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Achievements
Preparatory Phase: The preparatory phase successfully established a functional network in Africa and Europe, developed the format for the webdatabase and produced a species list of 6,400 species. During this phase the useful plants were categorised into sixteen commodity groups, the prototype for the review articles was developed and the partners arrived at an international consensus on implementation of the programme during the First International Workshop which brought together 121 participants from 30 countries.
First Implementation phase: A target of completing 40% of the information system was achieved correspond to the available funding. Six handbooks with high quality information were produced. Six brainstorm workshops were held to analyse the core products and come up with recommendations for the six PROTA target groups on immediate opportunities research, thesis subjects, priority technologies and species and development opportunities.
In addition to the knowledge synthesis, the programme launched eight small-grant pilot projects, i.e. PROTA Small Projects Initiative (PSPI), to reach indirect users such as farmers’ groups and rural communities. The PSPI is envisioned to maximize the use of PROTA information in rural development activities for sustainable use of plant resources.
Second Implementation Phase: By the end of this phase an interactive information platform (PROTA4U) will have been completed with c. 9000 moderated species records of which many species will have a (re)validated review article. During this project period 3 commodity stakeholder consultations will be conducted. In cooperation with ITOCA a major boost in outreach and training will be realized. Under adequate training and capacity building, all program responsibilities will have been transferred to the African network by the end of the project. A third International Workshop (2012) will aim at an Action Plan for the Final Implementation Phase 2013-2015.
Future prospects
PROTA's fundamental 3-step approach of knowledge synthesis, knowledge dissemination, and knowledge utilisation remains as valid today as when PROTA was first created. At the same time, PROTA4U will open up many new, exciting possibilities plus new challenges for expanding and managing the PROTA knowledge base, and disseminating information to traditional and many potential new users.
Two concrete examples of new opportunities that will stem from PROTA4U are: (1) being able to advance knowledge on all 16 commodity groups simultaneously (whereas before work was restricted to one commodity at a time), and (2) for those with internet access, being able to get latest, most current public domain information available at the click of a mouse. Major challenges of course include quality control, and dissemination of information to users who do not have internet access, e.g. through mobipocket techology.
The focus on best use of best-available information and knowledge is at the heart of the PROTA Mission "Developing and maintaining a user-oriented plant resource information system and widely disseminating and promoting its use through key strategic actions and partnerships".
Challenges
The main challenges faced during the First Implementation Phase were sub-optimal funding and failure of PROTA to align with the African agenda as championed by AU-NEPAD initiatives. The other challenge is the sustainability of the programme beyond the project life and subsequent maintenance and update of the web database.
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State of Affairs
