CeRA for ICAR: With the rapid growth of internet facilities and the advancement of web technology, farmers can effortlessly acquire information from a number of agricultural journals and researchers. However, no State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) or ICAR Institutes could subscribe to all journals due to the financial crisis. Therefore, the Consortium for e-Resources in Agriculture (CeRA) was established.
CeRA has come up with various activities, which include:
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Acquisition and subscription to e-resources
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Creation of an online portal for accessing these resources
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Organizing training programs to enhance the capacity of researchers to access and utilize these resources effectively.
The consortium has partnered with publishers and content providers to ensure that the e-resources are relevant and meet the needs of the agricultural research community.
What is CeRA?
The Consortium for e-Resources in Agriculture (CeRA) is the first-of-its-kind technology. It was established to provide online accessibility to research articles from publishers through IP authentication.
CeRA was funded by the National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) and was established at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in November 2007.
Its aim is to facilitate the accessibility of scientific journals to all researchers and teachers in the National Agricultural Research System by providing access to information. Therefore, it acts as an incentive to improve agricultural research, education, and other activities that are involved in achieving success and setting high standards for final output.
CeRA's Resources
CeRA’s online portal provides access to a wide range of electronic resources, such as journals, books, conference proceedings, and databases. The portal is user-friendly and allows researchers to search for relevant information across multiple databases. It also provides access to a range of analytical tools that enable researchers to analyze and manipulate data.
Objectives of CeRA
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To improve the existing R&D information resource base of ICAR institutions and universities in comparison to other institutions and organizations around the world.
- To subscribe to various e-journals and create an e-access culture among scientists and teachers in ICAR institutes and agricultural universities
Facilities provided by CeRA
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Access to journals and e-Resources through IP authentication
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Document Delivery Request System (DDR)
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Access through a remote access facility
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To assess the impact of CeRA on the level of research publications measured through the Science Citation Index and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) rating.
CeRA is also focusing on expanding its reach to more agricultural institutions in India. The consortium plans to create more awareness about the importance of e-resources in agricultural research by organizing more workshops and seminars across the country.
Therefore, CeRA is an important initiative that has significantly contributed to the development of the agricultural research community in India. It plans to expand its services in the research community and contribute significantly to the development of the agricultural sector in India.
