ICT for Rural Development

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ICT for Rural Development

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Topics

• Introduction
• Information Revolution
• What is ICT
• Potential Uses of ICTs
• Innovative Applications of ICTs in rural areas
• Constraints
• Conclusion

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Essence of Information and Information Technology

• Information has become the defining feature of
  the modern world, mainly due to
• The use of information in socio-political
• and economic spheres
• The rapid developments of information
• technologies to create, analyse, store,
  communicate, and disseminate information.

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Information Revolution

• The explosion of information,
• facilitated by the technological
• revolution in computer applications
• and telecommunication networks.
• The increasing development in ICTs
• has revolutionized various sectors, such as
  manufacturing, business, agriculture, science
  and technology, schools and homes.
• The information revolution indicates the massive
  production of information

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Critiques of Information revolution

• Invention of Printing
• Critics argue that the current information
  revolution is the 'second information
  revolution'. The invention of the printing
  machine in 1444 sparked the first information
  revolution.

Gutenbergs printing invention
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Impacts of Information Revolution

• Technological advancement computers, fibre optic
  cables, satellite, mobile phones etc
• Economic, business and financial implication
  E-commerce, employment boost in the info sector
• Education E-education
• Management and Control Regulation and Policy in
  the info sector
• The Nation State Virtual society, information
  society, national issues are discussed on global
  arena e.g ITU, WTO
• Urban Migration Ideas and information
  move,making it less for people to move

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Meaning of ICT

• ICTs refer to the various technologies that
  enhance the creation, storage, processing,
  communication and dissemination of information.
  ICTs also refer to the different infrastructures
  used in these processes, their applications and
  the numerous services these infrastructures
  render. We identify the following technologies as
  the elements of ICTs
• Media of Communication (e.g radio, television)
• Information machine (e.g Computers)
• Telecommunications technologies and equipment
  (Satellites, fibre optic cables, phones,
  Facsimile machines)
• Telecommunications infrastructures have become
  the driving forces of ICTs they have the
  capability to link all various ICT elements
  together.

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Potential uses of ICTs

• Facilitating public and
• private sector activities in areas
• such as in
• Public administration ICTs facilitate the
  provision public information that is useful to
  the community at large. E.g e-Government
• Urban and Rural Development ICT applications are
  useful in facilitating development programs in
  many countries. E.g The establishment of
  telecenters in rural communities can facilitate
  economic empowerment.
• Transport
• In the transport sector, ICT applications
  can be used to improve road, air and rail
  transportation.

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Potential uses of ICTs

• 2. Improving the quality of life for citizens
  such as in
• Health E.g Telemedicine
• Special Needs (for the Physically Challenged)
  Braille keyboards and
• printers, SMS etc

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Potential uses of ICTs

• Education E.g Libraries have migrated from
  the traditional Cataloguing system to a
  web-based cataloguing and search application. E.g
  E-Learning
• Agriculture There are expert system designed
  to handle agricultural issues such as water
  utilisation and management, pest control, harvest
  management and so forth.
• Environment E.g GIS is an automated system
  that enables the capture, storage, checking,
  integration, manipulation, analysis, display, and
  modeling of complex spatial data

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Potential uses of ICTs

• 3. Sharing Knowledge and Improving Access to
  Information
• E-mail, The web and other platform of
  information communication
• Facilitating Activities in the Business Sector
  such as
• Manufacturing For instance, the use of
  Computer-aided-design (CAD) has improved the
  design stages of machine tools.
• Electronic Commerce
• Travel and Tourism ICTs in this industry consist
  of various components that include computerised
  reservation systems, teleconferencing, video,
  video brochures, management information systems,
  airline electronic information systems,
  electronic funds transfer, digital telephone
  networks, smart cards, mobile communication,
  e-mail, and Internet.

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Innovative applications of ICTs in rural
areas
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FAOs ICT-based Interventions

• FAO ICT-based interventions target poor people in
  rural communities through
• Special Programme for Food Security
• Farmer field schools
• Extension services and educational projects
• Community development projects

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FAO WAICENT

• World Agricultural Information Centre
• FAOs strategic program for agricultural
  information management, dissemination
• Enables member nations to access agricultural
  information essential for reducing poverty,
  achieving food security and sustainable rural
  development

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Virtual Extension, Researchand Communication
Network

• VERCON can close gap between researchers and
  extension agents by improving generation, flow,
  sharing and collaborative use of agricultural
  knowledge and information
• human network - collaborate, communicate
• technology network - Internet-based ICT
• Joint projects with FAOs Research, Extension
  Training Division

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Farmer Information Networkfor Agricultural and
Rural Development

• FarmNet is
• a network of rural people using communication
  tools and processes
• to facilitate generating, gathering and
  exchanging of knowledge and information among
  themselves
• with intermediary organisations that work with
  them.

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Farmers Information Technology Services (FITS)

• FITS is a web based information service
  initiative in the Philippines.
• FITS aims to contribute to the empowerment of
  farmers, processors, entrepreneurs and traders
  and provides information and technology services
  that facilitate decision making by rural
  communities.

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Mango Information Network (MIN)

• MIN is a web-based information service that
  provides information on market outlook, pest
  management, directory of players in the mango
  industry, a virtual meeting place.
• MIN is relevant to farmers, farmer organisations,
  co-operatives, agents and entrepreneurs and
  offers a question and answer service.

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Constraints in the establishment and management
of ICT-based rural projects

• Some general problems that have been experienced
  in a number of ICT-based rural projects and
  initiatives include
• Policy considerations
• High telecommunication costs
• Infrastructure
• Lack of local content and language barrier
• High rate of illiteracy in rural areas
• Gender insensitivity
• Inadequate human resources
• Sustainability of projects

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Conclusion

• Information and Knowledge are essential
  Components for facilitating rural development and
  bringing social and economic change.
• The collaborative participation of agencies,
  organisations and government services could
  work jointly in planning and implementing
  initiatives that seek to harness ICTs for rural
  development. The partners could include UNDP,
  World Bank, British Council, national
  governments, regional organisations, private
  sector, NGOs, farmer associations and specialised
  ICT bodies such as ITU and telephone companies.
• Multipurpose community telecentres could play a
  key role in the "information renaissance" in
  developing countries and ensure universal access.
  

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THANKS