Briefing Sheet

Quick Guide: ICT and Rural Livelihood Resources Online

infoDev has collected links to useful online resources developed by organizations focused on ICT for rural livelihoods.

Resources for Policymakers

4th World Congress on Computers in Agriculture provides a forum for policymakers to exchange information on the use of ICT for agriculture. http://www.wcca2006.org/

Open Forum on Participatory Geographic Information Systems and Technologies (PPGIS.Net) provides online access to open source GIS, and free satellite imagery resources. http://ppgis.iapad.org/

Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) provides remote-sensing satellite imagery sourced from NOAA, NASA, and USGS. FEWS NET provides information on more than twenty countries facing food security issues, and offers a set of “livelihoods products,” including maps, and profiles. http://www.fews.net/centers/?f=af

Virtual Extension and Research Communications Network (VERCON) is a pilot portal in Egypt sponsored by FAO. Additional pilots are planned for Bhutan, Costa Rica, and Uganda. VERCON aims to improve agricultural research and extension systems and the advisory services delivered to rural farmers in Egypt. http://www.vercon.sci.eg/Vercon_en/vercon.asp

"Future Directions in Agriculture and ICT at USAID" was produced for USAID in 2003, and outlines ICT4D applications related to the agriculture sector. http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/resourceptrdb/uploads/partnerfile/upload/19/AG_ICT_USAID.pdf

Resources for Community Radio Broadcasters

Developing Countries Farm Radio Network, a Canadian non-governmental organization, works with 250 radio broadcasters in more than 35 countries to fight food insecurity. http://www.farmradio.org/english/

World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) is an international non-governmental organization comprised of 3,000 community broadcasters in 110 countries. http://www.amarc.org/

Resources for Farmers

Chicago Board of Trade, a commodities exchange, is a key marketplace for agricultural producers worldwide. http://www.cbot.com/

Taraahat in India offers easy-to-use, web-based resources designed for rural and peri-urban users. Sections on agriculture include news and information on organic farming, fertilizers, crops, plant diseases, among others. http://www.tarahaat.com/tara/home

Pinoy Farmer, a project initiated by the Philippines Department of Agriculture, offers web-based resources for agricultural products. http://www.pinoyfarmer.com/

Self Employed Women’s Foundation (SEWA) Academy of India offers vocational training, and video courses designed to support the livelihoods of women. http://www.sewaacademy.org/

Foodnet Uganda disseminates agricultural market price information via newspapers, the Internet, radio and mobile phones (SMS). http://www.foodnet.cgiar.org/

ICTs for agricultural livelihoods: Impact and lessons learned from IICD supported activities
http://www.iicd.org/articles/booklet-impact-agric

 

By infoDev. Published September 2006.

Learn more: Rural Livelihoods