5.3.2.4 Mechanisms for disseminating information
Information dissemination mechanisms should be developed in parallel with decentralization policies, for it is the quality and quantity of the information provided to civil society and the private sector that alone can guarantee that they participate and are well represented. It is important to remember that the diversity of local stakeholders demands a variety of means for disseminating information. The basic lines of policy for AKST support developed at the local level and those implemented in each area should start from comparative evaluations and a mutual understanding of the contribution of each as the basis for developing appropriate technologies locally. Information generated at this level, if it includes information about traditional knowledge and know-how, could be useful to decision makers as
well as to the regional or national technical and academic bodies.

The legal rules with respect to AKST tend to be applied more successfully if they include mechanisms for disseminating information. A clear policy on information, disclosure and distribution of new findings in agriculture, science and technology will guarantee their proper use.

There should be policies to promote consensus-building and coordination between civil society, the state and the private sector as to the kind of information to be shared, which new discoveries should be publicized and when, and what contents should be revealed in light of the potential of civil society, so as to ensure smooth operation at all levels of decision- making. Given the existing asymmetries between social groups and players, actions should be planned to strengthen negotiation mechanisms so as to strike a fairer balance in the relative clout of the different sectors in setting AKST priorities. If information is clear and readily understandable by civil society organizations and rural people, this will contribute to the operational objective. To this end, specific policies need to be designed to promote access to information for marginalized rural groups.

articipatory methods could be seen as AKST support policies with a view to integrating rural communities into the technical information system, and at the same time integrating the academic sector into local knowledge and knowhow, and in this way jointly to generate new knowledge, science and technology.

The kind of information disclosed to rural communities must consider their perspective, the integration of technical information and local knowledge, and the use of visual supports that are easy for them to understand, and civil society should be included in guidelines for planning and implementing projects and programs.

Finally, it is crucial to ensure the dissemination of successful experiments in applying the legal frameworks and implementing the AKST support policy agendas or generating new technologies and innovations. To this end there are many tools such as field tours, exchange of experience, farmer-to-farmer training, and local agricultural research committees.

5.3.2.5 Effective mechanisms for evaluating and monitoring policies
Such mechanisms are a vital condition to support the process

process of democratizing AKST. In Latin America and the Caribbean there are policies, programs and projects in place, but there are no mechanisms to evaluate their performance, measure their impact, or reformulate them in light of local needs. This weakness is glaringly evident in civil society, which in past decades was under the thumb of government. With the trend towards new forms of government based on collaboration and networking, it is time to consider some basic criteria for evaluating policies:

• Policies that involve civil society in their design and implementation can respond better to local AKST problems.
• Pilot projects implemented at the local level to test new knowledge and technologies could provide guidance for policy decisions in support of AKST.
• An inter-sectoral approach to policy, i.e., the review of policies in different areas that serve the same national objective and the repeal of those that do not fit the government agenda.
• In implementing policies there must be constant information on the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved.

5.3.3 Local actions
There has been much discussion of the importance and the roles of civil society in a new approach to governance based on cooperation and networking. While civil society can alter in its favor the balance of power between state and society, it can also exert pressure for better government management or articulate interests by acting as intermediary. It is important to recognize as well that it has certain capacities to address these new challenges.

Grass-roots players (peasants and indigenous people) have developed certain knowledge, skills, abilities and other individual attributes relating to economic activities, which are recognized as human capital. As well, local societies have developed a series of social relations and rules for more effectively achieving common objectives, known as social capital.

The human and social capital of countries is highly important for democratization, and it is clear that in many countries these capacities are enriched through decentralization and local capacity building. Following are some key actions for dealing with these processes at the local level:

5.3.3.1 Strengthening local grassroots institutions
Working to reduce rural illiteracy and functional illiteracy and to enhance human capital will be an important task for governments in integrating the local grassroots sectors. As well, building technical and political capacities as part of the rural school curriculum could promote a democratic culture and improve local stakeholders’ capacity for participation and negotiation.

Culturally appropriate training programs will be better accepted at the local level, where agriculture extension agents, indigenous or not, can become key links and can even serve as negotiators between the local and the government level with respect to AKST policy needs. Those agents must have capacities and skills based on experimental knowledge and learning. Moreover, considering that local technical cafromCK