Providing a platform for knowledge management and sharing in the region

Background

Santosus and Surmacz (2001) define knowledge management as “… the process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual and knowledge-based assets. Most often, generating value from such assets involves sharing them among employees, departments and even with other companies in an effort to devise best practices.” ReSAKSS –SA seeks to generate such value by transforming data to information and thus to knowledge through its network of analysts in the Southern Africa region. This knowledge will then be applied in the development of effective policies to address poverty reduction and agricultural growth. As a network, such capability truly requires sharing among key partners involved.

The main feature of the ReSAKSS knowledge management system will be the website. The ReSAKSS-SA web site will serve as a platform and knowledge base for all stakeholders in the agricultural sector across the region. The web site is designed to present, in a graphic and functional manner, the overall agricultural picture in southern Africa. It will be a source of key analytical trends, key documents, and a workstation through which to manipulate data. It will provide links to various websites, institutions and individuals who make up the overall network of experts in the field of agricultural growth and poverty reduction in the region. It will provide a dialogue platform for sharing key trends and issues within a specialized community of practice.

The website will provide a location at which analysts may access data, decision-makers may access policy analyses, and—potentially—where the network can interact in a virtual manner. The website will be, not just a product, but a process whereby the entire ReSAKSS-SA network will be strengthened and facilitated. It will be an organic part of the overall ReSAKSS-SA network and general operations – responding to user needs. Its design and evolution will derive from interactions among partners and stakeholders of the network itself.

Strategic Activities

Establishment of ReSAKSS-SA ICT platform

ReSAKSS-SA is creating a web-based knowledge management system (KMS) to promote the development of a community of policy makers and analysts concerned about agricultural growth and poverty alleviation in Africa. The KMS will have at least four components:

• access to copies of agricultural policy analyses (supported by ReSAKSS and others) related to the issues described above 
• a portal to key economic and agricultural datasets underlying such analyses {a strong linkage with the SADC Agricultural Information Management System (AIMS) will be developed} 
• documentation on methods of analysis useful for training analysts for improved agricultural policy analysis in southern Africa 
• a portal connecting scientists and policy makers involved in discussing these issues of agricultural growth and poverty alleviation.

Develop an analytical framework for SADC Agricultural Information Management System

ReSAKSS-SA will assist the SADC Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Directorate (FANR) to define a strategy for consistently analyzing and reporting important regional agricultural data that the SADC collects and maintains under the AIMS. This will also involve assisting the SADC FANR with the definition of indicators that can be used to monitor agricultural growth in southern Africa. Additionally, analyses of agricultural trends carried out by ReSAKSS-SA so far, have raised numerous questions about the accuracy of national data on agricultural trends. Clearly, timely and accurate statistics are important in improving policy and investment decisions. ReSAKSS-SA will initiate a study to diagnose why there is a data quality problem and work with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to establish a training programme targeting improvements in national agricultural data collection and reporting.

Promote Policy dialogue

Too much agricultural policy analysis has virtually no impact on the decision making of individual policy makers. The results of policy studies are often provided in the wrong formats, or at the wrong time. They sometimes use disciplinary jargon that is not easily understood. ReSAKSS-SA will work with the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) to pursue a collaborative assessment of where policy makers are getting their advice and how to assure policy analysis can have greater impact.

ReSAKSS-SA will work with SADC, COMESA and other regional partners and national partners to promote policy dialogue at national and regional level. This policy dialogue will be evidence based, drawing on the results of the various studies cited above. It will be conducted through a series of workshops and participation at regional and national meetings.