Part 3 - What aspects of ICT could be a game changer for the rural poor? Author: Paul Hixson
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1. Communications in Service of Extension. What aspects of ICT
could be a game changer for the rural poor? Part 3 Paul Hixson
University of Illinois
2. Leading Edge ICT Developments Today: Talking Books Building
on the Oral Tradition
3. Leading Edge ICT Developments Today: And, we havent even
dared to dream about what could be accomplished if the pipes were
bigger. (and bandwidth more affordable) .
4. Leading Edge ICT Developments Today: Keep in mind that smart
phones will someday be used as content creation tools by extension
field staff in developing nations, as well as communications and
information download devices
5. Assessing ICT Needs in the Field: As part of a comprehensive
MEAS project to strengthen a countrys Extension system, conduct a
SWOT analysis of Extensions ICT infrastructure, the ICT skill level
of existing staff, and how ICTs are being used by staff at all
levels of the organization. Pay particular attention to critical
gaps or weaknesses in how well Extension staff can use ICT tools to
generate, archive, share and utilize subject matter information
internally. Conduct a SWOT analysis of the national ICT
infrastructure, including ISPs, mobile telecom service providers,
and other major ICT players in both the public and private sectors.
Determine which groups would most likely be good partners in
helping advance upcoming ICT improvements. Work other members of
the MEAS Project Team and local farmers to learn which high value
crops or products offer the most promise for improving farmers
incomes.
6. Assessing ICT Needs in the Field: Based on the outcomes from
preceding steps, develop a list of possible ICT strategies
(including any new or expanded ICT tools) for advancing the
intended agricultural improvement. Consult with local farmers and
Extension workers to assess potential acceptance of new
methodologies. Develop a staged deployment plan for any intended
changes in ICT infrastructure and toolset usage. Infrastructure
Staff training Pilot usage (involve farmers as well as staff) Full
scale rollout and implementation
7. Conclusions: Remember the important lessons from successful
communications practices: Involve farmers in all phases of both the
communications and ICT tool selection/development process. One size
does NOT fit all. Context and Localization are critical. Dont
believe all the hype surrounding ICT But, do get excited about what
an intelligent usage of ICT tools in developing nations can do to
modernize their extension systems and make them more responsible to
the needs of their citizens. And, most importantly, none of this
ICT stuff matters if it doesnt lead to improving the incomes and
livelihoods of the rural poor.
8. Discussion: Thanks.. Questions?
9. Terms of Use Paul Hixson, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, MEAS project. This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.Users are free:
to Share to copy, distribute and transmit the work to Remix to
adapt the workUnder the following conditions: Attribution Users
must attribute the work to the author(s)/institution (but not in
any way that suggests that the authors/ institution endorse the
user or the users use of the work).
10. DisclaimerThis presentation was made possible by the
generous support ofthe American people through the United States
Agency forInternational Development, USAID. The contents are
theresponsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect
theviews of USAID or the United States Government.