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R ole of Community Knowledge Centres in enhancing Agricultural and Community Development David Kintu Nkwanga Nature Palace Foundation P.O. Box 29455, Kampala, Uganda naturepaldn@gmail.com,info@naturepalace.net Website: www.naturepalace.net

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<ul><li>Uganda </li></ul><ul><li> </li></ul>Study Area Peri-urban Market Gardening community Rural farming community next to Mabamba Ramsar site, a tourist attraction Lukwanga Mabamba

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<ul><li>What is a CKC ? </li></ul><ul><li>Are Centres equipped with appropriate ICT tools to enable information generation, access, dissemination and skills development for the community. </li></ul>Community Knowledge Centres A key future of CKCs is the translation of information into knowledge through application

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<ul><li>Current Facilities </li></ul><ul><li>Current Needs </li></ul>Current Facilities in the CKCs Innovation and better utilisation of available resources is an important feature for CKCs Photo copier Semi-library Semi-library Use generator Connected to hydro power grid Internet Computer Computer Mabamba Lukwanga Solar power system Video & Digital Camera Internet connectivity Video & Digital Camera Mabamba Lukwanga

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<ul><li>To increase information and knowledge capacity of communities; </li></ul><ul><li>To enhance documentation of local content, share knowledge and offer training and discussion room for community workshops, exhibitions etc; </li></ul><ul><li>Offer linkage points with other organizations and serve as referral point for communities, and other interested stakeholders. </li></ul><ul><li>Providing information to tourists and visitors i.e. Mabamba CKC. </li></ul><ul><li>Continuous community information needs assessment with key emerging needs. </li></ul>Objectives of Community Knowledge Centres

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Community Participation <ul><li>Community participation is important for sustainability </li></ul>Information Volunteers Community Participation Advisory Committee Broader community Involvement

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<ul><li>How CKCs contribute to Agricultural and Community Development </li></ul>Role of Community Knowledge Centers in Agricultural and Community Development Weather Information Market Information Knowledge Generation & Sharing Early Warning Systems Production and Extension

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Evidence Better prices and increased production Better pests and Disease management Less losses from bad timing because of prior advise on weather and seasons Farmers responding better to current global challenges Farmers benefiting from appropriate technology Research Information increasingly reaching end users.

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Integrating Biodiversity Conservation & Community Development, Agro-tourism Cultivation of Rare Medicinal Plants Community Motivation to conserve Promotion of Wise-use Documentation for future reference Better Mgt of farms

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Challenges Limitations in Resources and Equipment Documentation is not always a priority to the communities! Reliance on long-term volunteers

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Future Plans Climate Touch Africa <ul><ul><li>Integrating Climate Change Documentation into CKCs </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Using Video to document and augment Climate Change in Africa. In Uganda and most African countries there are many Climate Change Impacts affecting especially the heavily natural-resource-dependant poor communities which are not documented and therefore remain unknown. </li></ul></ul>

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<ul><li>Community Knowledge Centres can go a long way in filling up the gaps in agriculture and rural development extension in rural communities in Africa. </li></ul><ul><li>CKCs make the media, ICT tools and scientific research more relevant to the grassroots farming communities and provide good entry points for increased use of new research findings in agricultural development. </li></ul><ul><li>There is need, however, to build their capacity, create more effective and positive linkages with the various information sources and addressing the identified challenges. </li></ul>Conclusions

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Thank You for your attention www.naturepalace.net