What we do
The restructuring of CTA resulted into three operational departments instead of four and an Office in Brussels, namely:
- Information Products and Dissemination Department (IPDD)
- Communication Services Department (CSD) and,
- Planning and Strategic Services Department (PSSD) and
- Operational Office in Brussels
To further improve our efficiency and effectiveness. The marketing unit launched in 2009 under IPDD, will be further reinforced in 2010 to put a more commercial spin on our activities, and to raise awareness of our work throughout the world.
In keeping with the new organisational structure, a number of programmes and services have been: (1) consolidated to better serve our strategic partners; (2) renamed to provide greater clarity regarding the aim of the programme; (3) linked more closely to ensure synergy and coherence.
Agricultural Trade Programme
Agricultural trade issues, as a strong catalyst for growth and poverty reduction in ACP countries and a central issue in ACP-EU relations, are one of CTA’s key thematic priorities, as set out in its strategic plan for 2007-2010. For more than 15 years, CTA has been working in partnership with...
Media Services
CTA’s new organisational structure makes provision for the creation of a Media Services Programme within the Communication Services Department, to ensure that various aspects of the work of the Centre in relation to mass media are integrated and made more coherent. Special attention will be given to combining both electronic and traditional media.
This decision is consistent with...
Publishing in Print and Electronic Formats
Due to scarcity of and limited access to information resources on ACP agricultural and rural development, CTA produces, co-produces and distributes through its Publications Distribution Service (PDS) publications on a large number of related issues, including cross-cutting issues, identified in its Strategic Plan 2007-2010.
CTA co-publishes between 35 and 40 titles every year (n...
Science & Technology Strategies
ACP scientific communities must be adequately resourced and effectively linked to policymakers and agricultural stakeholders to spur agricultural innovation that leads to increased agricultural productivity and competitiveness and socio-economic development.
Since 2003, CTA has played a vital role in: (i) enhancing the intra and inter ACP/EU science, technology and innovation (ST...
Distribution of publications in print, electronic and audiovisual formats
The Publications Distribution Service (PDS) is CTA’s main outreach arm, with Spore/Esporo reaching over 46,000 subscribers. PDS also distributes other (institutional and co-) publications in both electronic and print formats including CD-ROMs as well as non-CTA reference publications to 38,000 subscribers (from the 46,000 subscribers to Spore/Esporo).
In 2008, CTA...
ICT Observatory
ICTs are one of CTA's cross-cutting issues. The ICT Observatory was created in 1998 to study and monitor suitable technologies for use in information and communication management (ICM) that may be of benefit to rural communities within Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP).
Following the restructuring at CTA in 2009, the Observatories will be part of the monitoring system...
Information and Communication Technologies for Development and Information and Communication Management Services Programme
CTA’s Strategic Plan 2007-2010 recognises the very rapid growth in ICTs, epitomised by two developments: growth of the Internet and the astonishing proliferation of mobile phones. These developments have transformed the way agricultural and rural development information is communicated and shared. However, few ACP farmers and particularly rural women and youth can benefit directly from the...
Seminars and Training Programme
CTA’s Strategic Plan 2007 – 2010 stipulates that the Centre will continue to support thematic seminars and ICM training through face-to-face meetings and electronic fora. CTA sees the need to continue to maintain its support for thematic seminars that bring together high level ACP, EU and international experts to share knowledge and debate topical and emerging agriculture and rural develop...
Strengthening information services in ACP countries
One of the priorities of CTA’s Strategic Plan for the period 2007-2010 is to improve the effectiveness of the Centre’s actions. The INFOIR survey carried out in 2008 in ten ACP countries on the impact of CTA’s products and services highlighted a desire among beneficiaries for greater rationalisation and consistency as regards CTA’s actions. The recent organisational restructuring of CTA co...
Needs Assessment, Priority-setting and Evaluation
CTA is constantly striving to improve its efficiency and sustainability, and to expand the outreach of its actions by systematically surveying the appropriate markets for information products and services in ACP and EU countries.
Needs assessments, priority-setting exercises and independent evaluations of CTA’s products and services have become common practice in CTA’s way of wo...
