Frequently Asked Questions

How did the idea for this event come about, what was the starting point?

The initial impulse was given by the FAO Director-General about three years ago.  FAO has always had a very good reputation for its information and knowledge dissemination activities through its corporate web site, its publications programmes and its conferences and workshops.  However,  the Director-General was concerned on how we should deal with the so called “tacit knowledge” of the Organization, that is to say, the expertise, experience and lessons learned, particularly from the field,  which remains “trapped” inside the heads of its staff, and confined to the small circle of individuals with whom each person interacts. 

The challenge is to create a culture where people are eager to collaborate and share their knowledge. Recently, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has invited staff to reflect on this issue: “We must acknowledge how resistant we are to change. It cripples us in our most important job - to function as a team.”  Adding that, “the only way to change the culture of the UN is through teamwork.”

But this is not only an FAO problem: it is also manifest to WFP, IFAD and the other Rome-based agencies such as Bioversity International and the ICT-KM Program of the CGIAR. That is perhaps the main reason why the “Share Fair” is a joint event with our sister organizations,  and should be seen as a way of working together, aligning collaboration and sharing practices towards achieving better impact in agricultural and rural development.

Why is there a need to share experiences and information across agencies?

The Rome-based agencies are all trying to address the issues raised above, so they really can benefit from doing this together, and learning from each other. At the same time, the need for increased coordination is considered a high priority by the Governing Bodies. Although with slightly different mandates, the Rome-based agencies can optimize their resources by working collaboratively, avoiding duplication of work. The sharing of experiences,  knowledge and information is certainly a key aspect of this,  and therefore the Knowledge “Share Fair” comes at a most opportune time to catalyze this,  allowing staff from all organizations to network, interact and learn together.

How can the Fair facilitate sharing?

A knowledge sharing event, such as this one, can be seen as one small initial step towards achieving the desired institutional change by raising awareness to the concrete benefits that knowledge sharing can bring to all staff in their day-to-day work. In addition to breaking down some of the walls that impede greater knowledge sharing, there is also a need to demystify what exactly is meant by “Knowledge Management”, “Knowledge Sharing”, and the related terminology that is commonly used. It is hoped that the “Share Fair” will not only showcase real and practical examples where knowledge sharing has made a difference, but will also help to clarify that Knowledge Management is not about doing new things, but about doing things in a new way.

 

Have similar events been held in the past?

At FAO, this event is the first of its kind in trying to reach out to ALL staff as part of a “Culture Change” effort.  One year ago, a large Web 2.0 for Development Conference was held in collaboration with many of the same institutions as the “Share Fair”. Web2forDev presented new tools, methods and approaches for sharing information, but it was targeted externally. The “Share Fair”, on the other hand, is an internal event for all staff from the Rome-based agencies, though accessible to external stakeholders through a dedicated web site at http://www.sharefair.net.

 

Why is it called a fair?

The very idea of a “fair” as opposed to a conference or workshop suggests we are talking about something new.  The event strives to introduce a new concept of social gathering, with knowledge sharing at its core – noting however that “knowledge cannot be treated as a commodity” (Report of the Independent External Evaluation of FAO, Paragraph 968). Though new to FAO, the idea is not novel in the development community.  For example, reference can be made to the "Dare to Share” Fair on "Managing Knowledge and Skills for Development", organized in 2004 by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Around 200 people from more than 30 countries came together to share the ways they have learned from experience. The word “Dare”, linked by the SDC to their event, explicitly addresses a fundamental aspect of sharing: people have some degree of apprehension in freely sharing knowledge.  They are aware that there is a certain amount of risk inherent in making relevant knowledge available to the people who need it, when and where they need it. Hence, the new generation of Fair events ideally aims to encourage people to come out of the confines of their offices and to connect with colleagues in a friendly, open, and enticing environment.

 

How do these events work?

Knowledge Sharing is about more than just sharing. It is about “working together”, “helping each other”, and also about “being creative”, “innovation”, “participation”, “learning” and “collaboration”. There are very specific methods, tools and approaches to help tacit knowledge become more tangible. Among these approaches are storytelling, open space events and chat shows, for which more information can be found on the Knowledge Sharing Toolkit developed by CGIAR and FAO.

The FAO Atrium will be turned into a buzzing, interactive and collaborative workspace, a kind of “sandbox” for learning if you like. Online demonstrations will be made within appealing stalls, people will aggregate in coached and facilitated sessions to learn how others have creatively used knowledge sharing techniques to improve the effectiveness and quality of their work, and assess how they themselves can apply what they have learned from others to their own particular areas of work.

Time for networking has also been built into the agenda throughout the Fair, hence poster sessions and coffee breaks, together with a “chill-out” space, will allow people to connect with other people, linking ideas and exchanging opinions in a natural way and relaxed setting. The field and regional offices will be involved via internet, extending the event beyond the confines of Headquarters to the decentralized offices that have perhaps the greatest need for a free flow of knowledge and information being physically disconnected from Rome.

The bottom line is that, in addition to being useful, knowledge sharing is also fun!  People should expect the “Share Fair’ to be an informative, innovative, inspiring, and enjoyable experience!

Who will attend the Fair?

The main audience for this event are the staff members of Bioversity International, the CGIAR ICT-KM program, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and World Food Programme (WFP).

I would like to present a project, how do I submit a proposal?

See the Call for Proposals.  Proposals may be sent to: share-fair@fao.org.

Will you publish proceedings from the Fair?

Yes, all presentations will be made available via the Share Fair Web site.

Do you offer travel funds?

No. At this moment, no provisions are available to fund travels for external partners.

How do I keep in touch?

Using the Web 2.0 tools provides us with the opportunity to keep everyone informed and involved. Here are some tools that you can link to and participate in: