Title: What we can learn from farmers about ICT4D and trust
Author: Christian Kreutz
Source: crisscrossed
Date (published): 25/06/2010
Date (accessed): 27/06/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:"
There is often that notion that once you have access to the Internet or to other information and communication technologies (ICT), the whole world of information lies rights at your feet, so you only need to pick the best of it. But in contrary, it can become incredibly time consuming to verify information and to make yourself a trusted source. In the field of ICT4D, this issue is particularly important. In many cases people do not have years of experience working with ICTs and have actually learnt them just the auto-didactic way – using the Internet for their own benefit. Let’s take the case of farmers in rural areas of Africa.

Farmers in developing countries
The other day I had an interesting conversation with a colleague, who has been working already for decades in the rural development and agriculture field around the world. We talked about the potentials for ICT in agriculture and in specific farmers. One of the major challenges is neither access nor literacy, but simply trust. Why should a farmer trust an information coming from somewhere as an SMS? Farmers make careful elaborations, before they change certain practices. Information from a website can help, but at the end of the day what counts is the advice of trusted colleagues. So, we have to realize that information through ICTs often have only a small impact.

Title: Implementing Healthcare Information in Rural Communities in Sri Lanka: A Novel Approach with Mobile Communication
Author: Indika Perera
Pages: 6 pp.
Source: Health Informatics in Developing Countries, Vol.3 (No.2), 2009
Publisher: University of Otago and COMSATS Institute of Information Technology
Date (published): 30/08/2009
Date (accessed): 28/04/2010
Type of information: peer-reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
Access to effective and efficient healthcare services without any difficulty is one of the essential parameters to consider for a country’s sustainable development. Though developing countries put much emphasis on improving their healthcare services, the disparity between service consumption of rural communities compared to their urban counterpart is still very visible. The effect is merely due to the disparity in service penetration levels between the urban and rural regions. Sri Lanka is also struggling to improve this scenario with various policy and tactical level approaches, yet there is lot to achieve. Improving healthcare and utility services through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is a prime research area among the scholars today. Like many other developing countries, Sri Lanka also initiated some projects to improve the healthcare sector infrastructure through ICT. This paper describes the need of a novel approach to provide better healthcare service to rural communities in Sri Lanka and details about such project which is at its final stages of development.

Title: Development Calling: The Use of Mobile Phones in Agriculture Development in Uganda
Authors: Brandie Martin and Dr. Eric Abbott
Pages: 13 pp.
Date (published): 11/03/2010
Date (accessed): 06/04/2010
Type of information: conference paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
This study examined the diffusion and perceived impact of agricultural-based mobile phone use among small- to medium-size limited-resource farm holders in Kamuli District, Uganda, where 42% of farm households now have a mobile phone. Interviews were conducted with 110 small- to medium-size farm holders – 56 men and 54 women. Respondents were chosen according to farm group (n=91) or non-farm group (n=19) membership status. Results showed more than half of the farmers were using their mobile phones for coordination for access to agricultural inputs, getting market information, monitoring financial transactions and agriculture emergency situations. Slightly less than half were consulting with experts via mobile phones. Men tended to adopt mobile phones earlier than women and those with more education were more likely to use SMS (short message service) text features. Women were less likely to use the calculator function, perhaps due to a lack of numerical literacy training. Those who were members of agricultural groups were more likely to use their mobile phones for a variety of purposes. The study identified a number of unique uses being made of mobile phones, including taking photos of agricultural demonstrations, using the loudspeaker function to permit a group of farmers to consult with an expert, recording group members pledging when they will repay loans, and storing data such as the date hens should start laying eggs. Diffusion of mobile phones is now in a “take-off” stage with rapid adoption. However, universal adoption would depend on both need and benefits.

ICT and Development - Research Voices from Africa. International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Technical Commission 9 – Relationship Between Computers and Society. Workshop at Makerere University, Uganda. 22-23 March 2010