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from the issue of April 8, 2004
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New Web site answers ag, food questions
BY SUZANNA ADAM, IANR NEWS SERVICE
A new Web-based feature from the University of Nebraska gives the public a way to ask university experts questions about agricultural and food marketing issues while linking researchers with the outside world.
“With the technology of the Internet, we have a vehicle that allows us direct contact between academic researchers and the public,” said Azzeddine Azzam, an agricultural economist and director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Industrial Organization.
“The kinds of questions asked on Ask CAFIO give us an idea of what the public thinks are researchable issues.”
Ask CAFIO, which was launched earlier this year, features an online inquiry form designed for journalists, policy makers, farmers, ranchers, businesspeople, students and citizens.
The system is meant to streamline a process Azzam said has been a mix of phone calls, e-mails and letters. He still gets occasional inquiries by phone and through his personal e-mail, but Azzam said he hopes advertising and time will bring everything together through the Web site.
“We’re trying to redirect people to Ask CAFIO,” he said.
Users’ questions often are driven by the news of the day. A current hot topic, largely due to current events, is the process by which packing plants price beef. Another common inquiry is whether concentrated production in the food industry hurts consumers.
Azzam responds to the questions based on academic research or forwards them to other experts. He said it generally takes five minutes to an hour to receive an answer.
The Nebraska Rural Initiative funded development of the interactive system.
CAFIO was created in 2001 to bring economic perspectives to public debates about food industry issues.
To ask questions
Ask CAFIO can be accessed on the CAFIO Web site at http://cafio.unl.edu.
GO TO: ISSUE OF APRIL 8
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New Web site answers ag, food questions
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