The new website of the Global Initiative on Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD) was launched by the principal partners at the XIIIth World Congress of IAALD (International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists) held in Montpellier, France during 24-30 April, 2010. CIARD is a movement for coherence and collaboration in agricultural research information and communication that brings together institutions and people who want to make agricultural research outputs in the public domain truly accessible to all. The CIARD Manifesto and other tools provide a framework of policy and practices for those holding and creating information and knowledge to share their outputs globally and more efficiently.
The web site provides a virtual platform for institutions to participate in CIARD activities, evaluate their information management practices against a Checklist of good practices, share and follow Pathways towards better accessibility of information and contribute case studies. It also registers their information services in the CIARD RING (Routemap to Information Nodes and Gateways). The new CIARD website is coordinated by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR).
For more information on CIARD, please visit: www.ciard.net
