Every year in January, genetic scientists from over 50 countries gather in San Diego for the Plant and Animal Genome conference. This huge gathering offers the AgShare.Today team the perfect opportunity to meet researchers from our partner projects. Attending the meeting also allows us to discuss current work and update partners on the latest tools for data and knowledge management available through the AgShare platform.

This year, three members of the AgShare.Today team delivered a seminar to 22 donor representatives, research scientists and project team leaders. The seminar showcased a set of tools available free to AgShare members to help them to capture and analyse clean, validated data.

Used together, these tools seek to combine research methodologies and sampling protocols, with mobile apps., well-managed databases and data visualisation technologies. The ultimate aim is to ensure that clean data is both efficiently gathered and fully explored.

“This is important,” said one audience member, “because it helps us to better handle both quantitative and qualitative data” in order to explore both “farmer perceptions and crop performance”.

For more information on the AgShare.Today project and its work, please contact l.ulanowski@agshare.today

The post AgShare.Today gives seminar to top scientists on new options for data management and visualisation (Jan 2017) first appeared on AgShare.Today.

Dr Ndunguru explains the importance of training local farmers in diagnosing diseases affecting cassava. The scientists benefit from the farmers’ improved knowledge as they can then gather information on disease-resistant crops and the location of specific strains of the viruses, which increases the prospect for quick and accurate diagnosis.

By improving the knowledge base on cassava diseases in the region, scientists have been able to provide disease-resistant planting material. With this material, farmers have been able to increase their yield from less than five tons per hectare to forty to forty five tons per hectare. Dr Ndunguru uses this as just one example of how scientists can improve the standard of living for countless people and urges other scientists to question how they can link upstream science to smallholder farmers.

To find out more about the Cassava Diagnostic Project, click here.

The post Bridging the Divide – Joseph Ndunguru talks to AgShare.Today about the importance of linking upstream science to smallholder farmers. first appeared on AgShare.Today.