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The use of ICTs to facilitate collaboration in a multi-stakeholder Partnership:
A case study of the Mauritius Breadfruit Sector Consortium
By:
Nawsheen Hosenally and Krishan J Bheenick
Third IAALD Africa Chapter Conferencee-Agriculture for improved Livelihoods and Food Security in Africa
21-23 May 2012, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mauritius Country Background 2040 km2
Population: 1,3 million
Mauritius has successfully
shifted from a mono-crop to diversified Economy Tourism Manufacturing Agriculture Financial Services ICTs
ICTs in Mauritius The government recognized the
importance of the ICT sector for development of the country
National ICT Strategic plan prepared to achieve the government’s vision: Contribution of ICT sector to GDP Employ more Mauritians Make available skilled manpower Bring about an increase in the adoption and
use of ICTs in Mauritius Invest in infrastructure and hence become a
Regional Hub
ICTs in Agriculture: e-Agriculture
Agriculture has been and is still an important sector in the economy
The use of ICTs encouraged in Agriculture through different policies Blueprint for a sustainable diversified Agri-food strategy
for Mauritius (2008-2015) Establishment of an Agricultural Information System (AIS)
National ICT Strategic plans (2007-2011 & 2011-2014) Promoting an integrated adoption of ICTs in Agriculture
through collaborative working e-Agriculture Action Plan designed
However, many strategic objectives not yet met
Establishment of multi-stakeholder partnership in the
breadfruit sector Following Global food crisis in 2008, the
government decided to invest in Agriculture through the Food Security Fund
Agri-food strategy developed and breadfruit identified as a potential alternative source of carbohydrates Can be used as substitute to wheat
Hence, the Food and Agricultural Research Council (FARC) established the Mauritius Breadfruit Sector Consortium in 2011 To collaborate on development of breadfruit production
in Mauritius
Establishment of multi-stakeholder partnership in the
breadfruit sector
Challenges
Information Exchange during consortium meetings Needed to be documented and shared for further discussion
Weekly physical meetings were not possible Online collaboration required
Hence, a platform for communication and information sharing among stakeholders required
Choice of Platform Among the different Web 2.0 tools available, the
use of a “wiki” was suggested
The use of a wiki investigated through a review of its functions and practical experiences
It was found that a wiki offered several useful features which correspond to the needs of the consortium
A wiki allows its users to add, modify or delete its content via a web browser, using a simplified markup language or a rich-text editor
Characteristics of a wiki Generally powered by wiki software and usually
created collaboratively by multiple users
Include: community websites, corporate intranets, knowledge management systems and note taking
Common uses: project communication, intranets and documentation
Used by some companies to enhance group learning
A Wiki for the consortium Allow consortium to interact, share and store
knowledge and information Participate in discussions and be an improvement
on traditional approach (e-mails) Enable consortium activities to be transparent to
all partners involved Allow user to edit any page, add content including
files (from Ms Office or other multimedia) Tracking of activities could be simpler when
compared to e-mails/blogs/websites/ Google Documents
It supports other web 2.0 tools which could be used for various purposes
Adoption of a wiki Expected to be adopted in different phases by
stakeholders as the use of a wiki was new to most of them
Throughout its implementation, wiki was closely monitored by the administrators
Wiki administrators assisted users in collaborating on the platform and intervened as and when required to facilitate the process
Wiki of the Mauritius Breadfruit Sector Consortium
Accessible at http://paepardmauritius.pbworks.com
Front Page
Navigator
Sidebar
Pages on the wiki
Pages on the wiki
About PAEPARD
Consortium partners and
roles
Consortium Meetings
Documents or links on Breadfruit
Discussion Forum
Editable map of
Breadfruit trees in
Mauritius
Individual partner pages
Pages on the wiki
Wiki Pages
Wiki interface and use Upon its creation, consortium leaders started to
upload files and share links on breadfruit
Information was very useful in building knowledge base on breadfruit (from origin/germplasm to product development/marketing)
Constraint: Consortium partners had difficulties regarding basic aspects of the wiki (log in, edit and add content etc.)
Assistance required and hence visual tutorial (slides) developed
Wiki interface and use
Content Management and interactions on the wiki
Consortium partners have their own individual page and updated it on the work they are doing on breadfruit
Enabled stakeholders to know who is working on which aspect along the value-chain Duplication of work is avoided All activities of the consortium transparent since all
meetings and workshop proceedings were documented Interactions and discussions initiated and
maintained by administrators, consortium facilitators and leaders Although some partners visited the wiki regularly, they
were not sharing information and engaging in discussions
Information shared were on general work being done
Content Management and interactions on the wiki
Description of work being done by the organization
Content Management and interactions on the wiki
All meetings and workshop proceedings documented
Editable map of breadfruit in Mauritius
Wiki supports other web 2.0 Applications
Google Map added to one of the pages
Tutorial was made on how to add trees onto the map Shared by email to consortium partners and also D-
groups, Facebook and Twitter
Crowd-sourcing through voluntary contribution from members of the public and web enthusiasts Initial response low, but improving gradually More than 60 Trees added
Editable map of breadfruit in Mauritius
Editable map of breadfruit in Mauritius
Discussion Wiki useful to various stakeholders in terms of
transparency, coordination and tracking of the consortium activities and information and knowledge management
However, few challenges faced when it came to collaboration and interaction of consortium partners on the wiki Partly related to the adoption process of new
technologies Other factors include skills and ease of using the
computer as a means of communication
Discussion Effectiveness of wiki is very dependent on the
extent of collaboration by partners
Different institutions and staffs work in different ways and wiki administrator/facilitator has to adapt to the level of their education or ICT skills
Existing perception on ICTs can influence extent and form of collaboration
Use of other wikis demonstrated that such a platform can be effective However, Mauritius breadfruit consortium has not been
able to achieve same level of success
Conclusion Use of a wiki can be beneficial in facilitating
collaboration, but success is dependent on the level of interaction on the platform
To encourage participation from different partners, the administrators has to intervene and assist them
The concept of e-Agriculture has not yet been adopted by professionals and organizations in the Agricultural sector in Mauritius
However, in a short lapse of time, the wiki has been established and useful to partners Good as starting point
Recommendations Challenges can be overcome through
encouragement of the use of Web 2.0 tools and other ICT applications by professionals in Agriculture
After their training on ICTs/Web 2.0 tools, proper tracking and monitoring should be carried out to ensure that they are applying what they have learned
This emphasizes the role of Agricultural institutions to encourage their staffs to adopt these tools in their work