Past investments in agricultural research have generated tremendous advances in science-based innovations for crop productivity and environmental sustainability. While continued research progress remains essential, existing advances have been inadequately exploited due to the lack of commensurate investments in national extension systems. Organizations like banks, NGOs, and private extension have moved to fill this void and are commonly advising farmers without benefiting from any formal linkages with the agricultural research community. This situation is exacerbated by the relative inaccessibility of peer-reviewed literature. In many regions, these factors contribute to a growing disconnect between what we know and what farmers practice. While this disconnect grows, the multiple demands from our agricultural systems due to growing population of our planet, increasing demand for more quantity and quality of food, feed, fiber and fuel by emerging economies of the world, coupled with climate change have created new challenges and opportunities for the global agricultural community. Several new models have emerged for developing and disseminating agricultural knowledge. These include digital knowledge initiatives, “virtual” communities of practice, non-traditional partnerships between advanced institutions and NGOs; and even rejuvenating traditional partnership models between advanced and developing nations (e.g. US-India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative) and others. The purpose of this symposium is to critically review the experience with these new models and to identify the most promising ways for the global agricultural research community to engage in the development and extension of innovative agricultural knowledge around the world .