Rivera, William M. (author), Alex, Gary (author), Hanson, James (author), Birner, Regina (author), and Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE).
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2006-05-14
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 150 Document Number: C24209
Notes:
Retrieved June 17, 2006, Pages 580-591 in proceedings of the AIAEE conference in Clearwater Beach, Florida, May 14-17, 2006.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 192 Document Number: D03421
Notes:
Online via AgriCultures Network, Wageningen, Netherlands. Written during a workshop to document lessons learnt in rural development in Sudan, conducted by ILEIA [Centre for learning on sustainable agriculture] for IFAD [International Fund for Agricultural Development]., Features experiences of KariaNet (Knowledge Access for Interconnected Areas Network)in establishing a network around relatively new concepts such as knowledge management, knowledge sharing and communities of practice. 4 pages.
Rajasekaran, B. (author), Warren, D.M. (author), and Babu, S.C. (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
1995
Published:
India
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C35844
Notes:
Pages 211-217 in D. Michael Warren, L. Jan Slikkerveer and David Brokensha (eds.), The cultural dimension of development: indigenous knowledge systems. Intermediate Technology Publications Ltd., London, England. 582 pages.
10 pages, The study sought to explore the extent to which agricultural policies in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
countries incorporate Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and its impact on the efforts to document and share
agricultural IK through communication efforts. A qualitative content analysis of policy documents from seven SSA countries and eight key informant interviews with knowledge management officers from the seven countries was conducted. Purposive sampling was used to select the countries, determine
documents examined, and for the selection of key informants for the interviews. The results revealed that IK was not included in several SSA countries’ governmental agricultural policies. Activities aimed at capturing, documentation and sharing IK in SSA countries were not found despite the presence of evidence of its importance to agricultural research and development. These results provide insights on the need for researchers, communicators, educators, and decision-makers to consider incorporating IK into policy associated with agricultural information dissemination to improve technology generation and adoption
24 pages, Farmer-led research (FLR) is a process of inquiry wherein farmers use scientific methods to address their own on-farm curiosities and challenges in ways that are compatible with the scale and management style of their operations. With its flexible, adaptable, participatory, grassroots-oriented nature, FLR has typically been employed by farmers interested in ecological farming techniques and technologies, and evidence shows that it contributes to the adoption and improvement of ecological management practices across a range of contexts. Engagement in FLR initiatives has also been linked to positive social outcomes, including community-building, farmer empowerment, and enhanced capacity for leadership and collective action. In this paper, we present a case study of the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario’s (EFAO) Farmer-Led Research Program (FLRP), which is currently one of relatively few FLR initiatives in North America. We draw on data from a participatory, mixed-methods research project. Our results highlight how the FLRP is enabling farmers to feel more knowledgeable, confident, motivated, and inspired to adopt and/or improve ecological practices on their farms, in part by supporting them in building robust social networks that align with their farming values and priorities.
Ruter, Dorine (author) and Piepenstock, Anne (author)
Format:
Article
Publication Date:
2008
Published:
Bolivia
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C29018
Notes:
Posted at http://www.crisscrossed.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/1/the-participatory-web.pdf, Pages 26-29 in Annamarie Matthess and Christian Kreutz, Participatory web - new potentials of ICT in rural areas, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische, Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Eschborn, Germany. 41 pages.
13 pages., The original website no longer has a copy of the article. Access is available through ERIC database. ERIC Number: EJ890607, Via online source., This article discusses three sites that disrupt accustomed expectations and roles for technical communication. These sites include an agricultural processing site that is requesting tax abatements in exchange for decreased emissions so that it can remain competitive in the global market. The second is also an agricultural manufacturing site that remains globally competitive by increasing efficiencies and expanding the range of products made at the site. Finally, the essay discusses a manufacturing facility that takes finished products-automobiles-and remanufactures them for a niche market of users. Each of these Midwestern sites is globally competitive and challenges expectations for high technology work. Taken together, they gesture toward new definitions of work, in new postindustrial context, and offer insight for defining technical communication in the postindustrial age. The remaining challenge, for scholars and teachers, is to articulate emerging literacy practices supporting postindustrial manufacturing, and to participate in the knowledge management that supports innovation. Here, each site takes something that would have previously been considered either finished product or waste and rearticulates it as an ingredient in a new product. At the least, technical communicators will need to learn to document such organization's innovation and change. At best, such change invites technical communicators, acting as knowledge managers, to articulate opportunities for innovation. Research, a traditional strength of technical writing preparation, allows organizations to better prepare and understand change, turning disruption into opportunity. Postindustrial business practices are no longer the work of futurists, but the reality and structure of the workplace today. Each work site described in this article presents opportunities for basic research into emerging workplaces in need of the expertise of technical and professional writers; each is an example and potential model for knowledge work.
