Information and Communication Management Skills and Systems

• Training
• Science and technology
• Local and national partnerships

Training

The overall aim of CTA’s training programme is to strengthen ICM capacity in ACP organisations working in the agriculture and rural development sectors (e.g. research institutions, extension services, farmers’ organisations, NGOs, media and government ministries). The programme has three components:

• ICM training courses directly organised by CTA in collaboration with a hosting partner;
• support for attendance at non- CTA ICM training courses (face-to-face courses and distance learning courses);
• development and production of training materials for face-to-face and flexible and distance learning courses.

Training materials developed to support the courses are made available on the platform of Anancy, the CTA Virtual Resource Centre.

Our training programme includes courses on the production of agricultural information (institutional, scientific, technical, commercial), the management of communication processes and the use of traditional and modern information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Support for non-CTA training events is restricted to courses on an ICM theme related to agriculture and rural development. Support includes funding resource persons, supplying and/or funding training materials, and sponsoring ACP nationals to attend courses.

For a list of CTA training courses see our Calendar of Events.

LINKS
• How to get on a CTA training course

Science and technology

It is widely accepted that ACP states can benefit from greater investments in science, technology and innovation (ST&I) for social and economic development, especially in the agricultural and rural sectors. This requires awareness raising, capacity development and mobilization of governments and civil society to articulate policy positions on ST&I issues.

CTA promotes agricultural ST&I by facilitating dialogue and co-operation between ACP countries and between ACP countries and the EU Member States on the definition and development of ST&I policies and strategies for agriculture and rural development.

The web portal - Knowledge for Development - supports information dissemination in this area, providing access to updated documentary resources on key ST&I issues for the development of ACP agriculture, and encouraging the exchange of opinions within the ACP community and between ACP and EU countries. Through the portal website, users can link to agricultural research institutions to find out what their scientists are working on.

An important aspect of CTA 's work is to promote and develop indigenous knowledge systems as a means to encourage participation by all stakeholders in the policy-making process. We build ACP capacity in the understanding, analysis, strengthening and monitoring of agricultural ST&I systems. We also build ACP capacity in the preparation of ST&I policy positions as they relate to agriculture.

LINKS
• How to get information on ST&I issues and ACP agricultural research

Local and national partnerships

Working through partnerships with ACP organisations to reach our beneficiaries - this is fundamental to the way CTA operates. Through such partnerships we help to build the capacity of these organisations to develop strategies, generate information and improve communication for agricultural and rural development. The projects are initiated by partner organisations on the basis of needs identified at rural community level.

Our partners include:

• professional and private sector organisations, mostly national organisations of small scale operators
• NGOs working at grass roots level;
• public and parastatal sector organisations;

Projects can include activities such as:

• production and diffusion of printed information materials (newsletters, brochures, posters, magazines, stickers, comics, etc.);
• capacity building, namely for grass roots communities through training in priority setting, ICM and closely linked topics;
• creation and strengthening of community information centers;
• production and airing of radio and TV programmes;
• organisation of agricultural fairs and shows;
• exchange of experiences (study visits, farmers’ days, and workshops);
• promotion and use of new ICTs;
• data gathering and creation of databases (e.g. market information);
• sensitisation campaigns.

LINKS
• How to become a CTA partner organisation
• CTA partnership programmes