AgroWeb Regional Planning and Training Workshop

Summary & Conclusions

Sessions

• Introductory presentations

• Country presentations

• Network presentations

• Content Management Systems - technical and Practice session

• Discussion session

AgroWeb

• structure– sub-regional/national portals– thematic networks

• diverse capacities and resources

• adoption of CMS agreed in principle for pilot phase

PEOPLE

TECHNOLOGYCONTENT

Static elements Interactive elements

Web-based Community Platforms

! NOT technology-driven !

AgroWeb Migration to CMSAdvantages

• Decentralized content management

• Customizable access authorities• Prior familiarity with CMS of core

AgroWeb stakeholders• Shared templates & structures

facilitate process of migration of AgroWeb content

• Country authors able to publish without programming skills

• Central hosting of AgroWeb site(s) avoids server constraints

• FAO-HQ resource group with CMS expertise

Challenges• Significant work involved in

preparation of CMS elements• Acquisition of CMS skills by

various AgroWeb actors• Migration of existing website

content

Actions/Steps

• Step 1: Preparation of technology aspects– Consultation in March 2008– FAO + core AgroWeb resources persons– Expected Outputs:

• templates• structure• hosting• instruments/tools• national portals in up to 4 countries (proofs of

concept)

Actions/Steps

• Step 2: Knowledge exchange networks - ESCORENA etc– Consultation in April 2008 (Poland)– FAO + Network Coordinators– Expected Outputs:

• network purpose checklists (needs/demands/capacities)

• network capacities (coordinators and members)• functional requirements (systems)• identification/enabling of pilot networks

Actions/Steps

• Step 3: Learning– May/June 2008 – FAO + core AgroWeb resource persons– Expected Outputs:

• evaluations of pilot CMS experiences• documentation of benefits of CMS pilots• action plan

Actions/Steps

• Step 4: Advocacy - AgroWeb broader community– Late 2008 – FAO + core AgroWeb actors– Expected Outputs:

• Coherence of AgroWeb platform• ?Dynamism?

Actions/Steps

• Step X: Regional “e-Agriculture” Conference– Early 2009 (venue/date tbd)– FAO, AgroWeb, EFITA, EC, USA-NAL, GFAR

IAALD, GKP, etc– Main plenary sessions with satellite meetings

and parallel working sessions– Objectives:

• Various determined by stakeholder groups

– Outputs:• ??