Sharing results: Communication within the Napier grass disease resistance project

Sharing results: communication within the Napier grass disease resistance

project

Presented at the ASARECA/ILRI Workshop on Mitigating the Impact of Napier Grass Smut and Stunt Diseases, Addis Ababa, June 2-3, 2010

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion

that it has taken place

G.B.Shaw, 1925

• Our job: To put research results into words and images while collaborating with our partners

• Strategies for knowledge sharing in the project:– Internal communication and

exchange– Knowledge sharing information

Did communication take place in our project? And how?

• Project launch in KARI, Kenya in 2008 relayed by Kenyan newspapers, KARI newsletters, leaflets, radio shows, etc.

• Project launch in Uganda in 2008 • Over 3 years, workshops, stakeholder

meetings, posters, agricultural shows, scientific reports, etc

Thanks to the information disseminated by our partners we know now that:

• Farmer’s knowledge on Napier stunt disease has increased

• Napier stunt disease incidence on farms has reduced and,

• Fodder yields have improved thanks to best management practices

Food for thought

• Did one ever wonder about the other country’s stakeholder meetings?

• How was it set up? What were the interactions like?

Website http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

• To raise awareness about the Napier grass diseases

• To link between the project partners, donors, coordinators and stakeholders

• To have a wider audience to share the project’s ongoing work and outputs

• To show visibility to donors

http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

Structured navigation layout throughout the site makes it easy for users to locate their position in the website and move back and forth between the pages.

http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

Google sites integrate with other Google products e.g. Google docs. This makes it easy to embed documents in a webpage.

http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

Search function that makes it easy for users to search for information in the site.

http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

Links to the other social media tools used

http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

http://sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance/

RSS feeds that you can subscribe to

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilri/sets/72157623669425897/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilri/sets/72157623669425897/

http://mahider.ilri.org/handle/10568/840

http://ongoing-research.cgiar.org/napier-grass-smut-and-stunt-resistance

http://www.slideshare.net/ILRI/presentations

Food for thought

• Did we create a community of practice around Napier grass diseases in the region that will survive the lifespan of the project?

• How can knowledge sharing and communication play a role in reinforcing the community of practice?

• When the project finishes, in terms of practices, research findings, etc only drive and commitment from people will create a community of practice

• A community of practice is considered a rich potential source of helpful information

• Let us start by exchanging e-mails and hope to share information and practices about Napier grass outside of this meeting!