Title: Independent Appeal: Ecuador's yellow revolution
Author: Guy Adams
Source: The Independent
Publisher: Independent News and Media Limited
Date (published): 15/12/2009
Date (accessed): 16/12/2009
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Fairtrade has transformed the lives of banana farmers and their families but a computer charity has helped them take on the big boys.

Title: Technology for employability in Latin America: Research with at‐risk youth & people with disabilities
Authors: Joyojeet Pal, Jay Freistadt, Michele Frix, and Phil Neff
Pages: 94 pp.
Publisher: Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington
Date (published): 06/11/2009
Date (accessed): 20/11/2009
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
Since the early 1990s, there has been an increasing interest in technology training centers to build employability options of socially excluded groups in Latin America. This study examines the recent investment into computer centers providing basic technology training for people with disabilities and at‐risk youth. Using primary research in five countries: Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela, we discuss the ways in which technology training impacts the employability concerns of two populations with diverse needs and histories of social and economic exclusion from formal labor markets. The goal of this report is to provide scholars and policy‐makers an expansive survey of the landscape of issues around technology employability for socially excluded populations. Our findings are broadly divided into three segments. We first examine the environmental factors that impact such projects including the aspirational environment and the discourse of technology. We then discuss the short‐term impacts of these programs including the creation of pathways to employment, community‐building, as well as impacts on selfesteem and stigmatization and the potential of mismatched employment expectations from access to these programs. We finally turn to factors that influence the success of such programs including cost, certification, and accessible technology.

Title: ICTs for agricultural livelihoods: Impact and lessons learned from IICD supported activities
Publisher: International Institute for Communication and Development
Date (published): 05/11/2009 (republication, orginally published in 2006, republished in 2007)
Date (accessed): 17/11/2009
Type of information: report
Language: English, Spanish, French
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
This book by IICD highlights the lessons learned and achievements of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and its partners in using ICT4D to support agricultural livelihoods.

Agriculture is an important economic sector, since it provides income and food for a large segment of the population in developing countries. Intensification of production and increased market orientation are the main processes that can contribute to the future viability of the sector and create income for the people that depend on it.

The projects described in this booklet were carried out by IICD and its partners over a six-year period and provide examples of the many ways in which ICTs contribute to poverty alleviation in the agriculture sector.

By sharing our experiences in this booklet, IICD hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the opportunities of employing ICTs and their contribution to reaching the Millennium Development Goals in the agricultural sector.