Report on
Discussion Forum on Information Services in the Asia-Pacific
and
AGRIS/CARIS in the 21st Century
an Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation

Edited by Michael Ibach and Yvonne Byron

AGRIS/CARIS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

REPORT ON THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL CONSULTATION

4 - 6 NOVEMBER 1996

BOGOR, INDONESIA

List of Acronyms

[Chapter 1]
Recommendation

[Chapter 2]
FAO, WAICENT, AGRIS, CARIS Forestry Information Services for the 21st Century

[Chapter 3]
Activities of the Forestry Department of FAO in Relation to Research and Information

[Chapter 4]
Principles of Abstracting and Indexing as applied by CAB International

[Chapter 5]
Can We See the Forest for the Trees?

[Chapter 6]
Improving Access to Forestry Information: the Experience of FORSPA

[Chapter 7]
IUFRO and Collaboration Possibilities of Enhancing with AGRIS/CARIS

Country Reports:

Bangladesh

China

India

Indonesia

Japan

Pakistan

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Phillippines 2

SEAMEO

South Korea

Thailand

Vietnam

Western Samoa

[Appendix 1]
List of Participants

CARIS-PHILIPPINES IN THE 21st CENTURY

Lilia G. Bayabos

Applied Communication Division,

PCARRD, Los Banos, Laguna, The Philippines

INTRODUCTION

The agency behind CARIS (Current Agricultural Research Information System) in the Philippines is the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).

PCARRD is one of the five councils of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and it is responsible for:

• Formulation of policies, plans, strategies, programs, and projects for science and technology (S & T) development in agriculture, forestry and natural resources;
• programming and allocation of government and external funds for research and development (R & D);
• co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of R & D programmes/projects;
• generation of funds for R & D; and
• upgrading of institution capabilities.

The National Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Network (NARRDN) implements R & D programmes to support the government's development goals. The NARRDN is composed of 125 agencies and stations throughout the Philippines.

To further strengthen the network, PCARRD introduced the consortium concept designed to optimise the use of limited resources among research centres at the regional levels. It involves a number of satellite institutions around a lead agency selected for its manpower capability, resources and facilities. These consortia provide technical and scientific advisory, consultancy, training, information and communication services in the regions. Thus through these networks and consortia, PCARRD is able to fulfil its mandate in research management.

NATIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION SERVICES

PCARRD's concern does not end with the generation and evaluation of technologies and monitoring of research activities. It is equally concerned with the dissemination and utilisation of research information and technology from researchers and scientists to the farmer end-users. Two divisions in PCARRD implement programmes and activities aimed at developing strategies for research information disseminating and sharing throughout the country. These are the Applied Communication Division (ACD) which manages the Scientific Literature Services (SLS) Program and the Management Information Services Division (MISD) which maintains a computer-based information system called the Agriculture Research Management Information System (ARMIS).

The SLS was established in November 1973 as an information facility for effective access to knowledge (documentary sources) to serve the research information needs of various types of clientele in NARRDN. Its objectives include the establishment and maintenance, at a national level, of documentation, dissemination and exchange of agriculture and natural resources research output, and promotion of a scientific literature collection in agricultural libraries at the PCARRD network of research centres and stations.

As the implementing arm for CARIS and AGRIS, SLS undertakes activities geared towards the collection and making available current information in agricultural literature appearing in research reports, conference papers, books, etc. It provides the user services for CARIS/AGRIS information through current awareness, SDI (Selective Dissemination of Information), technical inquiry service and document delivery services.

ARMIS, on the other hand, was developed to support the R & D management functions of PCARRD. Three databases comprise ARMIS:

• the Research and Development Management Information System (RDMIS) provides useful and consolidated information on all approved, on-going and completed research in the country which is useful to assist research managers in monitoring research projects and reduce if not totally eliminate duplication in research effort;
  
• the Research Information Storage and Retrieval System (RETRES) provides a bibliographic database with abstracts of all terminal reports of completed research and the NARRDN publications which facilitates literature search and supports scientific literature services; and
  
• the Agriculture and Natural Resources Regional Technology Information System (ARRTIS) provides complete description of selected technologies, including its advantages and disadvantages, economic analysis and its possible uses and site adaptation and utilisation which are necessary in technology transfer activities.

SUSTAINING CARIS AND AGRIS ACTIVITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

PCARRD's strong position and its integrated approach to the management of research has enabled the Philippines to be the largest contributor to the CARIS South-east Asia inventory.

PCARRD, as the national centre for CARIS and co-ordinating centre for AGRIS, has continuously improved its capacity to serve the information needs of the national agriculture and natural resources research system through efficient and effective information transfer, research utilisation and document handling by scientists, researchers and extension workers for research and development programme. This is compatible with the objective of CARIS and AGRIS world-wide.

The recent developments in information and communication technologies, i.e., CD-ROM and Internet provide opportunities for improvement in information management and scientific literature services.

In 1995, the establishment and operationalisation of the Regional R & D Information Service (RRDIS), a one-stop information shop in agriculture and natural resources is a new initiative to electronically linked the 13 regional consortia and institutionalised data management systems and referral service to make domestic and international agriculture and natural resources information available to the different user groups.

PCARRD maintains a continuing commitment to promote CARIS and AGRIS activities in the Philippines.