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Summary:

The organizers of the 2nd Expert Consultation on International Information System for Agricultural Sciences and Technology (IISAST) invited actors from the national level to document their experiences in developing information systems and institutional networks in the form of case studies. This approach had been recommended by the Advocacy Task Force, so that lessons drawn from these case studies would provide the basis of advocacy with the key stakeholders.

The Kenya Agricultural Information Network (KAINet) was initiated in April 2006 in response to demand from the national and international community to promote information exchange and access among stakeholders in the agricultural sector. KAINet has evolved from the on-going Kenya Pilot AGRIS Project, which aims at building capacities in information management, dissemination and exchange in network members in Kenya. The project's objectives include establishing institutional repositories of agricultural information, facilitating the development of institutional and national Information and Communication Management (ICM) strategies and policies as frameworks for addressing issues that are critical to content development and information exchange, and supporting development of human capacity in ICM through training programs for information managers.

The main stakeholders in the implementation of KAINet are five national institutions: the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), the Kenya National Agricultural Research Laboratories (KARI-NARL), the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Jomo Kenya University of Agriculture and Forestry (JKUAT). At the international level FAO, CABI Africa and the Regional Agricultural Information Network (RAIN) of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa (ASARECA) participated in developing the project and are supporting its implementation through providing expertise in ICM.

The project received financial support from the Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK Government through FAO. In addition, national and international project partners provide in-kind contributions.

Phase 1 of the project was mainly dedicated to creating awareness, ensuring the commitment of the management of the five stakeholder institutions, and assessing needs for capacity development. During Phase 2 emphasis was placed on strategy development for the KAINet network, as well as for individual participating institutions.

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