Bridging information gaps between farmers, policy-makers, researchers and development agents

Information is a prerequisite for development. Without the exchange of information, no innovation would be able to spread. If we accept this hypothesis, then information gaps are direct impediments to development and need to be overcome. This may sound simple and straightforward. In reality, it is one of the hardest challenges that anyone involved in development processes has to face. On the other hand, it is not just any kind of information that is required. Information overload is quickly becoming a problem not only for policy-makers and researchers in the North, but to anyone with access to the Internet. To be useful, information has to be relevant, reliable, timely, and delivered via an appropriate medium. Information gaps can be everywhere - between policy-makers, researchers, development agents and farmers, but also among policy-makers (just think of members of different political parties, different ministries, different levels of government), among researchers (bio-physical scientists, social scientists, economists), between rich and poor, young and old, men and women. Why do they exist and why are they so difficult to overcome? This can be due to a whole range of factors - language, literacy, education, physical location (including access to information and communication technologies such as telephones or Internet), economic factors (no money to buy a newspaper, a radio, a TV, a computer), and socio-cultural norms (e.g., information that is traditionally meant for men or women only; male extensionists not being able to talk to female farmers), to name just a few. Given this intimidating array of constraints, what can be done to bridge information gaps between farmers, policy-makers, researchers and development agents in a constructive, appropriate and efficient way? In agricultural research in general, and agroforestry research in particular, a number of promising initiatives have been developed, and examples have been given for successful bridges across the various information divides. However, none of these examples can be taken as a blueprint to be copied elsewhere. The key to successful bridges appears to be a tailor-made approach, combining different, and locally appropriate means of communication. Obviously, this will only work if stakeholders' interests are addressed - collaboration and communication between different stakeholder groups will only work if there is something to be gained by all concerned.Information is a prerequisite for development. Without the exchange of information, no innovation would be able to spread. If we accept this hypothesis, then information gaps are direct impediments to development and need to be overcome