CSISA, PAKISTAN: CSISA, Pakistan helps PARC establish Pakistan Cereal Knowledge Bank

Cereal knowledge banks established by IRRI and CIMMYT are popular sites for a variety of people connected with agriculture. These were primarily developed to serve farmers with latest production technology so their economic lot and national food security are improved and have, overtimes, diversified into rich repositories of various facets of agricultural knowledge. In view of their popularity IRRI helped many countries establish their national knowledge banks. Pakistan had yet not one of its own so Dr. Noel Magor and David Shires asked Dr. M. Aqil Khan, CSISA, Pakistan, Coordinator, to help establish cereal knowledge bank in Pakistan during latter’s visit to IRRI in October, 2011. Dr. Khan talked to various persons in Pakistan Agricultural Research Council for the purpose. The chairman was particularly enthused by the idea. He held a meeting with his Scientific Information staff and Dr. Khan and, as a result, Pakistan Cereal Knowledge Bank came into being on 15th February, 2012. IRRI further supported the establishment of CKB by holding a training workshop on CKB held on 14th-15th March, 2012 at National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad. Dr. David Shires, IRRI Consultant on knowledge management traveled to Pakistan to conduct the workshop. People from various agricultural fields from all over Pakistan attended the workshop. This helped clarify the purpose and goal of the CKB and its needed mechanism. The participants appreciated the institution of CKB in unison, the Chairman, PARC was particularly forthcoming. In his closing remarks he dilated upon the importance of CKB and identified several other areas for inclusion in the bank and securing local and international support.