In a world characterized by globalization, and by an increasingly science-based and
knowledge-intensive environment, the access to information, and the capacity for converting
information into useful knowledge for different end-users and stakeholders, is becoming of
paramount importance. In the Regional and Sub-Regional Fora on agricultural research that
have taken place in the last two years (1996-1998) the need to promote the development of
Agricultural Information (or Knowledge) Systems has been clearly emphasized, as a way of
responding to these considerations, and as an important tool for strengthening the National
Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and for improving the effectiveness of agricultural
research. Another important consideration that has emerged in all these Fora is the increasing
risk of inequity, between and within countries, because of their different capacity to access and
use information and improved technologies. The risk of exclusion and of increasing technology
gaps, is one of the possible consequences of the rapid rate of technical change being faced at
present. Here Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Information Systems, if
well managed, can play an important role.