Science and Technology Mailing List Archive

["Paul Mundy" <<address removed>>]

Thanks to Timothy Woods for the note on IDS's many excellent information 
services.

Just about all the international research institutions have good websites 
and produce CD-ROMs of their publications. IRRI's Rice Knowledge Base, 
ICLARM's Fishbase, FAO's WAICENT, and the CABI information compendia are 
good examples.

Another very useful example is HumanInfo's Community Development Library -- 
a CD-ROM of over 1700 publications, many aimed at extensionists and NGO 
staff. See http://humaninfo.org/ for more.
This uses open-source Greenstone digital library software, 
www.greenstone.org

But far too few national research and extension institutions have the 
capability to produce such things.

Here in Bangladesh, for example, the Bangladesh Agricultural Research 
Council is only now thinking about developing a website. The Department of 
Agricultural Extension (DAE, part of the Ministry of Agriculture) has a 
website, but it hasn't been updated for 8 months. There are no positions 
within DAE for information technology specialists to do the work.

This is a symptom of a much deeper problem: the inability of government 
institutions to adapt to changing circumstances. Establishing new positions 
in the civil service proceeds at glacial pace. It's impossible to change 
organizational structures, budgets or staffing without the signature of the 
minister or even an act of parliament. Getting rid of unproductive staff is 
impossible. So too is hiring new staff with the necessary skills.

In many countries, this means it is impossible to institutionalize 
activities introduced by projects. The DAE website example above is just one 
example of this. The result is a succession of projects that may do 
wonderful work while they are operational, but that fail to become 
institutionalized or to have any long-term impact.

Perhaps donors should do more to insist that institutional structures be 
made more flexible and responsive to changing needs?

Suggestions for DFID:
- Help national research and extension institutions develop the capability 
to develop and maintain electronic information services.
- Support national research and extension institutions to revise their 
organizational structures and administrative procedures. If this means some 
arm-twisting -- withholding support for other projects if the necessary 
changes are not forthcoming -- so be it. Doubtless coordination among donors 
would be necessary to ensure this happens.

Paul

Paul Mundy
development communication
<address removed>
www.mamud.com

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