Information and Communication Management (ICM) Policy and Strategy

Submitted by admin on Mon, 19/10/2009 - 17:05
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Information and Communication Management (ICM) Policy and Strategy: From Plan to Action

CTA has been conducting needs assessment studies, workshops and priority-setting activities across the Africa, Pacific and Caribbean regions involving hundreds of senior policy makers, planners and decision-makers from a wide cross-section of agricultural and rural development institutions. These activities have revealed deficiencies in the area of information sharing and dissemination at the planning level within institutions, making it difficult for institutions to effectively monitor, evaluate and learn lessons for the future. The lack of proper ICM policies and plans is a fundamental concern and is viewed as one of the main reasons for the lack of appropriate human and other resources, and the poor formulation and implementation of ICM activities, impacting negatively on resource allocation and utilisation, for the ultimate benefit of researchers and farmers alike.

Between October 2008 and November 2009, CTA, in collaboration with a number of regional organisations, conducted workshops in ICM strategy development in the Caribbean (St. Vincent), the Pacific (Fiji) and Southern Africa (Namibia). These workshops involved over 100 senior policy makers, planners and decision-makers from a wide cross-section of agricultural and rural development institutions and aimed, a.o to: (1) sensitise them re the importance of having proper ICM strategies to plan, share and disseminate information; and (2) equip them with the necessary tools and methodologies to develop ICM strategies for their institutions. The workshops were well received and a number of institutions in the Pacific and Southern Africa have begun work on their ICM strategies and started networking.

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