A knowledge-sharing fair in Rome showcases examples of knowledge sharing that demonstrate its value in support of collective action

The first Knowledge Share Fair for Agricultural Development and Food Security, held 20-22 January 2009 at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Rome, illustrated how knowledge sharing is about working together creatively and helping one another learn and innovate.

Share Fair Knowledge Tree.

Jointly organized by Bioversity International, the CGIAR’s Information and Communication Technologies and Knowledge Management (ICT-KM) Program, FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Program, the event was inspired by the need to provide staff with opportunities to freely and openly exchange ideas, knowledge, good practices and lessons, so that they can create and nurture networks and build mutual trust and cooperation. Knowledge sharing supports collective action by providing better ways to share and learn, as well as better ways of working, both within organizations and when dealing with partners and stakeholders.

In his opening statement, Emile Frison, director general of Bioversity International, stressed the importance of knowledge sharing in strengthening collaboration and building synergies. Enrica Porcari, chief information officer of the CGIAR, pointed out that, while the CGIAR works mostly to generate knowledge for agricultural development, it recognizes the importance of sharing knowledge as well, not only to improve how it works but also to put knowledge in the hands of end-users who can apply it.

In his keynote speech, Geoff Parcell (www.practicalkm.com), co-author of the bestselling book Learning to Fly, spoke on how knowledge-sharing tools maximize success in the work environment.

For Simone Staiger-Rivas, leader of ICT-KM’s Institutional Knowledge Sharing (IKS) project, the event was the culmination of 5 years’ preparation, showcasing a number of projects supported by ICT-KM. For example, the WorldFish Center shared its “storymercial” concept to effectively communicate key messages and two storymercials it produced using a grant awarded by IKS.

The Knowledge Sharing Workshop, a training and experiential event developed by IKS and jointly organized with FAO for a second round, had given people from CGIAR-supported and other institutes an opportunity to explore, learn and try out various knowledge-sharing tools and methods. The fair itself was the realization of an idea and plan developed by Gauri Salokhe of FAO, who participated in the workshop. The achievements of other participants in this innovative training opportunity were shared as Maria Grazia Bovo presented the new and innovative FAO Permanent Representatives website and Vanessa Meadu, of the Alternatives to Slash and Burn (ASB) Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins, demonstrated innovative ways to develop and share newsletters.

Share Fair "Fishbowl" discussion on what is knowledge sharing.

The Knowledge Sharing toolkit (www.kstoolkit.org) developed by IKS was repeatedly recognized as a vital source of options, information, guidance and experiences around knowledge sharing.

ICT-KM’s Knowledge Sharing in Research project was also featured with a dedicated session given by project leader Nadia Manning-Thomas on knowledge sharing in research, a presentation on a farmers’ conference conducted by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) as an innovative method for the participatory prioritization of research, and the work of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Ghana using knowledge-sharing approaches to promote and learn about better practices for keeping food safe, despite the use of wastewater irrigation. Eugenio Castro, of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), showcased the Rice Knowledge Bank, which attempts to harmonize information across various rice projects and share it in meaningful ways for use by extension services, academics and others.

“All of the organizations involved in this share fair can no longer think of themselves as the authority on food and agriculture,” observed Parcell, the keynote speaker, at the close of the fair. “People will get information wherever they can. And, especially with new and advancing technologies, information is now available in many more ways than it has been before.”

Then what is the role of the CGIAR and its partners?

“These organizations need to see a new role for themselves in providing platforms, in facilitating the processes of getting people connected,” he responded. “As much as we might try, it’s not always possible to collect and document everything relevant to our work as a way of making sure knowledge is available and flows. What we need is to find a balance along the spectrum from collecting knowledge to connecting people.”

For more information on the Share Fair see www.sharefair.net, on the CGIAR ICT-KM Program see www.ictkm.cgiar.org, and on the ICT-KM Knowledge Sharing Projects see www.ks-cgiar.org.