Agricultural Research Dissemination – A Collection of Best Practices

The knowledge system underpinning agriculture is a crucial driver of agricultural growth and productivity in Canada.  Our full agricultural potential cannot be realized without research that is informed by real problems on the ground – nor without genuine efforts to effectively disseminate research outcomes to end-users and a broader audience.

In April 2016, researchers, government officials, industry representatives, and other agricultural research stakeholders gathered in Ottawa to discuss important issues relating to the dissemination of agricultural research. Several points of consensus emerged in the Conference Report, including:

• The need for further financial resources for infrastructure and staffing to address research dissemination, knowledge transfer and intellectual property issues;
• New participatory research and extension models that engage end-users and stakeholders throughout the research process; and
• Enhanced intellectual property management structures for collaborative research that will enhance its socioeconomic impact and accelerate knowledge transfer through commercialization and market development opportunities.

There was especially strong consensus that, in order to accomplish these goals, stakeholders in the agriculture sector would benefit from the sharing of best practices in agricultural research dissemination.

The Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC) has therefore compiled this collection of twenty best practices from across the sector, as a follow-up to our Conference Report, in order to provide concrete examples of knowledge sharing and information dissemination. Our hope is that these examples help give tangible ideas on how, among others, to deliver research results to end-users, engage stakeholders and evaluate programs.

Click here to download the full Best Practices Report.