Janet Frances Asaba is an information scientist in CABI, based in Nairobi. In this video interview Janet describes how although CABI doesn't explicitly focus on Local Content it is an integral part of their approach to their work. A summary of the interview is below for those who can't easily play the video.
CABI promote both externally generated content and Local Content from extension workers, researchers and farmers themselves, especially during their programme of Farmer Field Schools. They capture the content in various forms and re-package it for wider distribution. Jane emphasises the importance of sharing content that is often known only to a small group of people, such as scientists or researchers, that can be of wider use. She uses the example of work around Cassava Brown Streak disease where they gathered material - experiences and practices - from stakeholders including farmers, researchers, and scientists in order to prepare multi-media training materials.
But even these materials aren't used wholesale, for distribution. As Jane says, "people have their own indigenous solutions that have been tried and tested for a long time and they are comfortable using those solutions" And when, in working with livestock specialists in Tanzania, they were distributing their materials extension workers and others pointed out the gaps in the materials and suggested new solutions from their own experiences. So Jane emphasises that, "there is content out there that can be collected and properly organised and disseminated" and which would be more easily used because the source is trusted. Jane suggests we should rise to the challenge of finding, collecting, re-packaging and disseminating Local Content.
Jane then describes their work with other stakeholders on the development of KAINET, Kenya Agricultural Information Network. 'Harvesting' from other collections, KAINET will be a repository of relevant content. KAINET will provide an opportunity to promote and share Kenyan research, research which has been going on, as Jane says, "for over 100 years". Yet many people don't even know what is happening in other research institutes, while KAINET will also be a global resource for people interested in Kenyan research and content.
