Too much valuable research information that can guide decisions and resolve problems within the agricultural domain, is not accessible. What can be done to help institutions to make their data and information more easily accessible to researchers and farmers? The Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD) movement explains concisely which solutions are available in its newly issued leaflet 'CIARD Policy Brief: Opening Access to Agricultural Knowledge'.

CIARD approach: policy and practice

The CIARD movement is "a collaborative venture among more than 150 of the world’s leading agricultural agencies based on a collective commitment to improve access to data and information and ensuring that it is used to the best effect, where it really counts – among the poor, particularly the rural poor." To accomplish this CIARD is focussing on encouraging development of appropriate organizational policies and promoting standards for reporting. The leaflet identifies The problem and proposes a solution in the form of a problem-solving strategy covering three broad areas:

1. Policy and practice
2. Organization
3. Technologies

Further information and resources can be found at www.ciard.net and ring.ciard.net.