Participants from the workshop meet with local farmers in DebreZeit, Ethiopia, some 50 km from Addis Ababa
April, 2008: A number of staff from CIFOR’s Information Services Group (ISG) gathered at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for a unique opportunity to explore and experiment with knowledge sharing (KS) principles and methods. The event was the culmination of a three-phase workshop on Information, Communication and Technology – Knowledge Management (ICT-KM), involving 40 participants from CGIAR Centres, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Forum for Agricultural Research (FARA).
Dina Satrio and Yuan Oktafian, from the Computer Services Unit and Library Unit, attended a series of sessions designed to improve the participants’ understanding and appreciation of the role and value of KS in research and institutional arenas; to increase their capacity to apply KS concepts and approaches; and to foster interaction among CGIAR staff and research partners.
This workshop was the face-to-face component of a three step process, involving a series of virtual meetings via tele-conference. It was facilitated by Nancy White, from Full Circle, Simone Staiger, from the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and Petr Kosina, from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT).
Topics included: how to get buy in for KS work; choosing the right KS tools; identifying user needs; intranet; and measuring & empowering of KS efforts.
Participants were encouraged to apply the theoretical principles of KS to actual examples from the workplace that aim to enhance creativity, information sharing, and most notably, interactive collaboration among users. Yuan focused on the ongoing development of CIFOR Web 2.0, while Dina’s focused her attention on promoting usage of the CIFOR Intranet.
“It was great to get fresh ideas on knowledge sharing issues from staff at other institutions,” said Dina. “We learned that there is always something new to try out, but everybody agreed that the first step for any knowledge sharing approach is to get buy in from your colleagues.”
“Having both online and face-to-face workshops has given us interesting perspectives on two different ways of working together,” added Dina. “While technology can provide opportunities to interact with greater flexibility and lesser expense, it cannot match the atmosphere and teamwork that is captured face to face.”
Budhy Kristanty and Widya Prajanthi, from CIFOR’s Communications Unit, attended a workshop on “News Story Development”, held from 14 – 17 April. The objectives were to identify news story ideas, enhance the skills of CGIAR communications staff and foster collective and collaborative action across the CGIAR communications teams.
This workshop was hosted by Laura Ivers and Nathan Russell, from the CGIAR Secretariat, and was facilitated by John Donnelly and Jeff Haskins from Burness Communications. 20 participants - representing 10 of the 15 Centres - were in attendance.
Specific guidance was provided on how to develop press releases, identify powerful messages, make a story “newsworthy”, pitch stories and maintain solid links with national and international media.
“It was very important for us to join this workshop in order to enhance our skills in story development and media outreach, as well as to build our communications networks across the CGIAR centers,” said Widya.
“Before coming to Ethiopia, I didn’t realize how diverse, complex and dynamic some of these CG issues are,” added Widya. “I now have a far better understanding of the many research activities that are going on around the world and how they relate to the work of CIFOR.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Budhy. “Often, there is a challenge for CIFOR to fit in with CGIAR objectives and themes, which are obviously focused on agriculture, while we’re all about forestry.
“So, it was very worthwhile to meet face-to-face so we could get a better understanding of what these themes are and how we can fit in,” said Budhy. “Already we’re pursuing a number of initiatives that tie in with other Centres and I look forward to further strengthening these relationships.”
The “News Story Development” workshop concluded with a field trip to the ILRI and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) project site in DebreZeit, some 50 km from Addis Ababa. Here, participants had the chance to visit the Belbela and Woldecha dams, and to speak with local farmers who expressed their appreciation for this project and the significant impact it has had on their livelihoods.