Interesting books on Agriculture at your disposal: Subscribe to CTA Publishing!

From where do we obtain Agricultural information?

We all look for information everyday and depending on our needs, we get them from different sources. When it comes to Agricultural Information, the stakeholders engaged in the Agricultural Value Chain obtain their information from various sources: indigenous knowledge from parents/relatives in the field,  from extension officers, from books/publications, from the internet, from mobile applications, by watching documentaries or following TV and radio programmes. 
 
These are few examples of the many alternatives that we have to access agricultural information. But today my focus will be on books and publications. Where can we get good ones from reliable sources?

As a young professional in Agriculture, I always look for information on different topics and have been relying mainly on the internet, social media, local extension services and personal contacts, as these are where I could get updated information from. But recently, I have subscribed to CTA Publishing and was surprised and glad to note how much information and publications have been put to our disposal and most of them can be accessed online and downloaded!

What is CTA Publishing about?

CTA Publishing Website was launched earlier this year in February and contains numerous publications by CTA and those published with other co-authors. What is interesting about CTA Publishing is that publications are available under 15 topics and whether you are a farmer, an entrepreneur, a trainer, researcher or anyone along the agricultural value chain, you will definitely find something which will be of interest to you. In terms of language also, the website and the publications are available in English, French and Portuguese versions.

Subscribing

To have access to the resources on CTA Publishing, one has to subscribe, which can be done on this Link. You also have the possibility to subscribe to the CTA Publishing Newsletter to get latest news/offers regarding publications on the website. Being a subscriber gives you the opportunity to order printed copies of the publications on the website or access them online. The good thing is that unlike many other websites, most ( but not all though!) of the publications on CTA Publishing can be viewed online and can be downloaded!

The limitations

The main limitation of CTA Publishing is that it you need to be from an organisation/department/unit in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, hence making it a bit difficult for individuals who are not linked to any organisation to subscribe and benefit from it.

Some figures

I recently attended a presentation on the CTA publishing, and it was interesting to get some figures on how many people are subscribed and what type of publications they are usually interested in. More information in the presentation:

My thoughts

I personally think that the resources available on the website are of very good quality and many of them are new publications (some even published in 2012). I have used them myself for work and to build my knowledge on different topics and these can be useful to anyone along the agriculture value chains.

If you are not subscribed to CTA Publishing, you can visit the website and do so now! http://publications.cta.int/ 

About Nawsheen Hosenally

Nawsheen Hosenally, a national of the Republic of Mauritius, has over 6 years of experience in the agricultural sector, specifically focusing on the engagement of youth in agriculture through the use of ICTs. Currently, Nawsheen is the co-Founder of Agribusiness TV, a web TV that features success stories of young agricultural entrepreneurs in Africa. Nawsheen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Extension from the University of Mauritius, and a Master’s degree in Management and Information Systems from the University of Manchester.

One thought on “Interesting books on Agriculture at your disposal: Subscribe to CTA Publishing!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.