Harvesting networks

ICTs can form an integral component of development projects as demonstrated by the award winning Information Village Project implemented in Pondicherry by the MSSRF

In developing countries worldwide, funding agencies and donor governments often face a dilemma: should they support the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their development projects, or would the money be better spent on food, shelter, health, and education? If used intelligently and innovatively, ICTs can form an integral component of development projects as demonstrated by the award winning Information Village Project implemented first in Pondicherry by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). This project was developed in January 1998 by the MSSRF as part of its programme for taking the benefits of emerging and frontier technologies to the rural poor.

THE PONDICHERRY EXPERIENCE

Changing traditions In the village of Embalam, the century-old temple has two doors. Through one lies tradition. People from the lowest castes and menstruating women cannot pass its threshold. Inside, the devout perform daily pujas, offering prayers. Through the second door lies the Information Age, and anyone may enter. In a rare social experiment, the village elders have allowed one side of the temple to house two solar-powered computers that give this poor village a wealth of data, from the price of rice to the day's most auspicious hours.

Based on factors like an accessible government and a reasonable telecommunication infrastructure (urban teledensity of twenty), the MSSRF chose to start this project in Pondicherry. This project, receiving support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), connected 10 villages by a hybrid wired and wireless network consisting of PCs, telephones, very high frequency (VHF) duplex radio devices, and email connectivity through dial-up telephone lines that facilitate both voice and data transfer. This bottom-up exercise involves local volunteers who gather information, feed it into an intranet, and provide access through nodes in different villages. Value additions to raw information, use of the local language (Tamil), multimedia (to facilitate illiterate users), and participation by local people from the outset are some of the noteworthy features of the project. This project has won two major international awards: Motorola Gold Award 1999 and Stockholm Challenge Award 2001 under the 'Global Village' category. The knowledge centres are situated in panchayat buildings, temples, a midday meal programme centre, and private houses. The Village Knowledge Centre (KC) Programme is creating a positive impact on communities in terms of promoting development, social change, cultural values, solidarity, political awareness, community organisation, and participation. We are currently working in 10 villages. Creation and updating relevant content to suit local needs is a key factor in the programme. Prior to commencing the content-building activity, extensive consultations were held with participating village communities through small group meetings. It emerged that the provision of dynamic information on prices and availability of inputs for cultivation such as seeds, fertilisers, or pesticides was important to every farmer. Knowledge of grain sale prices in various markets in and around Pondicherry is critical to farmers during the harvest season. This information helps them market their produce more profitably.

KEY PROFIT AREAS
Some key areas where ICTs have had a great deal of impact are mentioned below.

Manufacturing incense:
A group of women in Kizhur village decided to start a small business enterprise manufacturing incense sticks. They began as subcontractors but their confidence and enterprise increased as a result of utilising the rural knowledge centre. Due to the searches carried out by the village volunteers and project staff, they were able to develop the necessary skills for packaging and marketing their own brand name of incense. The women were quickly able to develop local outlets for their products and, using the village KC, they found more distant customers gradually. Village KC facilitates small entrepreneurial activity and mobilises latent productive capacity among women who live in a culture that traditionally has had a tendency to marginalise them.

Saving lives at sea:
The MSSRF Value Addition Centre at Villianur delivers daily images of predicted wave conditions in the Bay of Bengal to the centres at Veerampattinam and Nallavadu. The images are obtained from a website run by the US Navy. The sea conditions are of crucial importance for the safety of the fishermen. The information is so critical that it is transmitted verbally to the fishermen as they are preparing their boats early in the morning, across a public address system through loudspeakers placed on the roof of the centre. The fishermen regard this information as 'life-saving'.

Procuring quality seeds:
Like all farmers, the villagers served by the MSSRF rural KCs require high quality seeds to achieve maximum potential. The village KC at Kizhur performs an important function in locating suitable sources of quality seeds and ensuring adequate supplies for farmers when they need them. Prior to the installation of the village KC, securing an adequate and timely supply of quality seeds was a highly unreliable process, which led to significant variations and uncertainties in crop levels. The village KC therefore contributes greatly to food security.

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