ASCOT Library Zabali Campus

Effective R & D management to achieve NIC status by the year 2000. – Strengthening research management in National Agricultural Research. – Overview of agriculture and resources R & D management. – National Information Technology Plan (NITP) and NCC's role in the development of information technology in government. – Regional research consortium: a strategy for agriculture and resources R and D management. – The national MIS seminar workshop: overview and guidelines. – Overview of the management information system. – EDP concepts and the systems development life cycle. – Information needs of the selected R and D consortia of NARRDN. –The BAS: its functions, thrusts, and plans. – ARREMIS: a tool for regional research and development management in agriculture and natural resources. – Information systems in the research utilization continuum. – Information sources in agriculture. – TLRC systems and sources. – Issues and problems related to the generation and dissemination of agricultural statistics in the regions. – Statistical information generation at the National Statistics Office. – The Department of Agriculture's strategic information systems planning. – Planning information systems for the agriculture and resources research and development at the regions. – MIS/IS applications in agriculture and resources research and development - ISNAR's experience in Sri Lanka. – DA-MIS for planning and policy formulation. – NFA's management information system. – NAMRIA's information systems applications with focus on geographical information system. – Land resources information system: a basic tool for the BSWM geo-management information systems. – Framework for developing the agriculture and resources research regional MIS. – Strategy for reaching out: the RACOs. – PCARRD information system plan and presentation of prototype R and D MIS

"In agricultural research management, a most critical component is information. Policies, decisions and research priorities on which national research programs are based depend most significantly on the available information both on the internal and external environments. Moreover, in the overall development process, the proper and timely dissemination of research results and technological breakthroughs is essential to bring about the desired changes towards a better economy.

In developing countries, more than 85% of the people depend on agriculture. unfortunately, because of other more pressing national concerns, agricultural research is relegated to the sidelights and expenditures for the purpose are usually very meager. Thus, these funds need to be efficiently used.

Management of agricultural research requires the skillful coordination of these scarce resources in order that the benefits can be spread out to as many priority activities as possible. Information, being a vital resource, must be organized and packaged the way it users require it and delivered on time. Moreover, good management requires accurate information at one's fingertips.

It is in this context that PCARRD, IDRC and ISNAR jointly sponsored the 1989 Management Information System (MIS) Seminar/Workshop. The foremost objective was to bring together planning officers and information specialists from different government research agencies to provide them with concepts and skills on MIS, its value to decision making and the use of microcomputers in agricultural research management.

This publication records the experiences of the participants in relation to management information system."