ASSESSMENT OF AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION NEEDS IN AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN & PACIFIC (ACP) STATES EASTERN AFRICA Country Study: Sudan Final Report Prepared by: Yasir Gasm Elseed Adam Bashir on behalf of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) Project: 4-7-41-254-7/h November 2008 ASSESSMENT OF AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION NEEDS IN AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN & PACIFIC (ACP) STATES EASTERN AFRICA Country Study: Sudan Final Report Prepared by: Yasir Gasm Elseed Adam Bashir on behalf of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) Project: 4-7-41-254-7/h November 2008 Disclaimer This report has been commissioned by the CTA to enhance its monitoring of information needs in ACP countries. CTA does not guarantee the accuracy of data included in this report, nor does it accept responsibility for any use made thereof. The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of CTA. CTA reserves the right to select projects and recommendations that fall within its mandate. (ACP-EU) Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) Agro Business Park 2 6708 PW Wageningen The Netherlands Website: www.cta.int E-mail: [email protected] i Acknowledgements I would like to thank Prof. Azhari A. Hamada, Director General, ARC (Sudan) for his approval and giving me the time to conduct this study. Thanks are also extended to Mr. Fahad Omer Ali for his help in collecting data for Annex 2 and his arrangements during interviews. Thanks and gratitude to Mr. Gashaw Kebede, Regional Coordinator for his valuable comments, patience during reviewing this report. Deep thanks and appreciations to the staff of the different interviewed institutions for their help during the interviews. Last but not least, thanks are extended to CTA for their honour of selecting me to do this study. ii List of Acronyms ABS Agricultural Bank of Sudan ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific AGORA Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture AOAD Arab Organization for Agricultural Development ARC Agricultural Research Corporation ARRC Animal Resource Research Corporation ARRINENA Association of the Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa ASARECA Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa ASSCO Arab Sudanese Seed Company CABI Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux International CARE Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere CBS Central Bureau of Statistics CD-ROM Compact disc-Read only memory CFC Common Fund for Commodities CGIAR Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIFOR Center for International Forestry Research CIMMYT International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center CIP International Potato Center CIRAD French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development COMESA Common Market for East and South Africa CPA Comperhensive Peace Agreement CTA Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation DAAD German Academic Exchange Sevice DANIDA Danish International Development Agency DIC Documentation and Information Centre DORA Distribution of Reference Books on Agriculture DSL Digital Subscriber Line E mail Electronic mail E. government Electronic government EC European Community ESS Elobeid Seed Station FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FFS Farmer Field School FINIDA Finnish International Development Agency FNC Forests National Corporation FYSP Five Year Stratigic Plan GA General Administration GDP Gross Domestic Product GIS Geographic Information System GNPC Greater Nile Petrolium Company GS Gezira Scheme GSMA Gadarif State Ministry of Agriculture GSTV Gezira State Television GTZ German Agency for Technical Cooperation Ha. Hectare HINARI Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency IC Information and Communication ICARDA International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas iii ICM Information and Communication Management ICRA International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture ICRAF International Centre for Research in Agro Forestry ICRISAT International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics ICT Information and Communication Technology IDRC International Development Research Centre IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development IFPRI International Food Policy Research Institute IGAD Inter Governmental Authority on Development IITA International Institute for Tropical Agriculture ILRI International Livestock Research Institute IPGRI International Plant Genetic Resources Institute IPM Integrated Pest Management IRRI International Rice Research Institute ISNAR International Service for National Agricultural Research IT Information Technology ITOCA Information Training and outreach Centre for Africa ITU International Telecommunication Union IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature IWMI International Water Management Institute JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency LAN Local Area Network M.Sc. Master of Science MARF Ministry of Animal Resources and Fishery (Sudan) MFC Mechanized Farming Corporation MIS Market Information System MoA Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry MOST Ministry of Science and Technology (Sudan) NART National Authority for Radio and TV NCR National Centre for Research NGARA Network for Natural Gums and Resins in Africa NGO Non-governmental organization NIC National Information Centre NPPC National Press and Publication Council NTC National Telecommunication Corporation P & CS Planning and Corporate Services PC Personal Computer PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal QAS Question and Answer Service RAN Rayaam Newspaper RWS Rural Women School SAU Sudanese Agriculturists Union SCC Sudan Cotton Company SDG Sudanese Genue (currency) SDI Selective Dissemination of Information SHAM Shambat Library Complex SIDA Swedish International Development gency SIS Sudan Internet Society SMS Short message service SNR Sudan National Radio SUDATEL Sudanese Telecommunication Company TEEAL The Essential Electronic Library TTE Technology Transfer and Extension TV Television iv U of G University of Gezira U of K University of Khartoum UAE United Arab Emirates UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees US United States USAID United States Agency for International Development VHS Video Home System WAN Wide Area Network WARDA Africa Rice Center WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organization WTO World Trade Organization Currency conversion rate: 1 Euro = 3.2 SDG 1 SDG = 0.31 Euro Source: Central Bank of Sudan available at: http://www.cbos.gov.sd/ viewed on 13 August 2008. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements......................................................................................................ii List of Acronyms.......................................................................................................... iii Executive summary................................................................................................... viii 1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. 1 2. COUNTRY PROFILE........................................................................................... 2 2.1 Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Livestock .................................................. 3 2.1.1 Agriculture .................................................................................................. 3 2.1.2 Fisheries..................................................................................................... 4 2.1.3 Forestry ...................................................................................................... 4 2.1.4 Livestock .................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Brief Description of the Status of ICT Infrastructure and Recent Development in the Sector .............................................................................. 5 3. STATUS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................. 7 3.2 Operational Aspects.......................................................................................... 9 3.2.1 Description of agricultural information and services................................... 9 3.2.2 Information sources.................................................................................. 10 3.2.3 Information products and services provided............................................. 11 3.2.4 Information and communication management capacity ........................... 13 3.3 Interventions Supporting Information and Communication for Agriculture and Rural Development........................................................................................ 15 4. INSTITUTIONAL NEEDS ANALYSIS ................................................................... 17 4.1 Information Needs........................................................................................... 17 4.2 Capacity Building Needs ................................................................................. 19 4.3 Feedback on CTA’S Products and Services ................................................... 23 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................