1. AgShare: Open Knowledge for
Development
Funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Karen Vignare
Michigan State University

2. What is AgShare?
• What is Ag?
– All aspects of African animal, plant, forestry, and
fisheries production and value networks.
• What is Share?
– Action
– Collaboration
– Intentionally creating and sharing African
teaching, learning and research resources that are
free, openly-licensed and effective.

3. The Original Scope of AgShare?
Community-
Resource Partners Wide Partners

4. AgShare Vision
– To impact the welfare and health of farmers in
Africa
– by empowering MSc students and graduates of
African institutions
– to achieve change in agriculture
– by leveraging African knowledge through OER
processes and products
– that are integrated into universities and the global
knowledge pool.

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6. First Pilot Convening March 2010
Nairobi, Kenya

7. Pilots Started June 2010
• 3 Countries: Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya
• 4 Universities
– Haramaya University, Ethiopia
– Moi University, Kenya
– Makerere University, Uganda
– United States International University, Kenya
• 2 University Networks
– AERC (CMAAE)
– RUFORUM

8. CMAAE Makerere USIU Haramaya
Collaborative creation of OER creation and OER co-creation and OER creation of the
OER case studies across community feedback loops by course Perspectives on
two universities in the engagement as part of students in internships Agriculture Extension
CMAAE. Coffee in student field research: and African faculty of for the RUFORUM MSc
Ethiopia and Maize in Dairy Value Chain. agriculture. Course AICM program.
Kenya. South-western Uganda. taught to leaders of
Case materials for MSc farmer organizations,
and down streamed aspirant commercial
materials for improved farmers, and other
farmer practice. interested parties.
Strengths as a pilot
Replication and Ties research and OER Co-creation using multi- Replication and
customization in CMAAE; sustainably with institutions of different customization
co-creation using two graduate student types; community throughout RUFORUM;
universities; students research; Ties with feedback loops; creating a complete
and faculty working community students on internships OER course; enables
together to create cases; engagement platform; create content; content undergraduate and
involvement of creates field-based OER can be shared through graduate students to
community-wide illustrating practices; commercial farmer participate in creating
partners. potential down producer organizations. materials as part of
streaming to farmers. internships and field
projects.

9. Agshare Publishing
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10. OER Resources Created
Institutional Partners
Resource Type Quantity
Contributing Resources
Student Theses 3 Makerere and Moi
Teaching Cases 10 All
Scholarly Paper (in
progress) 2 Makerere
Reports 7 Makerere, Moi, and USIU
Multimedia—DVDs/CDs 7 All
Community Brochures 19 All
Posters 6 All
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11. AgShare Results—Quotes from the
Impact Assessment
• All data and reports indicated that AgShare
had a highly positive OER impact on farmers
and the broader agricultural community. In
addition to its formal aims, AgShare had
significant secondary effects. Impact extended
beyond farmers to sectors of the value chain
as well as contributing to the status and role
of women involved in agricultural production.

12. AgShare Results—Quotes from the
Impact Assessment
• Student-researchers benefited in several ways,
but mainly in terms of their enhanced
contextually relevant specialist knowledge and
induction into field-based research under the
guidance of academics with whom they
worked closely. Theory and practice came
together. Students who studied the resulting
OER benefited from content developed in
authentic contexts and presented in
interactive ways that brought the subject
alive.

13. AgShare Results—Quotes from the
Impact Assessment
• The OER allowed them to adjust the
sequencing and pacing of their own learning
in line with their own needs and interests.
Amongst other OER assets, students
appreciated clear curriculum structure and
more purposeful forms of assessment. Like
their students, academics experienced the OER
as an “eye opener” that presented new and
exciting possibilities for teaching.

14. AgShare Results—Quotes from the
Impact Assessment
• … AgShare has synergized an impulse for the
repositioning of Makerere as a “development”
university. This impulse has been
institutionalized in AFRISA (Africa Institute for
Strategic Animal Resource Services and
Development)…..The paradigm shift is from
“the classical ‘Ivory Tower’ model to the ACP3
model (Academic-Community-Public-Private
Partnership” model.

15. Foundation Final Report
• AgShare methods have transformed the way
in which academics now conceptualize their
role as teachers and researchers by validating
community-based problems as research and
collaborating with students and stakeholders
• AgShare methods create relevant and
effective student learning in the coursework
component of the master’s degree enabling
students to engage with local issues versus
abstract theory
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16. AgShare Phase II – an overview
Alice Barlow-Zambodla
Saide-OER Africa
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19. Our vision
• “The sustainable use of AgShare methods,
driven particularly by on-going student
engagement in community research, content
development and knowledge sharing
activities in postgraduate programmes at
African Faculties of Agriculture actively
supports agricultural communities to effect
positive change across key identified
agricultural value chains.”
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20. Expectations of this next phase
Working through the RUFORUM network:
• That African Faculties of Agriculture and
Veterinary Science will embed student -
centred action research activities and outputs
into teaching and learning and also use them
to support the development of smallholder
farmers.
• Widespread dissemination of AgShare
methodology and outputs via the RUFORUM
network
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21. Who are we working with?
• Haramaya University – Ethiopia (Pilot)
• Mekelle University – Ethiopia (New)
• Makerere University – Uganda [Vet Science
(Pilot) and Agric/Computer Science (New)]
• Sokoine University of Agriculture – Tanzania
(New)
• AgShare Champions - at institutions involved
in the pilot
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22. Main project objectives
1. Creation of an enabling institutional
environment to support the adoption of the
AgShare student-centred research
methodology in identified programmes.
2. Institutional capacity is created and peer-
reviewed OER produced and used, to support
and enhance post-graduate agricultural
curricula using the AgShare method.
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23. Main project objectives contd.
• Widespread dissemination of the AgShare
methodology and related good quality African
generated research outputs and OER, using
multiple methods.
• Focus on: scaling up, ensuring production of
quality of outputs, facilitating institutional
uptake and integration, and ensuring wide
spread dissemination
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24. Must have an agricultural value chain focus:
– Plant Breeding/Crop Science
– Soil and Water Management
– AICM/Agricultural Extension
NB: Case studies to be organized through the
RUFORUM MSc Coordinators for the identified focus
programmes
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25. • The idea is to link AICM/Extension students
needing field attachments with Plant
breeding/crop science research teams to
develop more case studies/extension
materials
• Funding is limited and relates to facilitating
student involvement in the co-creation of
case studies/extension materials
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26. M&E
• Main focus on measuring
–Effectiveness
–Scalability
• Indicators are being developed
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27. Opportunities
We are seeking to maximise the scaling up and
effectiveness of the AgShare model through
leveraging synergies from development of
strategic linkages and partnerships that would
contribute to further scaling up and:
Support capacity building and support of
• Institutional staff development
• Translational scholars – mentoring, work placement
• Database and repository optimisation
• Expansion of the model and its impact as a whole
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28. Thank you!
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