Title: Accessible advice : Local language website provides information to Madagascan farmers
Author: Andrianjafy Rasoanindrainy
Source: ICT Update, Issue no. 62, October 2011
Publisher: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) ACP–EU ,
Date (published): 12/10/2011
Date (accessed): 15/11/2011
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"A number of local organisations, including Farming & Technology for Africa (FTA), have been working for several years to develop methods of using ICTs to reinforce extension services and improve the farming industry in Madagascar. In April 2011, they launched a website called the Advisory for Change in Agriculture in Madagascar (AKAMA), which provides information for farmers in the local Malagasy language.

Initially, the site collected details of projects, organisations, institutions and farmers’ associations that practise, disseminate and/or provide agricultural training, along with the types of courses offered. The themes covered on the site relate to both general and more specific agricultural topics, from natural resource management, to processing, post-harvest preservation and marketing.

The website presents the information with text, graphics, audio and video in Malagasy in an effort to be as accessible as possible. The idea is that small-scale farmers would be able to research any agricultural theme in the format most suitable for them, and even download multimedia content for later viewing or listening.
However, estimates show that only 2% of the population in Madagascar has access to the web. The internet does not yet cover the whole country, and is often too costly if a connection is available. Low levels of literacy make it difficult for farmers to make good use of text on the web, even if it is in the local language. Because of this, AKAMA has started working with farmers’ associations, related organisations, the media and existing projects that have the financial and logistical means to convey the information to farmers."

Title: ICT for Development in Francophone Africa
Author: Lova Rakotomalala
Source: Global Voices Online
Date (published): 25/04/2010
Date (accessed): 26/04/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Although there is undoubtedly a strong push to grow information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives for development in francophone Africa, the region is still somewhat lagging behind their English-speaking neighbors. The recognition of this lag is discussed by many Francophone bloggers and aggregated at the Franco Techno Gap blog.

The cause of the lag is unclear but a few reasons are often proposed: 1) broadband internet was made available by governments of English speaking nations such as (South Africa, Mauritius, Egypt) first (fr). Consequently, cost of internet access is on average higher as further explained on l'atelier des medias (RFI) (fr). 2) Related to the previous reason: “English speaking countries seem to be doing better than the French speaking countries” as Miquel points out 3) The English language is still the default language globally when one discusses ICT.

In this post, current grass roots development projects in francophone Africa with an important ICT component will be discussed in further details...