About the Roundtable
Questions to be Addressed

The central proposition of the conference is that existing data and knowledge systems present significant constraints to, or might offer as yet untapped or undiscovered opportunities for, crop improvement.  The major questions addressed by Roundtable participants are:

• How can we ensure that crop improvement processes are responding specifically to the needs and opportunities of the poor?
• What are the key data/knowledge gaps within as well as among discipline-based contributions to crop development and delivery?
• What is the character of these constraints? Do they arise from absent or poorly functioning data collection systems; poorly designed, integrated, characterized or managed databases; technical and institutional obstacles to information sharing; lack of analytical platforms that add value to base information; or some other type of information- or knowledge-related problem?
• What would be the specific benefits of overcoming such constraints or seizing untapped opportunities?
• Armed with such insights, how might agendas best be shaped and alliances strengthened or forged so as to transform data, analysis, and knowledge systems in ways that will enhance and accelerate productivity growth in the cropping systems of most relevance to the poor?

This is not a business as usual event.  Contrary to most conferences, the aim is not to share experiences per se (unless those experiences directly address the above questions), but rather to engage participants on the subject of what is not being done, what needs to be done much better, and how progress should be made.  Of particular interest are those opportunities that would best be served by more effective collective action.