New UN web site to give wider access to agriculture, science, data

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today the creation of a computer-based system designed to give students and researchers in some of the world’s poorest countries access to scientific literature on agriculture, nutrition and related biological and environmental sciences.

FAO, in a press release issued in Rome, said the system, called Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA), would be a public-private initiative that would provide the research and data from 400 scientific journals at little or no cost, and provide outlet for academicians and researchers to publish their work.

“The demand for scientific literature in developing countries has gone unfulfilled for many years. Gaining access to current scientific information has become a daily struggle for thousands of students, researchers and academics,” FAO said.

“While students are unable to access the literature and acquire the knowledge they need, researchers and academics are confronted with mounting difficulties in publishing their findings in peer-reviewed journals, updating their teaching curricula and identifying funding.”

Anton Mangstl, Director of FAO's Library and Documentation Systems Division, said, “By bringing together bilateral agencies, UN agencies, private foundations and international scientific publishers, AGORA demonstrates that the public and private sectors can work together to build greater momentum towards building a world without hunger.”