IFAD networks

In response to the need for a coordinated international effort on development and knowledge-sharing, IFAD has established an extensive network with its Research for Development partners. The networks are facilitated through the Fund’s Grant Programme, which supports international, regional and subregional institutions and centres of excellence on thematic issues, technology development, piloting of innovative pro-poor activities of operational relevance to IFAD's lending programme.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGlAR) is a research network of fifteen international agricultural research centers). The CGIAR mobilizes some of the best in agricultural science to promote sustainable agriculture for food security in developing countries. For more than 28 years, CGIAR has brought together many of the world's leading scientists and agricultural researchers in a unique south-north commitment to reduce poverty and hunger in developing countries.

In its research on food crops, forestry, livestock, irrigation management, aquatic resources or policy, CGlAR is increasingly working in partnership with National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS). CGlAR's cutting-edge research has significantly contributed to global food security, helped farmers meet the increasingly complex challenges of keeping the environment healthy and their farming sustainable, and leveraged research investments to achieve results many times the size of its investments.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations sponsor the CGIAR network.

CGlAR's 62 members include developing and developed countries, private foundations, and international and regional organizations. Developing world participation has doubled in recent years. All members of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Development Assistance Committee belong to CGlAR. IFAD is a member of the CGIAR Executive Council and Vice Chair of the CGIAR Finance Committee.

Over the past 25 years, IFAD has committed approximately USD 120 million for 127 CGIAR-led research programmes. Many of these programme have led to widespread impact on small-scale agriculture throughout the developing world. With relatively modest support to the CGIAR system as a whole, IFAD has succeeded in drawing the system's attention to issues of concern to the rural poor in resource poor areas that produce traditional crops and commodities under difficult rainfall conditions. IFAD has supplemented its grant support with a strong advocacy role at the policy level in CGIAR fora in order to orient the system and its research agenda towards addressing issues of direct concern to IFAD's mandate. For more information on CGIAR please refer to the websites: http://www.CGIAR.org and http://www.futureharvest.com

Electronic regional networks

Knowledge Networking for Rural Development in Asia and the Pacific Region (ENRAP) is an Internet-based network linking 30 IFAD-funded rural development projects in the Asia and the Pacific region.

ENRAP promotes use of the Internet to improve communication between IFAD-funded projects in eight countries – China, India, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, The Philippines, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam – as well as with IFAD headquarters and other partner organizations.

Launched in 1998, ENRAP has provided support to IFAD projects in basic connectivity, training workshops, central web site development, local Internet applications development, and knowledge-networking pilots.

Achievements

During its first five years, ENRAP has achieved a number of successes, particularly by raising awareness of the need for effective information management among IFAD partners in Asia, and by promoting recognition of the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Project staff and partners have received technical training and are beginning to pass on their skills to colleagues and other partners.
As a result, there is now a strong foundation for networking between projects, IFAD and partners in Asia.

Challenges

ENRAP faces a number of challenges. The costs of connectivity and hardware can be prohibitive, especially in remote, poor rural communities. However, an even more important challenge is the need to provide content in local languages, in order to reach all project staff and field workers.

In order to reach rural poor people who may lack the skills needed to locate relevant information on the Internet, help is needed to filter information, test potential solutions for problems and adapt them to specific needs.

This calls for strengthening the capacity of field workers or go-betweens to gather ideas and requests for information from rural farmers, surf the Internet to find relevant information, and interpret it for the use of the farmers and rural communities.

ENRAP is funded by IFAD and implemented by the International Development Research Centre in New Dehli, India.

Thematic Evaluation on ENRAP | World Summit on Information Society

FIDAFRIQUE is an Internet-based network linking 30 IFAD-funded projects and other partner organizations in Western and Central Africa.

FIDAFRIQUE initially focused on improving communication among projects, partners and IFAD headquarters by providing access to the Internet and e-mail, which encouraged better exchanges and sharing of information, experience and results among projects and partners. The faster and more direct communication that electronic networking allows is expected to lead to better informal networking between those involved in projects.

Achievements

FIDAFRIQUE has:

• encouraged formal and informal exchange of information on rural development and poverty eradication methodologies, techniques and processes
• led to greater sharing of experiences and results among IFAD projects in the region and with researchers and IFAD partners
• improved project workers’ access to information

As it moves into its second phase in 2004, FIDAFRIQUE will continue to work on technical issues related to connectivity. Emphasis will be placed on building information management capacity in IFAD projects and selected regional partner institutions, and on ensuring timely generation of useful information. This information
will involve two broad areas – thematic rural development issues and project management issues.

FIDAFRIQUE is funded by IFAD. Implementation of field activities is coordinated by the United Nations Office for Project Services in Dakar, Senegal.

World Summit on Information Society

FIDAMERICA is a network linking 40 IFAD-funded projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Launched in 1995, the network is a pioneer in terms of exchange of information and dissemination of lessons
learned.

FIDAMERICA provides a range of services and activities that link use of the Internet with opportunities for face-to-face exchanges. These include:

• Internet-based facilities and systems, such as a website, monthly electronic newsletters, electronic mail lists and electronic conferencing facilities
• electronic conferences on important poverty alleviation and rural development topics, with the active participation of representatives from farmers’ and rural organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, local governments, national governments and donor agencies
• biannual regional workshops to discuss and exchange experience, innovations, knowledge, approaches, methodologies and tools for eradicating poverty
• technical assistance to projects so that they are better able to use the Internet
• technical, methodological and logistical support to new networks of rural grass-roots organizations working with IFAD projects
• cofinancing of demand-driven projects to develop and strengthen learning systems and processes within and among IFAD projects

Networking Approach

FIDAMERICA’s networking approach is based on:

• sharing of ideas, issues and experience
• validation, systematization and exchange of knowledge and information
• analysis of impact and lessons learned
• documentation and dissemination of results and lesson learned, using appropriate communication channels for target audiences
• testing and applying innovations

Achievements

Now in its third phase (2002-2005), FIDAMERICA has built on the achievements and lessons learned of its earlier phases. Key achievements of the network to date include:

• e-networking infrastructure set up and skills developed
• basic communication established among projects and partners
• relationships among network participants established
• access provided to moderated, up-to-date and focused web-based information
• opportunities provided for network members to post information and experiences on the web site
• opportunities provided to network members for interactive information exchanges and on-line discussions
• opportunities for action-learning by network participants

Current Focus

In Phase 3, which will continue until 2005, FIDAMERICA is working to:

• provide support to IFAD-funded projects in the design and organization of their communication, learning and knowledge management systems and processes
• facilitate communication among and between members and other stakeholders, share lessons learned in their development activities and draw conclusions and recommendations that are valid across projects and organizations
• facilitate access to poverty eradication information, knowledge, approaches and methodologies
• facilitate the development of a regional network of community-based rural organizations
• improve the participation in the network of NGOs, rural organizations, private-sector stakeholders, local and national governments, and bilateral/multilateral agencies

FIDAMERICA is funded by IFAD through a technical assistance grant to the International Farming Systems Research Methodology Network (RIMISP) in Santiago, Chile, which is responsible for the general coordination of the network. Participation in the network’s activities is open to all private and public organizations that share FIDAMERICA’s objectives.