Title: Learning to share knowledge for global agricultural progress

Authors: Simone Staiger-Rivas, Alessandra Galie, Bernhard Hack, Maria Alexandra Jorge, Vanessa Meadu, Florencia Tateossian, Gauri Salokhe, Nancy White

Addresses: International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), KM 18, Via Palmira, Cali, Colombia. ' Wageningen University, Via Tozzano 52a, Ascoli Piceno AP 63100, Italy. ' RE4D.net – Research & Evaluation for Development Via Tozzano 52a, Ascoli Piceno AP 63100, Italy. ' Bioversity International/ILRI P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ' World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), United Nations Avenue, Gigiri, P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi GPO 00100, Kenya.' United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA.' Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy.' Full Circle Associates 7009 23rd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA

Abstract: Web 2.0 tools combined with face-to-face methods offer new opportunities for better knowledge sharing across disciplines, languages and borders. This article comprises an overview and case studies – the personal accounts of six participants and one facilitator of a 2008 Workshop on Knowledge Sharing, sponsored by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. It lays out the rationale for, and lessons learned from, those efforts, as well as from a second workshop hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It explains why, in today|s culture of self-directed learning, group experiences remain essential. The authors describe their learning trajectories and application of knowledge sharing tools and methods in their work.

Keywords: agricultural development; ICT; information technology; communications technology; Web 2.0; internet; world wide web; workshops; knowledge sharing; Food and Agriculture Organization; FAO; UN; United Nations; Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research; CGIAR; KM; knowledge management; capacity strengthening; face-to-face communication; self-directed learning; group experiences; learning trajectories; farming; virtual communities; web based communities; online communities; learning communities; web based research networks.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2010.032236

International Journal of Web Based Communities, 2010 Vol.6 No.2, pp.209 - 226

Published online: 17 Mar 2010 *

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