appropriate advisory services for farmers.

Current situation of Agricultural Information in Iraq Variety of institutions that collect agricultural data and information, and diversity of methodologies used, leading to incomplete, fragmented information. Lack of coordination and collaboration between institutions concerned with data collection and information provision on the one hand, and information users in the public and private sectors on the other. Lack of certain types of data and information required in support of the development of the agricultural sector. Urgent need to establish virtual network of agricultural institutions including HQ and Regional offices accessible through a national portal. Imperative needs for institutional and human capacity building in the field of information management and knowledge exchange.

Project Objectives to strengthen the capacity of the MOA at three Governorates for the effective information management and knowledge exchange in support of agricultural and rural development in Iraq. The ultimate development objective of the project is to enhance rural and agricultural development in the Iraq through information and knowledge access and exchange, and to provide mechanisms to strengthen, coordinate, and add value to national agricultural initiatives, and for the benefit of improving performance of farmers and agrarian businesses.

Project Outputs Institutional foundation and ICT infrastructure development for an agricultural information centre (AIC) in three governorates which will function as the coordinating units of Iraq rural and agricultural knowledge and information network, drawing on inputs from existing departments within MOA and associated three Governorates. A pilot Iraqi rural and agricultural knowledge and information network (IRAKIN), consisting of the major stakeholders, and coordinated by the MOA in the three governorates and including modules (information systems) on documents, institutions, experts and projects; facilitating access to other agricultural information services and databases relevant to the rural and agricultural sectors; and enabling the exchange of information among stakeholder groups.

Project Outputs A team of technical staff of MOA at the three Governorates trained in modern information management. Professional staff (agriculture specialists, researchers, and extension workers) and senior managers in the agriculture sector from MOA at the three Governorates introduced to the use of modern information technologies as a means of accessing relevant information and to the strategic management approaches and skills required to implement new structures and procedures for effective information management using modern ICTs.

The expected Project Outcomes The development of a relevant, effective and harmonized National Iraq Rural and Agricultural Knowledge Exchange Network (IRAKIN) is expected to lead NARIs, MOA and other ministries/stakeholders to the following outcome: Improve the capacity to access and exchange information, and to convert it into useful knowledge, as it is very essential for the development objectives of poverty eradication, food security, sustainable development and increased productivity and competitiveness; and

The expected Project Outcomes Prevent redundancy and duplication, Create access to research information, knowledge and innovations, Ensure maximum knowledge sharing among various agricultural research institutes, programs and personnel on regional, national and institutional levels, Provide enable environment for good coordination. NERAKIN-RAIS is a platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration for Agricultural Research and Development (ARD) for target groups and stakeholders on a regional level in NENA. The knowledge sharing and collaboration for development platform is an initiative initiated and facilitated by FAO and endorsed by AARINENA and other regional and international organizations for improving information infrastructure and building common standards and platform for knowledge exchange and information management in the Near East and North Africa region through introducing a "Near East and North Africa Rural and Agricultural Knowledge and Information Network, NERAKIN" developed by FAO and providing the stakeholders in Near East and North Africa region with the appropriate training for capacity building.

What is IRAKEN? Iraq Rural Agricultural Knowledge Exchange Network (IRAKEN) is a national platform for Information and knowledge sharing and exchange for Agricultural Research and Development (ARD) for target groups and stakeholders in the country.

IRAKEN Objectives To strengthen the capacity of the MOA at three Governorates for the effective information management and knowledge exchange in support of agricultural and rural development and Food Security improvements in Iraq. To serve as an information and knowledge repository and exchange mechanism at the national level. To serve as a gateway to the national knowledge systems for Agricultural Research and Development (ARD) at a country level, aiming for strengthening, coordinating, and adding value to initiatives by national programs and regional organizations in order to increase agricultural production and improve food security for the benefit of improving performance of farmers and agrarian businesses. 

IRAKEN Stakeholders Policy-makers in agriculture and rural development, especially in the MOA and NARIs. Department heads and professional technical officers within the MOA and NARIs. Other Ministries related to rural development. Universities and colleges with agriculturally-related faculties and departments. Farmers’ and producers’ organizations. Credit and marketing associations and Chambers of Commerce. Private sector involved in agricultural and rural development. Non-Governmental Organizations involved in agricultural development and food security. Regional and International Organizations involved in agricultural development and food security and General Public.

Iraq Rural and Agricultural Knowledge Exchange Network Multilingual (Arabic and English) information system implemented in Iraq Strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture and Other Stakeholders Development and management of relevant and effective national agricultural information system in support of agricultural development and food security policies Achievements: Networked all agricultural institutions through a national portal

IRAKEN Interfaces 1- Front end Interface: The front end components provide the information browsing and retrieval functionalities, and are available to any site user. 2- Back end Interface: The backend components provide the data management functionalities that enable system administrators to input/update/delete data items into the IRAKEN database. These components are accessible by system administrators only.

IRAKEN System Modules Institutions Experts Projects Documents Other Modules Events News Extension Bulletins Laws and Regulations Country Reports Good Practices Job Opportunity Facts and Figures

IRAKEN Backend

IRAKEN Backend

Information Standards and Tools for Content Management AGMES – Agricultural Metadata Element Set AGRIS Application Profile AGROVOC Arabic/English Real Simple Syndicate - RSS Open Archives Initiative Compliance Online Web services Software – MySQL Open Source CIARD Manifesto and a common set of Principles Implementation of the Open Archive Initiative Protocol (http://www.openarchives.org/) in the NERAKIN system was also recognized as being important, together with the necessary features to support the regional functionality across diverse technology platforms. To develop and promote interoperability standards to facilitate the efficient dissemination of content. interoperability is connecting people, data and diverse systems. www.fao.org/aims

Mobilizing and Providing Access to Agricultural Information AGRIS – Providing agricultural research and development institutions with an avenue to publish and disseminate the outputs of their work AGORA - Providing access to the world’s scientific literature in agriculture in peer-reviewed learned journals CIARD – Providing commitment to promote the sharing of data, information, and knowledge in a global network of truly public collections of information, based on a Manifesto and a common set of Principles.

Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD) Partners in the CIARD initiative have made a collective commitment to promote the sharing of data, information, and knowledge in a global network of truly public collections of information, based on a Manifesto and a common set of Principles. Accessibility:  Information is openly accessible for all users, and easily located via the Internet from outside the institution using tools and services adopted by the international community. Availability:  Information is stored in digital formats, with clearly defined copyright, managed in one or more institutionally-owned, thematic or other repositories, built and structured according to accepted international standards.  Applicability: Research planning, implementation and communication are an inclusive process bringing together all perspectives and knowledge. Research outputs and messages are adapted for easy access, use and re-use by different stakeholders, increasing the public benefits derived from the research.

Portal Network Model

Benefits of partnerships & networking A collaborative system and effective communication, Exchange of information and knowledge, Enhanced technical cooperation, Reduced costs of operation, Synergies in information management, Use of agreed standards, methodologies and tools.

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