The First KilometreChallenges and Opportunities

How should we respond?

WorldAgInfo Objectives

Can we identify the most effective near-term (5 yr.)

and medium-term (10-20 yr.) opportunities

for strengthening the content of agricultural education/curriculum and information systems

to meet the needs of smallholder farmers in

So. Asia and Africa

How should we respond?

Can We Give Voice to the Smallholders

• Accessing smallholder knowledge

• Analyzing smallholder knowledge

• Indexing and dissemination of smallholder “wisdom” to all stakeholders

• Feedback to the smallholders

• Shared decision-making

How should we respond?

How Can We Provide the Most Effective Feedback

• Real-time feedback of all kinds transforms the potential for rapid development

• Accountable, formative evaluation of all initiatives with rapid response strategies in place increases the pace of change

• Developing new traditions of feedback in all aspects of smallholder interaction promotes a habit of mind which embraces change

How should we respond?

How Can Smallholders Best UseTransforming Change in

Information Technology

• Internet connectivity via mobile phone - likely to become accessible by about 90% of rural populations in So. Asia and Africa within the next five years

• Community radio - An authentic new potential for local “voice” can reach neglected audiences

• Overwhelming information access - the need for new approaches to aggregation, indexing, sharing, and synthesis

How should we respond?

How Can We Redefine the Agriculture Education

Curriculum• Transforming the time-line of curriculum development

– Half-life of the technical knowledge of a first year university agriculture student - 2 years

– Current processes for redesigning a new agriculture curriculum 5-10 years or more

• Blurring the lines between formal and non-formal education– Radio-delivered agriculturally-oriented general education– New responsibilities for extension agents

• The integration of the content and process of education• A more horizontal rather than vertical curriculum

How should we respond?

Do We Believe Everyone is a TeacherEveryone is a Learner

• “We can learn more from one student with access to Google than we can from ten teachers without Google.”

» Patrick O’Shea, WorldAgInfo team member

How should we respond?

How Can We OvercomeThe Information Gulf

in the Developing World• In the industrial world, the media are the

mediators of new academic knowledge for the average person

• In the developing world there are no effective mediators of new knowledge for the smallholder– A new role for scholars?– A new role for extension agents?– A new role for students?– A new role for mobile phones?– A new role for community radio?

How should we respond?

How Can We UseThe 80-20 Rule

• Pareto’s Rule - 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Applies to many phenomenon

• Our goal: Find the 80% of the potential for improvement of smallholder lives with a targeted 20% investment of time and resources - for both farmers and donors

How should we respond?

Wanted: Focused 80-20 Issues

• Getting the right type of information (both quantity and quality) to those who need it,

• Relevant, understandable, trustworthy, and credible information– Market information – Extension/crop/livestock management information

– Educational information (curriculum at different levels)

• Aggregation, indexing, summarization, translation• Pervasive formative evaluation for rapid improvement • Delivery (sharing) requirements - selecting the best

medium for each transmission type

How should we respond?

How will we respond?

• Priority Forepointer Group recommendations - informing…• Priority Small Group recommendations - informing…• Design Team recommendations to our second workshop

THE SECOND WORKSHOP WILL IN TURN RESPOND WITH…• Priority recommendations from the second workshop to the

Design Team - informing…• Our Design Team recommendations for funding initiatives

to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other agencies

Now It Is Your Turn

Help us respond!