Information Management Needs in National Agricultural Research Systems

Ballantyne, Peter G.; Mook, Byron T. 1993. Information Management Needs in National Agricultural Research Systems. ISNAR Briefing Paper 6. The Hague: International Service for National Agricultural Research

Developments in telecommunications and computers are revolutionizing agricultural research. New information technology has the potential to improve the quality of agricultural research, the efficiency of its management, and the relevance and timeliness of research results. Scientists and managers can now access more information than ever before. At the same time, they can disseminate information to users more easily. By the end of the century, full text retrieval and multimedia applications are likely to be commonplace. The impact of such new technologies on many national agricultural research systems (NARS) is slight at present, but growing. But national agricultural research systems (NARS) face a critical management challenge with regard to information. Supply of and demand for information technology is moving ahead of the capacity to manage it. NARS must therefore move quickly if they are to get the most out of new resources and avoid future management headaches. Solutions to problems of information content, collection, access, users, and potential overloads are a high priority. To address these issues ISNAR, CAB International, and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) organized a small international consultation in January 1993. Participants included representatives of NARS, donor agencies, and the three sponsoring organizations. The consultation followed discussions between the sponsoring organizations and, more importantly, meetings of research and information specialists and of NARS leaders. This Briefing Paper reviews the themes discussed at the January consultation. It identifies major issues of information management in NARS and presents options for improvement in each. A final section outlines information management challenges for both donors and NARS.