Document - International Farm Management Association

20th International Farm Management Congress, Laval University, Québec City, Québec, Canada
62
CRAAQ: THE COOPERATION NETWORK FOR KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION
IN QUEBEC
Brigitte Dumont, agronomist, MBA, General Manager
Centre de référence en agriculture et agroalimentaire du Québec (CRAAQ).
Abstract
The Centre de référence en agriculture et agroalimentaire du Québec (CRAAQ) is a unique model of
cooperation and knowledge dissemination for the agriculture and agri-food sector in Canada. CRAAQ is
a non-profit organization with a principal mandate to promote cooperation amongst its expert members
and those of other agricultural and agri-food organizations in order to communicate knowledge, to create
and to disseminate reference tools and carry out networking activities in the agriculture and agri-food
sector.
CRAAQ is the only organization to bring together over 500 expert members grouped into 30
committees and commissions touching upon many areas of expertise and involvement. These experts are
farm managers, agronomists, researchers, trainers, or front-line advisors. Meetings amongst
professionals, the exchange of points of view, the richness of content and complementary nature of their
knowledge are transformed into substantive materials, positions and recommendations which take into
consideration the essential elements and concerns of all. They also give rise to initiatives that bear fruit
through the coordination of developmental projects for the sector, or through information days,
symposiums, forums, publications and websites.
1. Introduction
1.1. Who we are
The Centre de référence en agriculture et agroalimentaire du Québec (CRAAQ) is a unique model of
cooperation and knowledge dissemination for the agriculture and agri-food sector in Canada. CRAAQ is a
non-profit organization with a principal mandate to promote cooperation amongst its expert members and
those of other agricultural and agri-food organizations in order to communicate knowledge, to create and to
disseminate reference tools and carry out networking activities in the agriculture and agri-food sector.
Established in 2000, the CRAAQ was an amalgamation of previous government information services.
CRAAQ brings together over 500 expert members grouped into 30 committees and commissions
touching upon many areas of expertise and involvement. The diagram below is showing the diversity and the
network with whom CRAAQ works:
 Universities, colleges and research centers;
 Federal and provincial governments and agencies;
 Quebec producer’s union: UPA (Union des producteurs agricoles) and farm managers;
 Advisors and agronomists either from the public or private sector.
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20th International Farm Management Congress, Laval University, Québec City, Québec, Canada
CRAAQ: THE COOPERATION NETWORK FOR KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION IN QUEBEC
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These committees and commissions will have meetings amongst member of the specific group to
exchange of points of view. The richness of content and complementary nature of their knowledge are
transformed into substantive materials, positions and recommendations which take into consideration the
essential elements and concerns of all. They also give rise to initiatives that bear fruit through the
coordination of developmental projects for the sector, or through information days, symposiums, forums,
publications and websites.
The coordination of those committees and commissions is carried out by CRAAQ’s multidisciplinary
team. This team is also composed of 30 competent and professional support resources in several fields:
information technology, logistics, project management, coordination of work groups, editing, graphic design,
distribution and customer service.
1.2. What we do
Our work starts with networking of experts and organizations as mentioned above. From these
networking activities will result either integrated development and knowledge management projects, or the
development of support tool for networking or for the sector’s need. The aim is optimum dissemination.
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20th International Farm Management Congress, Laval University, Québec City, Québec, Canada
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BRIGITTE DUMONT
Dissemination of information takes multiple forms: publications, events, online tools and websites.
The dissemination of knowledge and information provided by CRAAQ’s expert members and
collaborators generally translates into the production of publications for its diverse clientele. As a publisher,
the CRAAQ’s catalogue has currently over 250 publications originating from the works of its committees and
commissions or carried out in partnership with different organizations. These contents are presented mostly in
the form of guides, fact sheets, starter kits, directories and conference proceedings allowing all customers to
benefit from the expertise of its network. The CRAAQ has also increased the scope of its contents by
positioning itself on the digital books market.
CRAAQ’s events are a platform for exchanges and meetings, a must for professionals and businesses in
the sector. Each year, we organize 15 to 20 events that attract nearly 5 000 participants. Content relevance,
quality and choice of lecture topics make the CRAAQ a leader in the broadcasting of knowledge and
expertise for the agriculture and agri-food sector in Quebec. The live webcasting of our events has increased
significantly in the last few years and allows the consultants, producers and other stakeholders from distant
regions to access cutting edge information and knowledge.
Information technologies are increasingly present in the work of agricultural and agri-food industry
stakeholders. For many years now, the CRAAQ has been a leader in the development of technological tools
to firstly, help its clients be more efficient and secondly, make its contents accessible to the widest possible
audience. Thus the CRAAQ provides to its diverse clientele some 20 online services, such as Agri-Réseau
(translates to Agri-Network), a directory of 36 websites that offers a quick and free access to the knowledge
and expertise of Quebec’s agricultural and agri-food network, as well as the Bureau virtuel agricole et
agroalimentaire (translates to the Virtual Office) which aims to facilitate exchanges between agricultural
consultants by using collaboration and communication tools.
With this experience on hand, dozens of organizations and enterprises from the agricultural and agri-food
sector have entrusted the CRAAQ with major event organizing, document editing or networking tool
development, promotion, broadcasting and content management using information technologies. By doing
so, they benefit from an all-inclusive package or specific services tailored according to their needs and from
our extensive experience in work carried out through partnerships and collaborations.
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July 2015 - ISBN 978-92-990062-4-5 - www.ifmaonline.org - Congress Proceedings
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20th International Farm Management Congress, Laval University, Québec City, Québec, Canada
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Thousands of producers and stakeholders update and expand their knowledge thanks to the quality of
available expertise, and the accessibility and credibility of the information provided.
2. CRAAQ (key figures)
To summarize, here is CRAAQ in number:
 30 committees and commissions
 500 members from 250 organizations
 35 corporate members
 30 employees
 A collection of over 250 publications
 17 000 clients: agricultural and agri-food enterprises, extension specialists,
organizations and other stakeholders in the sector
 36 specialized websites on Agri-Réseau
 1 000 members, 36 communities on our collaborative platform – Bureau virtuel
 Near 3 000 followers on our social medias accounts
 5 800 publications and 735 economic fact sheets sold annually
 30 videos (information, conferences, training)
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July 2015 - ISBN 978-92-990062-4-5 - www.ifmaonline.org - Congress Proceedings
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