Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) - Global
Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) is an initiative to provide free or low-cost Internet access to over 400 major scientific journals in agriculture and related biological, environmental and social sciences. Launched in October 2003 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), AGORA is available to researchers, policy-makers, educators, students, technical workers, and extension specialists in public institutions in developing countries worldwide. The purpose of the initiative is to increase the quality and effectiveness of agricultural research, education, and training in low-income countries, to the end of improving food security.
Communication Strategies
AGORA is based on the premise that strengthening capacity for knowledge generation and dissemination can contribute to improved health, nutrition, and education on the part of the world's poor. The AGORA website is the tool for facilitating access to available research literature. There, users can browse, search, and access the full text of online scholarly journals that cover all aspects of agriculture. These journals are selected for their relevance to developing countries' needs.
AGORA resources are password-protected. Eligible institutions whose staff and students may use the service include universities and colleges, research institutes, agricultural extension centres, and government offices and libraries. These institutions must be located in countries that generally with an annual Gross National Income (GNI) per capita per annum of US$1000 or less at December 31 2000.
AGORA resources are password-protected. Eligible institutions whose staff and students may use the service include universities and colleges, research institutes, agricultural extension centres, and government offices and libraries. These institutions must be located in countries that generally with an annual Gross National Income (GNI) per capita per annum of US$1000 or less at December 31 2000.
Development Issues
Agriculture, Hunger, Technology.
Key Points
AGORA is designed to address inadequate access to agriculture-related scientific literature. Organisers say that the demand for this literature in developing countries has gone unfulfilled for many years. They claim that students, researchers, and academics struggle to gain access to current scientific information. This contributes to mounting difficulties for academics who wish to publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals, update their teaching curricula, and identify funding.
International Alliance Against Hunger was the theme of World Food Day - October 16 2003. Organisers view AGORA as an effort to help achieve the Alliance's goals.
International Alliance Against Hunger was the theme of World Food Day - October 16 2003. Organisers view AGORA as an effort to help achieve the Alliance's goals.
Partners
Founding publishers of AGORA are: Blackwell Publishing; CABI Publishing; Elsevier; Kluwer Academic Publishers; Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; Nature Publishing Group; Oxford University Press; Springer Verlag; and John Wiley and Sons. Funding and support is provided by Cornell University Mann Library, Rockefeller Foundation, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, and the United States Agency for International Development.
Sources
Letter sent from Charlotte A. Masiello-Riome to The Communication Initiative on October 17 2003; and "Online scientific information on food and agriculture for poorest countries", FAO press release dated October 14 2003; and AGORA site.
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