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A
LMOST
700
MILLION
people worldwide have access to the
Internet. The majority of them, about 62 per cent, live in
North America and Western Europe, while only 2 per cent
of Internet users live in Africa. Access to telephones, especially
mobile telephones, is increasing rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa. In
Tanzania, for example, about 60 per cent of villages have direct
access to mobile phone networks. But few people, only 2.5 per cent
of the total population, actually own a mobile phone.
Statistics such as these continue to spur debate over the digital
divide between rich and poor countries and, increasingly, it has been
recognized that this divide also exists between rural and urban areas
within poor countries themselves. The truth is that the digital divide
is a symptom of a wider inequality, especially in rural areas of devel-
oping countries, where more than 800 million of the world’s poorest
people live. Many of these people suffer from chronic hunger. They
do not have access to safe water, electricity, or to roads, markets and
employment opportunities, or to an education.
Communication technologies such as the Internet are fantastic
tools. However, most rural poor people do not enjoy the benefits
precisely because they are poor. The International Fund for
Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) approach to the use of infor-
mation and communication technologies (ICT) to support
development initiatives is to focus on people and not technology.
Information and communication technology is a tool, not a solu-
tion. Technology is really only an instrument. Content and how the
technology is used are what make the difference.
It is crucial that the emphasis is on communication processes,
and learning and sharing – not on technology itself.
This implies participation, sharing of knowledge in a horizontal
way, and respect for diversity and culture. This is fundamental to
IFAD’s commitment to strengthen the capacity of rural poor people
and their organizations to overcome poverty.
Access presents one of the most obvious obstacles to ICT use in
the developing world – especially in rural areas, where electricity is
not always available or reliable, poor roads and terrain, and extreme
weather can add to a remote community’s isolation. But the real
challenge facing IFAD and others involved in rural development is
learning how to make ICT meaningful as well as accessible, so they
can effect real change in the lives of poor people.
In effect, access to ICT becomes important only once certain
conditions have been met.
The first step is ownership: poor people need to have a stake in
their own development before projects can be successful.
ICT cannot help empower poor people unless content is locally-
driven and meets their particular needs. Language can present a
major hurdle, especially on the Internet: English remains its domi-
nant language. Moreover, the Web is designed primarily for literate
users, which excludes nearly 1 billion poor people in the world.
Blending the new and the old
Appropriate technology should always be a consideration in using
ICT for development. The most modern and expensive equipment
is not necessarily the best way to reach poor people, or to enable
them to communicate among themselves or with others. For
example, in rural areas of the developing world, radio is often the
only mass medium available. Several IFAD projects have supported
radio broadcasting. In Mexico, an initiative in the Mexcanu region
of the Yucatan Peninsula trained children to develop and broadcast
their own radio programmes. The children, who were often the only
literate people in their communities, spoke both Mayan and Spanish.
As a result, they provided an important communication bridge for
older generations, who often only spoke Mayan. They also combined
radio with the Internet to expand access to useful information. By
accessing the Internet, the children were able to get information on
matters of local concern, like crop prices and market opportunities,
vocational training and access to microcredit programmes, and share
it with the rest of the community.
The Mayan radio project is just one example of how blending
new communication technologies with older ones can benefit rural
poor people. In Peru, for example, farmers have used geographical
information systems, or “talking maps”, to assess the status of their
natural resources. They then walk from farm to farm, sharing their
knowledge with the community.
Local content and ownership
Another example of IFAD’s work with ICT in rural areas is the First
Mile Project in Tanzania. Emerging experience from the initiative
underlines the importance of local ownership, relevant content and
the blending of old and new communication technologies.
Linked to an IFAD-supported agricultural marketing systems
programme, the First Mile Project will build the capacity of small
producers, processors, traders and others in the market chain, to
communicate better, form partnerships and learn from each other
to ensure better access to markets and market information. The term
“first mile” refers to bridging the connectivity gap between a village
with no electricity and no telephone line to the nearest computer
that is online.
The major challenge of the First Mile Project is to determine how
smallholder farmers can connect through intermediaries to the
Internet, to get market information and to communicate with other
How can information and communication
technologies make a difference
to rural poor people?
International Fund for Agricultural Development