An innovative Knowledge Share Fair in the field of agricultural research and development and food security for Latin America and the Caribbean was held at the headquarters of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Palmira from May 25 to 27, 2010.

Organized by the Information and Communications Technology and Knowledge Management (ICT-KM) Program of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and Knowledge Management for Development (KM4Dev), this event was an excellent opportunity to share unique experiences.

Over 90 proposals were received from experts who wished to share their experiences at this Fair, building on the successful outcome of the first Knowledge Fair held in Rome in 2009.

About 40 of these proposals, from more than 10 countries, were shared in an interactive and innovative format. The specific themes included good knowledge sharing practices with project teams, partners, communities, networks, and users, as well as good practices in making research processes and outputs accessible, available, and applicable.

Themes were addressed in sessions related to websites, local knowledge, and participative research and learning networks, among others.

"We also had workshops where participants could learn how to use social media, such as wikis, blogs, Twitter, and social networks", said Simone Staiger, event coordinator at CIAT. "We also had an ‘idea marketplace’ with stands, videos, and a poster exhibit".

The Fair had a pre-event organized by the Latin American Center for Rural Development (RIMISP) on "Market access strategies for poor rural producers in Latin America". In addition, a KM4Dev meeting was held immediately after the Fair to address the need of a more active network of knowledge management professionals in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Special guests to the event included Anton Mangstl, Director of the Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building Division of FAO; James French, Director of Technical Leadership and Knowledge Management of IICA; and Enrica Porcari, CGIAR Chief Information Officer and ICT-KM Program leader.

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More information at: http://www.sharefair.net/

Blog: http://sharefair2009.blogspot.com/