KariaNet is a multi-stakeholder partnership between the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and IFAD-funded projects in the Middle East and North Africa. It aims to enhance networking among IFAD-funded rural and agricultural development projects in the region in order to improve knowledge sharing and information/experience exchange through the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). It started in January 2005 and will last for 3 years. Five (5) countries, i.e. Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia, were identified and two (2) projects per country were selected to be the founding core of the network. Stepwise, it will expand through opening to all IFAD-funded projects in all countries in the region. As a ultimate outcome, KariaNet will pilot an initiative that seeks to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas, and empower the rural people through an improved access to information and knowledge.

See KariaNet Presentation

Download KariaNet Brochure

KariaNet Vision: In the Near East and North Africa region, rural development partners, including IFAD-funded projects and their staff, value and depend on sharing of knowledge and experiences. IFAD-funded projects are linking people and accessing information in a way that contributes to fulfilling their overall objectives, and contributing to the MDGs. Relationships between rural communities and KariaNet project-members are strengthened and local communication is improved. An increase in information flow and knowledge exchange is contributing towards higher incomes and better living standards in rural areas. KariaNet project-members are recognised for their knowledge based on practice and experience, and KariaNet is valued by the development community as a useful source of knowledge on rural poverty reduction. New IFAD-funded projects value knowledge sharing, and integrate exchange of experiences and learning processes, thereby strengthening communication, partnerships and impact achievement

KariaNet Mission: Looking forward to support its project-members to enhance their impact on rural poverty alleviation, KariaNet aims at establishing an ICT-mediated network of IFAD-funded projects in the Near East and North Africa with the scope to share knowledge and exchange experiences. The network will:

• Provide support to set-up and efficiently use information and communication technologies (ICTs);
• Harvest information, and facilitate access to it;
• Promote communication within and between KariaNet project-members, on the one hand, and between the latter and their partners, on the other;
• Nurture communities of practice and practitioners;
• Foster learning and sharing among its project-members;
• Build the capacity of its project-members' staff to capture, manage and disseminate knowledge; and,
• Foster networking efforts between partners involved in rural poverty eradication.

Through a pilot project, KariaNet will promote the use of ICT amongst rural poor populations and their organizations, as well as assessing and responding to their information and knowledge needs.