Title: Towards priority actions for market development for African farmers
Pages: 402 pp.
ISBN: 92-9146-260-8
Publisher: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and International Livestock Research Institute
Date (published): 30/01/2012
Date (accessed): 05/03/2012
Type of information: conference proceedings
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
„From dairy cooperatives, text messaging and grain storage to improved credit, transport and trade initiatives, new book presents “high-payoff, low-cost” solutions to Africa’s underdeveloped agricultural markets and chronic food insecurity…As a food crisis unfolds in West Africa’s Sahel region, some of the world’s leading experts in agriculture markets say the time is ripe to confront the “substantial inefficiencies” in trade policy, transportation, information services, credit, crop storage and other market challenges that leave Africans particularly vulnerable to food-related problems.”
See also:
Linking farmers to markets critical to rural development and efforts to combat Africa’s food woes

Title: Towards a cyber security aware rural community
Authors: Marthie Grobler, Zama Dlamini, Sipho Ngobeni, Aubrey Labuschagne
Pages: 7 pp.
Source: Proceedings of the 2011 Information Security for South Africa (ISSA) Conference
Date (published): 10/08/2011
Date (accessed): 13/12/2011
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"A large portion of the South African rural community only have intermittent access to computers and are not familiar, nor entirely comfortable, with the use of internet communication or electronic devices. The research conducted by the authors of this paper confirms that this lack of awareness, combined with the inherent dangers posed by the internet, expose local communities to cyber threats. Especially rural communities are not always empowered to deal with these threats.

In an effort to prevent innocent internet users from becoming victims of cyber attacks, a cyber security awareness campaign is developed to educate novice internet and technology users with regard to basic cyber security. The motivation for this awareness project is to educate all South Africans on the safe use of the internet, in an attempt to strengthen the cyber security awareness level concerning the South African network. The hypothesis is that if there are local communities that are not properly educated, their technology devices may remain unprotected. This may leave the South African internet infrastructure vulnerable to attacks, posing a severe threat to national security and eventually affecting communities other than those directly involved.

This research paper focuses on promoting cyber security awareness towards the newly released broadband capability and knowledge transfer within rural communities by means of a voluntary community based training program. This program can be adapted in any environment other than rural communities, but the current focus has been in the rural areas. The program takes on an informal work session approach with presentations and discussion sessions. The cyber security awareness program modules are divided into four main themes: physical security, malware and malware countermeasures, safe surfing and social aspects of cyber security.
These themes are developed in such a way to cover a wide range of topics, including practical advice on phishing attack avoidance and more advanced topics such as preventing social engineering attacks. This paper will introduce the development of the cyber security awareness program, and emphasize the importance for including these specific themes at the hand of international cyber security incidents."

Title: Farming By Phone
Author: Isaiah Esipisu
Source: COP17 CLIMATE CHANGE DURBAN 2011
Date (published): 30/11/2011
Date (accessed): 06/12/2011
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Francis Mburu used to keep indigenous cattle in Entasopia village in the semi- arid Kajiado region, 160 kilometres southwest of Nairobi. However, increasing temperatures and frequent droughts in Kenya have made this difficult in recent years.
But now, in an area that has never had electricity, where education is not a priority or sometimes not an option at all, residents of Entasopia are using a solar-powered internet facility to adapt to the changing climatic conditions.
The Nguruman community, largely composed of the Maasai ethnic group, now has access to an ICT facility locally known as Maarifa (“knowledge” in Swahili) Centre. Here they are able to access climate adaptation information via the internet, videos and books. The Arid Land Information Network (ALIN), in collaboration with the Kenyan government, founded the project.
According to Samuel Nzioka, the field officer for ALIN, most of the videos shown at the centre are practical lessons in local languages aimed at boosting the understanding of the concepts of climate change and adaptation, and basic dry-land farming knowledge..."

Title: Malaysia to set up 4,000 wifi villages by 2012
Author: Clarice Africa
Source: FutureGov
Date (published): 23/11/2011
Date (accessed): 04/11/2011
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"By the end of 2012, about 4000 WiFi villages will be set up nationwide as part of the Government’s initiative to bring the benefits of broadband to the citizens.

According to Information, Communications and Culture Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim, at present there are only about 1,400 WiFi villages in the country and are mostly found in Perlis, Sabah, and Sarawak.

“We are in the process of building electronic towers in Sabah and Sarawak, therefore our big enrolment drive to create Malaysia as an internet community is there now,” he said.

The average cost of the project for each village is about RM25,000 (USD 7,800) to RM 32,000 (USD 10,000). The villages would be provided with the normal computerising system with broadband facility which will be free of charge for the first three months, while a minimum of RM10 (USD 3) per month would be charged subsequently."

Title: The Role of ICT Actors and Networks in Development: The Case Study of a Wireless Project in Nepal
Author: Devinder Thapa
Pages: 16 pp.
ISSN: 1681-4835
Source: The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, (2011) 49, 1, 1-16
Publisher: City University of Hong Kong
Date (published): 13/10/2011
Date (accessed): 20/11/2011
Type of information: peer reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"The role of ICT actors in the formation and extension of ICT4D projects is important. The actors through their extended network and aligned interest can enhance the effectiveness of the project which in turn enables socioeconomic development opportunities. However, few studies have been conducted to understand the role of these central players. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to address this knowledge gap by conducting a qualitative case study in the Myagdi district in the mountain region of Nepal. In this study we explored the Nepal Wireless Networking Project (NWNP) and examined how an activist started it from one mountain village and gradually extended across more than 150 villages. The formation and extension of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) projects goes through different phases of identification of relevant ICT actors, roles, negotiations, and their interest alignment. To understand the various phases, we employed Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and explored how a social activist, in the midst of challenges, initiates the wireless project to facilitate educational and healthcare services to the mountain regions. In continuum, the study found how the activist identified relevant actors and enrolled them to form a network of aligned interest. The study also identified several challenges such as high illiteracy rate, over dependency on focal actor, and poor physical infrastructure that may impede the network building process. Furthermore, we identify some implications for research and practice based on insights from the case study."

Title: Evaluating ICT Adoption in Rural Brazil: A Quantitative Analysis of Telecenters as Agents of Social Change
Authors: Paola Prado, Mauro A Câmara, Marco A. Figueiredo
Pages: 25 pp.
ISSN: 1712-4441
Source: Vol. 7 Nos. 1 & 2 (2010/2011) Special Double Issue: The Internet and Community Informatics in Brazil
Publisher: Journal of Community Informatics
Date (published): 26/08/2011
Date (accessed): 19/11/2011
Type of information: peer reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"This quantitative study surveyed 538 adults in isolated rural settings in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, to examine whether telecenters operated by the non-profit organization Gems of the Earth improve digital literacy and promote social change. Using multivariate logistic regression, the study examined how individuals use information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the telecenter, and tested for predictors of their use. The findings confirm that these rural communities use ICTs for entertainment, to engage in civic participation, and to practice professional skills. The findings suggest that digital inclusion impacts these isolated communities by creating opportunities that may foster human development."

Title: Rural Women Banking By Mobile Phone
Author: Ignatius Banda
Source: ipsnews.net
Publisher: IPS-Inter Press Service
Date (published): 14/11/2011
Date (accessed): 18/11/2011
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Collecting the monthly subscriptions for her co-operative has always been a headache for Thelma Nare, 41. This is because Nare lives in Tshitshi, Plumtree in rural Zimbabwe, about 60 kilometres away from the humdrum of the nearest town centre where banks are located.

"We meet after a long time as here in the rural areas our homesteads can be very far from each other. So members of our club do not meet or contribute regularly," Nare said.

In fact, the women in the co-operative do not have a bank account. Until recently, Nare and the other co-operative members had to physically be present to make their monthly contributions.

But now, these "unsophisticated" rural women find themselves at the centre of efforts by mobile phone service providers to introduce mobile phone money transfers in Zimbabwe.

Those without bank accounts, like Nare and her co-operative, can now send and receive cash via their mobile phones.

The system is fairly simple. A user registers for mobile phone banking with their service provider and is given a mobile "e-wallet" - an application on their sim card that is linked to their phone number.

When the user wants to pay for services or transfer money to someone they simply have to go to an agent and pay the desired amount, which is loaded onto the "e-wallet". The payment is made and the recipient can withdraw the money from an agent. There are various agents affiliated with the mobile service providers across the country, making the service easily accessible to those in rural areas."

Title: Technology retains talent : Internet and radio develop farms and businesses in rural Zambia
Author: Gertjan van Stam
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:
"With little access to formal extension services, a rural Zambian community set up an internet connection to develop local agriculture, education and energy facilities. The community is now using local radio to encourage other villages to do the same.

There have been very few studies into the effects access to broadband internet can have on agriculture in rural Africa. The reason for that is simple: broadband internet is still very rare in rural Africa. But in Zambia, a rural community, called Macha, does have broadband. There, internet and agriculture – and much more – combine as part of an integrated project to inspire the local community to reach its collective potential.
…
In the past, the community relied on oral reports from travellers for its news and information about the outside world because Macha had no newspapers and no outside radio broadcasts reach this remote location. They rarely had visits from extension officers, so the travellers were mostly family members, or traders arriving from urban centres to buy the excess crops. Cell phone coverage only arrived at the end of 2006. But, by then, Macha was already connected to the internet.

In 2003, in a cooperative effort, community members came together to build a wireless network that would connect Macha to the internet via a satellite connection. They started with a VSAT link that offered download speeds of up to 128 kbps. The service soon became so popular that the bandwidth could not cope with the volume of internet traffic. The problem eased in 2011 when Macha upgraded the connection to a microwave link via a newly available cell phone network, which offers speeds of 2 Mbps, making it truly broadband.

The internet link is further distributed throughout the community via a wireless local area network (WLAN). There are more than 100 wireless access points, offering connectivity to both offices and homes. Surveys and measurements show that Macha has an active internet community of around 200 individuals, 67% of whom are on line for more than three hours a day. Half the users access the internet from home, and 71% use it frequently to surf the web for educational purposes.

As well as having a channel to communicate with friends and family outside of the community, access to the technology produced a discernible difference in agricultural practices within the first year. One community member found information on the web about sunflower farming, and decided to give it a go. A few years later, sunflower farming has blossomed in the village and it is now the community’s second most important cash crop."

Title: The Suitcase Radio has arrived in Tonga!
Source: Scoop News
Date (published): 16/09/2011
Date (accessed): 21/09/2011
Type of information: press release
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"A team of seven young women in Nuku’alofa will be paving the way for more youth involvement in Pacific media content development, production and broadcast as a new “suitcase” community radio station is installed in Tonga’s capital this weekend. The young women, who are the first recruits of the Generation Next Tonga team of producers and broadcasters, to tell their stories as well as produce and broadcast radio programmes sourced through a range of civil society groups including the Tonga CSO Forum, Friendly Islands Human Rights and Democracy Movement, Langafanua, the Red Cross and the Talitha Project which is assisting in the coordination of the Generation Next Tonga team.:
“Your involvement of young women in the community radio initiative is just wonderful,” said Head of Tonga’s Women's Affairs Division Polotu Paunga Fakafanua, referring to the Generation Next component of the community media project based at Ma’afafine moe Famili in partnership with FemLINKPACIFIC and supported by the Canada Fund and AUSAID.

This is the second community radio station to be established within the Regional Women’s Media and Policy Network coordinated by FemLINKPACIFIC and the “Generation Next” project has been a successful model of involving young women to pick up a tape recorder, produce programmes from local communities and take to the airwaves:

“They are learning for the next generation of gender equality advocates,” she said, “because it will translate with the people they will work with, in the home, as well as through the radio, highlighting gender equality to the rural areas,” affirming the role of community radio to not only disseminate information to rural communities but to also provide critical anecdotal evidence to inform public policy formulation and decision making:
“The collection of data and information to support policy advice and reports, as well as interventions from the rural areas,” referring to the programmes which will be produced."

Title: Open-source cell phone network could cut costs to $2 per month
Author: Michael Riggs
Source: e-Agriculture
Date (published): 05/08/2011
Date (accessed): 11/08/2011
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Think what this could mean in the developing world, in remote areas and in rural locations where the population density is too low for current mobile operators to invest.

According to the team behind OpenBTS, this cellular network can be installed and operated at about 1/10 the cost of current technologies, but is still compatible with most of the handsets that are already in the market. The technology can also be used in private network applications. It has already been tested in the physically challenging environment of the Nevada (USA) desert and on the island of Niue.

Read more on Engineering for Change at http://bit.ly/oNTCvR or NetworkWorld at http://bit.ly/orai2p

For technical information, source code and more, see the Knowledge Base reference or go directly to the source at http://openbts.sourceforge.net/."