Dr. Carama has just received an urgent request from the Director General of MMRI. The DG wants a clear statement of information priorities for the institute.
Click on the letter to read it.
Dr. Carama:
I have just received your budget request for next year. You have proposed an ambitious programme. I commend the enthusiasm of you and your staff, and I congratulate you for the progress you have made in making MMRI one of the leading providers of agricultural information in our country.
My only concern is vision. Where is the MMRI information programme going? Where should we be in five years? What are our priorities?
Your request contains budget lines for hardware and software, improved Internet access, subscriptions to hardcopy and electronic journals, publications in hardcopy and electronic formats, training of MMRI staff and our clients, and content development. But can we afford all these activities and improvements? Again my question: what are our highest priorities?
The purpose of this letter is to request you to undertake a systematic priority-setting exercise. I have two specific reasons for this request at this time.
First, the Ministry has asked MMRI to develop a 5-year information plan, and I believe that priority-setting is a good first step. Second, MMRI is running a budget deficit this year, as you know, and some people have suggested that we might consider reducing the size of our information programme. I am not in favour of this last alternative, but I need systematic priority-setting data in order to support my case.
Please think urgently about your "Priority Information Themes". I look forward to receiving a progress report from you within the next two weeks.
1. Setting Information Priorities
