Technical cooperation. International organizations and knowledge transfer. Basis for your recovery.
GENERAL SYSTEM OF COOPERATION
Considering that cooperation actions imply a sequence of ordered instructions to help solve the problem of Colombian agriculture, it is necessary to think about qualitative algorithms and bear in mind that cooperation is a system, and as such, they are connected because a system to operationalize their Its own operating processes require algorithms to establish a series of continuous steps, rules, laws and instructions so that cooperation as a system acts in an orderly manner and its effects are those desired by society. Because the cooperation system is open, it receives and delivers information, therefore, it can be affected by the "decisions" that other related systems make, but, if it is already ordered and prepared, it can respond to external or internal decisions.
This algorithm and system relationship, when coming together, create the need to theorize and ask oneself what would be the best way and way to make the cooperation reach the producer and modify his aptitude towards the desired own and community progress? The answer is to be backed by a General Cooperation System that has methodologically designed instructions so that the system works by itself and not at random.
international-organizations-and-knowledge-transferThe General System of Cooperation proposed below (see Illustration 1 General System of Cooperation) is supported by the strategy formulated by the cooperant to provide cooperation services, a strategy that, when implemented, becomes the instrument that orders cooperation policies, norms, procedures and instructions to be followed by those who have to get involved in the cooperation system, organized into work teams to ensure the success of the corporate mandate.
Illustration 1 General System of Cooperation
The previous illustration shows the schematized proposal of the organizational system of cooperation, based on general principles of administration, being transcendental (Illustration 2 Principles) that the institutional prevails over anarchy, decentralization instead of centralization, self-regulation and not the external control, the systematization and organization of processes as opposed to improvisation and manual operation; communication instead of misinformation; and finally, the achievement of excellent, non-random products and results subjecting their success to chance.
Illustration 2 Prevalent and Non-Prevalent Principles
The General System of Cooperation outlined and exposed, is structured with the following Subsystems:
- Cooperation subsystems Administrative and financial subsystem Information subsystem
Cooperation subsystem
This Subsystem aligns what to do for agricultural cooperation organizations, which in order to be more successful must be strengthened with work teams that meet the requirements for technical and administrative management of each of the cooperation instruments.
Any initiative that arises from demand or supply, as a result of institutional relations (Illustration 3), must fit in with the vision, mission, objectives and areas of knowledge of the aid worker so as not to fall into a “slide” towards the exclusive management of economic resources. Likewise, the need to define the thematic areas to train producers and professionals becomes important, since in these areas lie the strengths and possibilities of negotiation by offering training as a “plus” to the execution of projects.
Illustration 3 Institutional Relations Cooperation System
Illustration 3 is related to Illustration 1 General Cooperation System, and shows how the Subsystem is structured from the planning, follow-up, accompaniment, evaluation and monitoring processes of the cooperation and development services of the particular project, but the Subsystem does not operate in isolation, it includes allies, partners, funders, clients and beneficiaries, formalized in the project document, agreement and contracts derived from them.
To perform technical functions, the Cooperation Subsystem receives administrative support to explore opportunities, negotiate, define terms, and execute financed projects. Although this Subsystem has a certain independence to manage resources and relate the donor with allies and beneficiaries, it is also subject to technical and administrative surveillance.
Another important stage of the Cooperation Subsystem is the support carried out and applied through specialized technical assistance, in which moments, knowledge is delivered to the producers to safely execute the projects and obtain (tangible) products, (measurable) results and impacts. (also measurable), consistent with the effects on urban and rural society.
Administrative subsystem
The cooperation instruments, once protocolized, will be registered, filed, codified and individually identified, budgeting and financially within the cooperation body. Each project is unique regardless of its amount, its identity and private management matter because it is an independent legal instrument.
The Administrative Subsystem (Illustration 1 General Cooperation System) processes all pertinent transactions such as hiring, collecting resources, making money according to the conditions established in the annual operating plan and related to cooperation instruments, it also monitors the application of physical and budgetary resources., financial, maintains the infrastructure and reviews with the technical area the performance of the staff and the administrative procedure (self-control), in accordance with the objective of each of the projects, object of cooperation.
The information generated by the Administrative Subsystem must be available to the Cooperation and Information Subsystems for follow-up, evaluation and exhaustive monitoring of the cooperation instruments and the individual project. In addition, this Subsystem requires maintaining an early warning system of an administrative nature (eg expiration of contracts, insufficient resources, non-compliance… etc.) that alert the entire General Cooperation System and proactive and more accurate decisions can be made early.
Management Information System "SIG"
This System encompasses the entire cooperating organization and feeds mainly on the Cooperation and Administrative Subsystems, taking this data to transform it into information that makes it possible to demonstrate and disseminate results of cooperation and project management that transcend as a product of the interaction between officials, technologies, processes and procedures.
It is noted that the results of the cooperation will unequivocally fulfill its purposes, when there is a friendly information system that brings together the project beneficiaries, funders and interested parties, through fluid communication in both directions, assimilable especially by the direct beneficiary. As might be expected, there are indirect beneficiaries who take advantage of the information when they see the results of what the direct beneficiaries do or because they can teach or comment on the benefits of cooperation to the indirect beneficiaries. This personal form of exchange between producers is another useful opportunity to stimulate direct beneficiaries to transfer the knowledge acquired.
Purposes of the GIS
The Management Information System (SIG) is an instrument to manage productive social projects, taking into account that whoever dares to inform, fears nothing because they have nothing to hide, because this System has, among others, the following purposes:
- Generate credibility by delivering accurate, timely information in real time (online) or through physical reports. Feedback processes of execution, monitoring, monitoring and evaluation of progress and achievement indicators, as well as the measurement of the impact of project results at a certain time. Raise the levels of knowledge and information that give certainty for decision-making. Achieve technical advantages using modern, adequate and economic technologies for the organization. Be the source for the preparation of progress, intermediate and final reports, both technical and administrative. Link evaluation not only to projects but to cooperation itself.
Given the advances and modernization of institutions in the field of communications and data production, the GIS must have a systematized and structured base based on the following minimum content:
- Individual database. Provides and integrates unique and detailed information on each cooperation instrument (agreements, contracts derived from agreements) and the status of the projects individually and in aggregate. Integrated database. Useful to prepare general reports on a regular basis to know the panorama, degree and progress of technical and administrative cooperation. This base is made up of the information of each agreement, derivative contracts and project document. It is a tool to consolidate reports according to the pre-established needs of users and allows decision-making by having a global overview of the status of cooperation services and projects. Data providers. It corresponds to the units and people that generate data from the moment the negotiation begins until the completion and observation of the results. Presentation of statistics. The databases must produce the different forms of data presentation automatically, such as tables, tables, graphs and the like. Leave the correct interpretation of the data free. Alert services. It is the provision of the software to make preventive calls, such as periodically producing the monthly list of cooperation instruments close to completion, at which time reports of compliance, levels of budget and financial execution have to be produced, warning about the validity of the policies contractual, dates of delivery of reports… etc.Connectivity. The introduction of data and access to the general system must be done by and from the previously authorized main input source, in order to preserve confidentiality and proper secrecy to handle and administer data, especially since it is institutional or belonging to third parties. This connectivity includes access to other modules such as those for financial and budget execution until a real-time information network is formed. Systems audit. Based on self-management and self-control, it is necessary for the organization to have clear institutional audit policies for auditing and reviewing the Cooperator's General Cooperation System.
Institutional sustainability
The schemes of the Subsystems described help to visualize the institutional organization because they induce to keep the processes and procedures in order to minimize operational costs of the organization, however, the integrated and convergent work teams are the ones that achieve institutional sustainability (economically, socially) are those personally and institutionally committed to providing competitive services in order to ensure institutional sustainability. Thinking about institutional sustainability and making it happen gives continuity to social development and perpetuates the cooperating entity, especially if they provide the services expected by the rural community.
In addition to the established processes and procedures and the people, it is important to consider the following concepts and support instruments to achieve the institution's sustainability:
1. Supply and demand. It corresponds, first, to the offer of development initiatives available in the Bank of Projects, secondly, to those that, due to a particular interest, a specific community demands, be it scientific or productive.
2. Agreements. Instruments for cooperation. Once the terms of cooperation between the parties have been agreed, the cooperation instruments are signed (general agreement, specific contracts or derivatives of the agreements, the project document, additions and extensions, and others). The advance signing of a Framework Agreement is useful because:
to. Links the user entity of cooperation services with the aid worker.
b. Accompanies the applicant for cooperation during the design (formulation) and implementation of the project (execution).
c. It allows to give continuity to the development of projects and institutional strengths can be shared.
d. Contents and lines of the projects are previously specified.
and. The signing of specific contracts, based on the framework agreement, flows more quickly.
F. Through the framework agreement and contracts, ethical and legal commitments are acquired, the weight of which implies sanctions for non-compliance by one of the parties.
3. Formulation and execution. Within the framework of the agreement and the project document elaborated, the execution proceeds with the signing of the Initiation Act, a document, more than a protocol, in which the alliance and quality of partners are reaffirmed both of the offering body and requesting of the cooperation.
4. Accompaniment. This process, apart from technically and administratively supporting the applicant for cooperation services, aims to ensure the achievement of objectives and goals, because it guides and verifies that the agreements and recommendations are fulfilled according to the appropriate activities to achieve the purposes.
5. Evaluation. This stage is fundamental and permanent for any project in execution, it starts from when it is formulated (feasibility and risks), continues during its execution (effectiveness = measures the degree of achievement of goals) and ends when all the components of the project are evaluated (impact -effectiveness- efficiency). The idea is that in the moments when evaluating the fulfillment and achievement of the proposed objectives and goals is confirmed.
Given these actions to institute the SIG, it is appropriate to add other information mechanisms so that over time the Institutional Memory is built in an organized way.
INSTITUTIONAL REPORT
As a result of the cooperation exercises, it is significant to create, accumulate and maintain the experiences in the Institutional Memory of the cooperant and why not say it, of any organization, Memory that, in addition, is a means to assess and know the specialized advances of cooperation, stores the basic knowledge to create an automated technological information center, where they collect information resulting from project management and disseminate knowledge to the scientific community and productive sectors as a result of the provision of technical cooperation services.
INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS
Beyond the modernization of processes and provision of a modern infrastructure, it is important to recognize that consumers tend to demand services and institutional initiatives that go beyond merely business relationships, this means that not everything is to provide technical assistance, there are other complementary decisions and / or parallel to cooperation services focused on satisfying and promoting cultural and recreational activities, although they are seen outside a contractual context when everything refers to the exclusive execution of projects and contractual commitments.
These actions, financed by the cooperant, publicize the corporate image and encourage the officials located at the central and local headquarters to go out and spread the word about what to do of the organization and the reasons for cooperation. You have to reach society in good ways, since everything should not come from the demand for needs, also the aid worker must offer their own events to promote national culture and get to know the international one. In general, it is necessary to promote and support the indigenous cultural events of the cooperant's resident country to maintain a link beyond the technical and economic.
OTHER INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS
- In addition to holding events presumably outside the context of cooperation, the following preventive and proactive actions should be made feasible and prioritized by the cooperating entity: Have pre-investment resources for the formulation, design of projects, productive profitable social studies and propose to society rural.Offer direct advice to sectoral organizations that strengthen management, administrative, operational, financial, accounting and self-management processes, so that their own resources or cooperation resources are used efficiently and they learn to make decisions with greater certainty about one or several areas productive.Plan initiatives to develop agribusiness,Establish the technological observatory to improve and innovate production methods and introduce substantial changes and achieve the productive efficiency of agriculture Advise the country's productive organizations in the negotiation of available resources at the national and international level Promote processes for producers to self-manage The commercialization of products in their own market niches Provide advice on credit management and financial intermediation Collaborate in obtaining economic and technical resources to execute plans, programs and social projects Maintain an adhocratic organizational structure in charge of updating, formulate, design and manage social and productive projects Promote the conservation of natural resources through training in good forestry, agricultural,livestock, manufacturing, soil management and natural regeneration in order to maintain a sustainable productive environment Train producers, using the transfer through appropriate pedagogical models for the transmission of knowledge Collaborate in the preparation of events that integrate the links of the Productive and supply chains Support the national science and technology system Promote inter-agency cooperation between the headquarters located in the countries Promote alliances between national and international agricultural research and transfer organizations Promote the development of capacities of solidarity organizations local and regional social organizations and seek alliances between them Socially organize entrepreneurs,according to the different associative forms Support the rehabilitation of marginal regions with low standards of quality of life, implement projects, develop social infrastructure and train the population in the management and administration of credits granted to agricultural and business producers. the generation of employment to ensure family income and the commercialization of agricultural products and services through the creation of credit funds that allow self-financing Provide support for the protection and implementation of good practices for soil, water and forest conservation, management and Environmental conservation Promote the results of national research through direct dissemination of the agencies in charge, holding joint events.
CONCLUSIONS
- Cooperation induces institutional relations between countries and people Technical assistance and knowledge transfer provoke the development of producers, professionals and scientific communities and agricultural producers It is urgent, because development does not wait for international organizations and States to open doors to cooperation, and enter to renew their purposes. Cooperation without training programs does not impact development. Technical assistance ensures productivity before, during and after projects have been carried out. The training function encourages the creation of programs for university interns and training specialists who will participate in the generational change, taking advantage of the experiences of the experienced ones.Corporate modernization is essential to apply new changes and meet the community demand for effective immediate services. Technological advancement to educate technically and managerially, require infrastructure, logistical support, carry out technical and administrative academic events that promote new ideas and allow the dissemination of results of The management of cooperation Globalization, sometimes inadequate, makes possible the exchange of knowledge through the universality of modern, viable means It is expected that cooperation will generate increases in the productive capacity and investment of the most favored countries, facilitating the transfer of resources in favor of the less favored countries In a fourth world not too far away, where technology and cooperation will be without restrictions,will alleviate the poverty of the wretched (painful to say) of the earth and of those who have a minimum level of development in a globalized and developing world. Some considerations that arise from the question What and how has been the impact of technology transfer and dissemination of research results to the rural community? To answer and from now on, it is necessary to change the paradigm in that research projects should be directed to improve a species, which is a means, but the benefits and the objective of the research is man and his environment already These will guide the projects to solve the problems of the people and not of the species, these are preserved for the social welfare. A life project never ends because development is continuous and never stops.Cooperation is the aid received to universalize knowledge, close the technological gap, avoid duplication of efforts, and contribute to reducing the effects of poverty, social and economic inequality of people.
The paradox of the claw with a "see you later cooperation." In previous publications, the immediate need to rescue and support cooperation organizations has been induced so that countries, regions and localities transition from their state of development to new progress with the accompaniment of cooperation.
However, it is expected and desirable that the cooperation cease to act from the moment it has fulfilled its objectives because the community learned and understood that the individuals that comprise it are the only managers of their own development and that they must continue with this. plan. This is not a selfish conception as soon as you serve me and see you later, but rather it envisions that cooperation is reformulated because new issues and changes will come and that is when the new knowledge is retaken and cooperation begins to act again. Letting producers assume their own development does not imply abandoning the monitor
