The government has created 51 Agriculture Knowledge Centers across the country. They will be effective only if we can develop knowledge management culture and capacity of technicians

Most of the agricultural-related responsibilities under federal Nepal have been shifted to the provincial government. Thus the Provincial Ministry for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperative needs to be proactive for all development activities related to agriculture. Besides, the provincial organizations will also have to work as a bridge between the central organizations and the local offices in order to mobilize resources, provide technical services and prepare database. At the same time, it will also have to establish linkages with other development partners. Considering these responsibilities, Provincial Agriculture Development Directorate (PADD) has been created under each provincial ministry. Each PADD has certain number of Agriculture Knowledge Centers (AKCs).  These AKCs are established after dissolving 75 District Agriculture Development Offices (DADOs). Altogether there are 51 AKCs in the country and province-wise their numbers are 11 in Province 1, six in Province 2, seven in Province 3, six in Gandaki Province, eight in Province 5, seven in Karnali Province and six in Far-western Province. This is one of the major changes in agriculture restructuring at the provincial level.
 
What’s the difference? 
The main function of District Agriculture Development Offices (DADOs) was to deliver extension service to farmers but their programs were more focused on input distribution. As per the approved terms of reference and the 15th five year plan, the AKCs are different from DADOs in that they have to manage knowledge required for agriculture modernization in their mandated areas. Knowledge management includes the process of packaging, storing, retrieving, transforming, disseminating and using knowledge. It also involves planning, organizing and motivating technicians and farmers. 

Moreover, the DADOs had strong link with the department of agriculture and technical directorates at the central level. They were also functioning as the coordinating body to coordinate agriculture development programs in the districts. But the AKCs have no such coordination mechanism for both vertical and horizontal linkages. Similarly, the linkages between agricultural research, extension and education are almost broken. Gaps in available human resource and requirement are widening, particularly at the local level.

Making AKCs effective
To be effective institution, an AKC requires an appropriate combination of technological, organizational and managerial initiatives. Its objective should be to capacitate local technicians to access relevant and up-to-date information and knowledge that enables them to deliver effective extension services. All AKCs should have basic knowledge infrastructures established to develop the knowledge management culture and capacity of the technicians working in the local units. They should also be equipped with ICT tools that facilitate capturing, storing, sharing and utilization of knowledge to improve extension service delivery. Required number of qualified and experienced subject matter specialists should be there in place. As many agencies’ involvement is necessary for agriculture development, there should also be coordination mechanism with key stakeholders.

Are these aspects considered while establishing AKCs recently? The answer is no. It is just like “old wine in the new bottle” or even worse. The restructuring has been done just for adjusting the old set-up of the district agriculture development offices. On one side, the organizational setup of the AKCs has been down sized in terms of staff number, on the other, some of the AKCs have been given the responsibilities of more than one districts. Furthermore, they have also to perform some more functions, such as conducting validation tests, providing laboratory services and conducting internship program for BSc level students.

The AKCs can be effective and sustainable only when they are able to take technological and organizational initiatives in full swing. A team of qualified technicians, ICT tools and other necessary logistic supports are required to take up these initiatives effectively. The accessibility of knowledge is enhanced when the knowledge is consolidated and can be obtained from a single source. That single source should be the AKC. AKCs should also provide services including that of traditional library, digital library, audiovisual center, online access point, and informal and formal meeting venue. Each AKC should also have some piece of land for validation test and demonstration which are lacking at present.

The basic ICT tools that the AKCs should be equipped with are computers, printers, TV sets, DVD players, digital cameras, LCD projectors, internet connections and basic furniture. The computers and DVD players encourage experts to access knowledge stored on DVDs and CDs as well as develop and share reports. They should also be equipped with various project documents and audiovisual materials.

Enhancing the use of the AKCs requires priority and a strong ownership from the provincial government. While there may be a high demand from extension staff of local level to use the AKCs to develop their technical skills, the staffs of the center should stay up-to-date with their disciplines. At present, limited resources and knowledge of the staffs have distracted the local staffs to make use of these knowledge centers. It is important that provincial and local administrations and other line agencies properly understand the important roles of these knowledge centers and have a clear vision and strategy to take benefits from them in planning, budgeting and implementing programs. It is also important that AKCs develop strategic plans to package knowledge for the use of the key stakeholders.

Organizational culture and personality factors influence knowledge culture of individuals and organizations. In order to develop knowledge culture, the staffs of the AKCs also   require effective incentive and reward systems. Knowledge is not freely shared. People need incentives and rewards to work in teams, generate, share and use knowledge to improve organizational performance. Recognizing and giving reputations to people who actively generate and share knowledge can incentivize staffs to contribute to knowledge databases or work in teams to generate and share valuable knowledge. AKCs, however, have to balance individual and team recognitions, as organizational learning and sharing is a collective process happening through social interactions and networks. 

AKCs should be strengthened considering all these aspects. Furthermore, all AKCs should be committed to promote ICT driven technology and information dissemination system for quick and cost-effective delivery of messages to all the stakeholders. Each district should have one AKC and in this context, some of the provincial government farms including horticulture and commercial entomology can also be converted to the AKCs.

bhairabr@gmail.com

 
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