Overview

From CTA's Strategic Plan 2001 - 2005

CTA's niche

The Centre will act as a broker between organisations and between professionals in ACP and EU States. It will seek to establish fora for promoting dialogue and the exchange of information between different and disparate bodies and professionals in ACP States. It will focus on the information themes related to enhancing the capacity of ACP stakeholders to make decisions, and will use the device of partnerships to bring in the technical capacity and skills which it does not have but which will complement its efforts on information exchange and capacity building.

CTA's operational objectives

On the basis of its new mandate, CTA has two operational objectives:

Objective 1 addresses the symptoms of ICM constraints (poor accuracy, poor reliability, poor timeliness, slow processing, poor adaptation, etc.), while Objective 2 deals with the causes of these symptoms.

Within these two objectives a number of key strategic issues need to be addressed. CTA has identified the key strategic areas as: partnership criteria and targetting beneficiaries; regionalisation and decentralisation; thematic orientation; and cross-cutting issues (ICTs, social capital and gender).

Partnership criteria and targetting beneficiaries

CTA has two sets of associates, those who participate in joint activities with the Centre and those who receive benefits. The term 'partners' is used for those who bring something into the joint exercise by way of financial and/or technical resources; 'beneficiaries' is the term used for those who are the intended objects of the Centre's activities. The approach of treating some ACP associates as beneficiaries has been the subject of much debate in the Advisory Committee and the Observatory on ICTs. The desirability of converting all the relationships into 'genuine partnerships' seems to be finding common acceptance. The specific details of the approach have been discussed in the context of CTA's proposed ICT/ICM policy and capacity development.

CTA's future ACP partners (including former beneficiaries) include collective groupings such as farmers' organisations which can effectively deliver the required services as close as possible to the farmers themselves.

In selecting ACP and non-ACP partners, the Centre will be guided by the following criteria:

• relevance of their work to CTA's ultimate beneficiaries;
• strong presence of women, the young, and resource-poor farmers among the potential beneficiaries;
• degree of complementarity with CTA's programmes (i.e., ICM and thematic focus);
• level of financial and/or technical contribution to the venture;
• likelihood of a high multiplier effect;
• ability to deliver services in a timely and effective manner;
• ability to maintain the service after CTA's exit (for activities aimed at capacity building and decentralisation).

The beneficiaries will be selected from among:

• farmers' organisations, women's groups, trade unions, consumer groups, youth associations and training institutions;
• exporters, chambers of commerce, processors and distributors;
• researchers, extension agents and rural broadcasters;
• ministries and policy-makers.

In capacity development, CTA will give priority to:

• producers, including the young, the landless, the poor and their collective (or service) organisations, such as cooperatives;
• local service providers;
• policy-making ACP regional organisations, and the development of networking functions that permit national and local stakeholders to interact with these regional bodies.

Regionalisation and decentralisation

In developing its ICM programmes, CTA will remain sensitive to, and be informed by, the efforts aimed at regional integration and will take into account the priorities identified by such efforts and by the targetted regional, national and local beneficiaries and partners.

In a continuing bid to enhance decentralisation, the Centre will:

• give priority to a number of services that can be accessed simultaneously by a large number of organisations and States;
• decentralise its activities through the appropriate regional organisations (especially regional networks in the private or public sectors).

Thematic orientation

As far as thematic content is concerned, CTA will concentrate on a number of themes and sub-themes in which information and ICM capacities are inadequate. The aim would be to support efforts related to:

• the efficient functioning of markets at the local, regional and international levels;
• the provision of information necessary to facilitate increased agricultural productivity;
• effective environmental protection and natural resources management;
• the generation of coherent and consistent research and technology policies in the agricultural sector.

Cross-cutting issues

A number of imperatives, though not specific to the agricultural and rural sectors, need to be explicitly taken into account. These imperatives differ in terms of level of application and are therefore treated differently. The political imperatives, such as poverty alleviation, are goals, and in keeping with planning practice these are the primary determinants of the means selected in the Strategic Plan. Other issues such as partnerships and regionalisation, which are means by which the objectives can be achieved, are discussed in the context of 'strategic options'. This discussion allows for the fact that means or economic instruments may take different forms, depending on the emphases required under specific circumstances. Similarly, the discussion of thematic orientation is informed by socio-economic goals such as food security, self-sufficiency and poverty reduction. The expression 'cross-cutting issues' is reserved for those political and social imperatives which have to be taken into account when the CTA fashions its programmes and implements its activities and projects.

The cross-cutting issues referred to in this Strategic Plan are ICTs, social capital and gender. The Centre's approach to these matters will be improved: first, through a more appropriate structure and, second, on the basis of up-to-date methodologies and approaches.

CTA's future ICM focus has been determined by its two operational objectives, which address the short-term information needs (i.e., symptoms of ICM deficiency) and the more fundamental ICM constraints (i.e., weaknesses in ICM capacity). In pursuing these objectives, the basic assumptions are:

• that the availability and accessibility of information on ACP agricultural and rural development will enhance the quality and process of decision-making in and for the sector;
• that facilitating more horizontal networking among ACP partners is at least as important as vertical networking in transforming networks from purely electronic and technical phenomena into knowledge services.

CTA will seek to fill the niche identified earlier, taking advantage of its strengths to build a 'knowledge network' around an ICM framework developed in collaboration with ACP agencies as partners rather than as contractors. In this network, CTA would be developed as the centre of information services and a promoter of ICT capacities among its ACP partners, while these partners would focus primarily on the complementary task of improving the dissemination of information to farmers.

With regard to social capital and gender, CTA will remedy the current weaknesses through two related approaches, one based on changes in the Centre's organisational structure and the other based on up-to-date methodologies derived from current research findings and relevant practices. The appropriate elements of the annual programmes will be adjusted to reflect the recommendations of studies specifically commissioned on social capital and gender.

The rise of civil society organisations and the revolution in ICTs are complementary in some spheres; together, they could help to overcome some of the limitations which developing countries would otherwise face under more centralised technological regimes/systems. The Strategic Plan requires CTA to pay special attention, therefore, to collaborating with information networks and civil society organisations with shared goals in agricultural and rural development. In such collaboration, CTA will also need to provide support for strengthening these networks and organisations (especially in relation to the need to be flexible and to constantly adjust to changes) in order to facilitate the learning process so central to decision-making in a complex milieu.

Programme areas

The two operational objectives set out for CTA will be pursued via three programmes. The three programmes cover:

• the provision of information products and services (programme area 1)
• the facilitation of access to communication channels and services (programme area 2)
• the development of ICM skills and systems (programme area 3)

Programme areas 1 and 2 relate to the objective of "improving the availability of and access to relevant, adequate, accurate, timely and well-adapted information" (Objective 1). Programme area 3 relates to the objective of "improving the ICM capacity of ACP agricultural and rural development organisations" (Objective 2).

The specific objectives of the Information Products and Services Programme are:

• to increase the availability of information;
• to increase awareness of information products and services.

The following strategies will be adopted:

• greater use of ICTs in information dissemination;
• integration of the various dissemination activities;
• development of awareness-raising services;
• greater emphasis on publications dealing with policies and decision-making in accordance with CTA's thematic orientation;
• increased decentralisation of activities.

The main outputs will be publications on subjects reflecting CTA's thematic orientation and priorities, including policies and other forms of decision-making. The publications will be directed at the Centre's target audience and will be in electronic and print formats. Outputs will also include publications on new ICTs and other ICM-related topics, such as references of publications and information sources.

The specific objectives of the Communication Channels and Services Programme are:

• to support the integrated use of communication channels;
• to intensify contacts and information exchange.

The significant strategic changes to be introduced are:

• developing ICT-based communication services;
• promoting the use of conventional mass communication channels, such as radio and television;
• increasing CTA's support to networks;
• increasing the decentralisation of CTA's support to regional networks.

The main output will be increased two-way information flows (dialogue and exchange of information) reflected in the intensive and extensive use of networking facilities and arrangements such as electronic networks and fora, face-to-face meetings (seminars, study visits, etc.), radio, television and various multi-media channels. Where the agricultural sector has no direct access to ICT-based information services, CTA will seek to promote conventional communication channels in a complementary fashion. In addition, the Centre will encourage national and regional agricultural information services and regional networks to input and download information, including databases from CTA and other partners.

The specific objectives of the ICM Skills and Systems Programme are:

• to increase human capacity to generate and manage agricultural information;
• to increase the capacity to formulate and test ICM strategies and models.

In order to develop a coherent set of projects and services that will enable CTA to fulfil these specific objectives, three main strategic changes will be required:

• broadening of the current portfolio of ICM training courses;
• development of ICT-based courses suited to long-distance learning;
• stronger integration of ICM systems development efforts with training activities.

The main outputs will be:

• an increasing number of ACP nationals trained in ICM skills, including the use and application of current ICTs;
• the development of ICM methodologies and alternative ICM systems;
• greater and more dynamic use of the networks and, in particular, ACP-initiated exchanges and debates.

A new service, Planning and Corporate Services, is to be established with special responsibility for the methodological underpinning of the work of the operational Departments in the cross-cutting issues and areas such as sustainable development. The ICT systems manager will also be located in this service. Planning and Corporate Services will be responsible for the following tasks:

• monitoring of CTA's environment in order to identify emerging issues and trends and make proposals for their translation into CTA's programmes and activities as appropriate;
• preparation of guidelines for planning, managing and monitoring activities, including the development of indicators at the level of Departments;
• submission of proposals for improved coordination, integration and consistency of CTA's activities with a view to achieving CTA's mission, goals and objectives;
• coordination of documentation and support for Advisory Committee meetings;
• coordination of cooperation with other organisations, including ACP, EU and others (together with CTA's Brussels Office);
• preparation and supervision of systematic internal evaluations, and monitoring of the implementation of evaluation outcomes as appropriate;
• coordination of CTA's ICT databases and management of the Centre's computing systems and network, including databases.

The Administration and Finance Department will be re-designated Administrative Services, Budget and Human Resources Development. It will pay more attention to matters related to the planning of staff training, the cost of acquiring services and the scrutinising of contracts. Special attention is to be paid to improving staff assessment procedures. Its financial responsibilities will be limited to overseeing the management of the budget and assisting the Director in the preparation of documentation related to the budget process.

The Accounts and Financial Control Services will be responsible for making payments, preparing the relevant financial records and reports, ensuring that CTA's finances are managed in a manner consistent with the regulations, and periodically reporting to the Director on the state of finances. It will also be responsible for working with the external auditors and for the internal audit of the Centre.

The Brussels Office currently assists the Director in following the work of the ACP Group at meetings in ACP House. In future, its tasks will be widened to explicitly include liaising with the Commission and relevant bodies in the ACP Group and the EU, and working with ACP delegations and the EU Council and EU representatives. To a large extent, the current tasks are of a liaison and PR nature, but the new ones are primarily technical and an extension of the work of the Departments.