1. AgShare: Open Knowledge for
Development
Funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Christine Geith, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Assistant Provost & Executive Director,
MSUglobal
Michigan State University
LINQ 2013

2. AgShare Partners
• South Africa Institute for Distance Education
(SAIDE/OER Africa)
• Regional Universities Forum for Agricultural
Development (RUFORUM)
• Michigan State University
5/17/2013 2

3. 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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5. 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

6. AgShare Results—Quotes from the
Pilot 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.

7. AgShare Results—Quotes from the
Pilot Impact Assessment
• Students who studied the resulting OER
benefited from content developed in authentic
contexts and presented in interactive ways
that brought the subject alive.
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8. 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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9. AgShare II Participants
• 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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10. AgShare II Focus
Agricultural value chain focus:
–Plant Breeding/Crop Science
–Soil and Water Management
–AICM/Agricultural Extension
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11. AgShare II Activities
• 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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12. Thank you!
Christine Geith, PhD
Michigan State University
geith@msu.edu
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