INFORMATION NETWORK ON POST-HARVEST OPERATIONS
Dr Carolin Bothe
GTZ Visiting Scientist to FAO/AGSI
Information Network on Post-harvest Operations (INPhO)
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INPhO expansion and redesign
The "Information Network on Post-harvest Operations" had been in the Internet for more then two years now. In this period the project has received a lot of feedback, suggestions and recommendation. During the last month the INPhO team made great efforts to incorporate a big part of these comments. The result of this is:
Redesign of the Cookbook (Recettes de cuisine, Recetas de cocina)
The INPhO Cookbook is now available with improved search functions and a new design. It provides 795 dishes containing more than 500 different ingredients from 26 commodity groups. The recipes originate from more than 50 countries.
Redesign of the Who’s Who (Qui est qui, Quién es quién)
The Who’s Who was one of the first INPhO applications. As of today 174 Experts from 40 countries have provided their personal profiles. Like the Cookbook the Who’s Who has undergone a redesign. Besides the different look a search for countries or cities and a free keyword search were added to the functionalities. As before experts can add and up-date their personal details via an online input interface.
Traditional Storage (Stockages vivriers traditionnels, Almacenes tradicionales)
The database on Traditional Storage provides detailed information on the construction of traditional stores and storage techniques in Africa. The main purpose of this database is to give extension workers and others some ideas of the many traditional ways of storing food crops in order to provide ideas where small improvements in the light of new technologies and needs can create a well adapted store. The database can be searched by stored products, building materials and/or countries, as well by ethnic group.
Image Gallery (Galerie d'images, Galería de imágenes)
In the Image Gallery a wide range of pictures covering subjects such as stores, insects, storage damage, equipment, processing and many others can be found. The gallery can be browsed page by page or you can search it by country, commodity and/or topic.
Link Database (Banque de liens, Banca de Enlaces)
In the Link Database more than 200 post-harvest related links can be found. They can be search by URL, organization, country, topic or information type. A summary and keywords as well as countries and commodities of relevance describe each link.
Ph-Store & Ph-Shop (Grenier-Pr & Echoppe-Pr, Almacén-Pc & Tienda-Pc)
A visit to the Ph-Store will give direct access to all INPhO applications, including the databases already described. It guides to information according to the logic of the search and the subject. It’s recommendable to enter INPhO via the Ph-Store, if a very specific search, e.g. for the address of an Expert or an Institution, should be performed.
Entering the site via the Ph-Shop the search possibilities are not particularly specific, but several databases can be searched at the same time and a useful overview can be obtained.
Download option
It now is possible to download complete publications from the INPhO Virtual Library to the harddisk as a compressed zip-file. After unzipping they can be read locally without connecting to the Internet. The "Document Download Help" within "Help & Glossary" guides through the process. All new and improved tools are available in English and French. Some parts of the Cookbook are also available in Spanish. The Spanish version will be added as soon as possible.
INPhO would be happy to receive contributions for one or more of the elements described. Of course contributors and/or their organization will receive full credit with their names mentioned as the source of the information provided. All copyrights remain with the originator. In exchange for data INPhO can provide the databases and its structures for local use of institutions and organizations.
The INPhO website can be found at <http://www.fao.org/inpho/. The networks e-mail is <inpho@fao.org.
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Washington State University Postharvest Information Network
A useful source of postharvest information can be found at: http://www.postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu/http://www.postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu/
The Postharvest Information Network is an educational service of Washington State University, located at the Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee. The information contained on this site comes through the office of Eugene Kupferman, Extension Horticulturist, specializing in tree fruit quality, postharvest handling and storage of apples, pears and cherries. Information is included from scientists at WSU, USDA-ARS, WTFRC (Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission) and other research institutions. Information previously published in journals, newsletters or proceedings is also included.
The site contains extension and research information on harvesting, storage, disorders, diseases, packing and improving quality of apples, cherries and pears. Most of the information that was previously published in the Tree Fruit Postharvest Journal is on the site, together with some information from the Proceedings of the Washington Tree Fruit Postharvest Conference.
The Tree Fruit Postharvest Journal will cease publication and relevant information will be placed on the website instead.
For further information contact:
Dr Eugene Kupferman, Postharvest Specialist, Tree Fruit Quality, WSU TFREC, 1100 North Western Ave, Wenatchee, WA 98801, USA.

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LISTSERVS/MAILING LISTs IN INDIAN NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SYSTEM
S K Singh* & Sadachari Singh Tomar†
 *   In charge, ARIS CELL,  CIRG Makdoom, †   ADG (ARIS),  ICAR, New Delhi


HORTI-NET

Out of modern Information Technology tools available, e-mail is very popular and has been widely used in our day to day life. The listservs or mailing lists are some kind of e-mail management software. These software registers the e-mail addresses of the persons who intend to be member of a particular discussion group  or  technology development group by keeping them into a specific file. On a receipt of an e-mail addressed to the mailing list, the list server software takes the e-mail addresses of all person registered to the list from concern file and copy the mail at all addresses instantly. Thus, a number of e-mail addresses maintained in a file by the mailing list software are called the mailing lists. The subscription and un-subscription of e-mail addresses from the mailing list can be either automatic or moderated by the system administrator or moderator. The lists are prepared with specific name which generally reflects the purpose for which it has been created, e.g., the list created by Central Institute for Research on Goats (CIRG), Mathura for dissemination of  information on topics related to design and creation of Local Area Network (LAN), setting up of an Interanet and connecting it to Internet under Agriculture Research Information System (ARIS) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) was named aris-net. The aris-net mailing list was configured on the goat.up.nic.in internet server. Thus the e-mail address of mailing list becomes <aris-net@goat.up.nic.in. If a person wishes to post any information or wish to query any problem related to ARIS and computer networking, he may send a mail addressed to <aris-net@goat.up.nic.in, then the "Majordomo"  a mailing list server will take the e-mail addresses of all the person from the list aris-net and copy the mail to all addresses instantly. The present members of the aris-net mailing list include faculty of State Agriculture Universities (SAU), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) and scientists of Agriculture Research Service of  ICAR who are involved in ARIS.
Thus, a person need not to know the e-mail addresses of all experts available in the field and send mail individually to them. However the experts available in the field must become the member of the list and users must know the e-mail address of the mailing list. This article is written keeping in view all agricultural scientists, research workers, state government officials, farmers etc. who uses our network so that they are aware about the utilities of such mailing lists and lists available in the field of agriculture science in India.
The Internet around the world has thousands of such lists running on a variety of topics and people are successfully making use of such lists  for information dissemination. The "aris-net@goat.up.nic.in" has been a great success in dissemination of knowledge generated from within National Agriculture Research System which consist of State Agriculture Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendra and ICAR Institutes. With this service many institutes have been able to configure their servers, developed LAN, Internet, VSATS etc. by getting their doubts cleared as and when they arise by posting them on this list. Then experts on receipt of mail from list server reply to the query back to the server which is again copied to all members. By seeing the success of the aris-net mailing list, its utilities and demand from other scientists, ARIS Cell of CIRG has configured the following  specific lists to cater to the need of agriculture in India:
1. agri-net : For any topic related to agriculture in general and all scientist of NARS system, officers of Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, District Agriculture Officials and state level Agriculture officers may take advantage from this list by becoming the member of this mailing list.
2. horti-net : For horticulture research related discussions and development and problems specific to India.
3. crop-net : For discussion on topics related to research and development of crops in India and around. All experts and development officials in the field may participate in the discussion through this list.
4. fish-net :  For discussion and dissemination of information in fish science. All fisheries related scientists, development officials may become member of the group.
The Utility of Mailing Lists in NARS
India is a big country and dissemination of information from one corner to another via conventional means may take months and need a lot of resources. It may so happen that by the time information reaches to an user the value of knowledge become out dated. Imagine, the case of endemic and epidemics in Livestock or fish where action on prevention has to be taken on war footing. In such cases relevant knowledge, if not available, has to be collected from experts in the filed and utilized immediately. The problem comes in identifying the experts, searching their addresses and making contacts which becomes time consuming, expensive and tedious. In such situation mailing lists will be of great use as single mail would reach to all experts in  the field available and many of them can interactively suggest the remedy to the problem. The ARIS Unit at ICAR Hq. has prepared the address book containing the e-mail addresses on its server for experts related to Agril. Engg., crop science Natural Resources Mangement, Fishery, Agriculture Extension, Education, Horticulture and other declines. Similarly the computer ‘address book’ relating to SAUs, ICAR Institutes, Vice Chancellors, Directors, ARIS Incharge etc. are also available from which one can select the needed information.
In near future most of the Scientists, Officials of state government, DAC, KVK and district administration dealing with Agriculture, Animal sciences, Fisheries, progressive farmers, block developmental officers will be members of lists created on topics of their interest. Only awareness about utility and availability of such lists has to be generated presently. The main lists have been created by CIRG and the need of hour is that experts become member and utilise these mailing lists already created for benefit of all linked with agriculture. Once membership is attained everyone can contribute as per their knowledge and ability. Various other such list servs can also be established at various other locations of ICAR Institutes, SAUs etc.
How to become member?
The membership to the lists created by CIRG on agricultural topics is on simple request and is handled automatically. Presently, anyone from the NARS with valid e-mail address can send mail to <majordomo@goat.up.nic.in with following line in the body text:
Subscribe ’list-name’
where list-name is the real name of the list. More than one lists can be subscribed using single e-mail. In such case above line has to be written as many times as the sender wants to subscribe. On receipt of request the majordomo software sends a mail for confirmation and if confirmed it automatically registers the e-mail address in its list. Thereafter, any mail received in the list-name is forwarded to all registered members.
Future Possibilities
Presently we feel that 7seven lists are sufficient but if any one in NARS feel the need for another list, CIRG Mathura and ICAR ARIS Unit can add it. The Kerla Agricultural University (KAU) has built up a library consisting of digitized information based on agriculture with 24-hours access through server. The KAU may also like to use the listserv facility in related discussion group. Similarly, the ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Shillong; JNKVV, Jabalpur; CPRI, Shimla; CSWCR&TI, Dehradun; Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat; CIFE, Mumbai; PDKV, Akola; GAU, Sardar Krushinagar may also like to start listserv activities based on their expertise to benefit NARS.
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