Vertical Administration, Information Flow and Governance Dilemma
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How to Avoid Stumbling in the Last Kilometer: The Case of Quzhou Agricultural Technology 110 An Innovations in Technology and Governance Case Study Quzhou Agricultural Technology 110 (or “NJ110”) refers to a project of the regional authorities in Zheizhang Province, China. The project involves the use of information and communications technologies to build an information network by modifying and updating an existing system for the dissemination of agricultural technologies. The program originated in Zhangtan Township in 1998 as a 24-hour telephone hot- line providing farmers with information on market conditions and agricultural technologies via the number “NJ110.” (NJ is the abbreviation for Nongye Jishu, which means “Agricultural Technology.”) Recognized and supported by both provincial leaders and central authorities, NJ110 expanded rapidly. In a period of four months toward the end of 1999, provincial authorities mandated the establishment of agricultural information centers equipped with personal computers in all of Zheizhang’s 139 townships. The current network consists of three levels of information service stations: municipal, county and township. The NJ110 network employs radio, television, print, and Internet modes of communication. By June 2003 it had trained 77,000 farmers, responded to over 400,000 queries, and welcomed 800,000 visitors to its website (www.nj110.com). Only partially reflected in cumulative usage figures is the impact that NJ110 has begun to have on governance in Zhejiang Province. Although NJ110 has begun to facilitate horizontal linkages between farmers, as well as new modes of interaction between different geographically and functionally defined “layers” of government, the actual operation is not satisfactory because many farmers lack necessary methods to access information and officials, who operate the whole system’s capacities. Therefore, the question of how to reform the hierarchical administration of the system is of utmost priority. I. Building a Network: How to Avoid Stumbling in the Last Kilometer How does an information system constructed by government reach individual farmers unfamiliar with new technologies and wary of authorities? This is the challenge that faced the provincial authorities in Zheizhang province1 three years after they had launched “Quzhou Agricultural Technology 110.” 1 See illustration 1 for the location of Zheizhang province in a map of China. This case was written by Yang Xuedong, Associate Professor, CCCPE, China, and Phillip Auerswald, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, George Mason University. The case is copyrighted by the authors and the ITG Project and cannot be reproduced or reused without their permission. For further information regarding the ITG Project, please consult the Global Network section of http://www.ashinstitute.harvard.edu. NJ110 ITG Case Study, Page 2 As is typical of projects in China blessed by governmental approval, Quzhou Agricultural Technology 110, also known as “NJ110”, grew quickly after a Zheizhang township developed it as a telephone hotline for farmers in1999. In its first couple of years, the Quzhou municipal government had put into place an administration system and an advanced infrastructure. The traditional system of agricultural service provision had been changed into an information service system with municipal, city (county) and township “layers.” Judged by raw usage numbers, the project was a success. Yet the very impetus of central authority that carried the project through an initial period of rapid growth was now seemingly responsible for its failure to link widely dispersed farmers into an active and reciprocal information network—in figurative terms, for the project stumbling in the last kilometer of connectivity. As it developed, the three-layer administrative organization of NJ110 became an inverted pyramid. The top layer—municipal NJ 110—was the biggest supplier of information to the network. Municipal NJ 110 had comprehensive hardware and sufficient personnel. It had the power to mobilize resources and collect information by linking to other municipal authorities. The township level was administratively the weakest layer—although it was the one responsible for linking with farmers directly. At the township level, the NJ110 was beset with problems: • Many township-level information centers lacked necessary equipments, such as digital camera and scanner. • Some township-level information centers were not able to access the Internet because they could not afford their phone bills. • The majority of computer operators were not professional. They were not only unfamiliar with computers, but were also unfamiliar with agriculture—significantly hampering their ability to find useful information for local farmers. • In some township-level information centers, operators are often changed. The information center cannot function. • There were not enough technicians familiar with current agricultural development and market trends on the township level. Most technicians were educated traditionally. They could not answer farmers’ questions concerning new technologies, breeds, and market. • At the same time, according to an investigation by NJ 110 in Changshan County, the contents of information demanded by farmers were changing, shifting from technology inquiries toward market inquiries. The percentage consulting agricultural technologies fell from 60 percent to 40 percent while over 60 percent of consultation 2 was about market information of farm products and other projects. 2 Xu and Liao (2003). NJ110 ITG Case Study, Page 3 During the holiday of May First, 2002, a reporter from Quzhou Daily dialed phones of NJ 110. He was disappointed to find 70% of phones had no answers. In many places, farmers were still not clear about NJ 110—confusing it with a prior innovation, “Police 110.”3 The size of townships is usually large in China. Every township has about 16.5 villages and 5321.85 farmer families on an average.4 Even when properly functioning, township- level information centers were, inevitably, too far away from some farmers. Long travel distances and poor transportation made asking for help a perennial challenge. In principle, it would have been easier for farmers to receive information provided by the government if phones and the Internet could access it. Yet many farmers could not afford the means of access. Economic barriers continued to be compounded by cultural ones. Many farmers were afraid of the Internet. They were accustomed to face-to-face communication. They were not prepared to judge information when confronted with huge information flows. They were afraid to be misguided by false information. The habitual fear of government persisted. Some farmers did not dare dial the NJ110 service phone number or go to township government for consultation. Despite the existence of over 30 formal professional associations for farmers, informal communication links were weak. In brief, the network had developed as structurally vertical and hierarchical. The architecture of the system, in turn, largely determined the type of information available. II. The Development of NJ110 Background Agricultural research and extension stations are not new to China. Jones and Garforth (1997) note “the support of relevant agricultural research and the dissemination of information and advice had certainly begun by the late Han Dynasty (25-220 A.D.).”5 As Jones and Garforth (1997) point out, the use of technology in agricultural extension activities is also not new: “The Sung and Yuan Dynasties (960-1368) with their firm local government administrations were notable in organizing and promoting agricultural research, extension work, and the teaching of agriculture and sericulture, much facilitated by the invention of woodblock printing, which allowed agricultural treatises and practical handbooks to be widely distributed.” A recent wave of interest on the part of central authorities in China in the use of new information and communications technologies for agricultural extension activities began 6 in the mid-1980s, with the Seventh Five Year Plan of the Ministry of Agriculture. 3 It is like emergency number in America. If you need help from policeman, just dial the number 110. 4 Calculated according to national statistics. http://www.agri.gov.cn/xxlb/t20020913_2947.htm 5 See also Perkins (1969), Elvin (1973), Bray (1984), and Delman (1991). 6 See Fangquan (2000). NJ110 ITG Case Study, Page 4 Chronology of Events NJ110 originated from a 24-hour hotline phone, which was established by “Information Center for Getting Richer” in Zhangtan Township, Quxian County in the second half of 1998. Through this phone service, township government introduced market information on farm products to farmers and answered their questions concerning agricultural technologies by phone. Local farmers welcomed the service. Soon municipal leaders in Quzhou began to consider establishing an information center to cover the whole territory—learning from “Police 110.” The information center for agricultural service was established on November 20, 1999. It was dubbed “NJ110.” On that day, the center received over 300 calls. With the expansion of the network in China, local leaders began to think that the network would complement phone service. In four months at the end of 1999, Quzhou municipal government established information centers in all 139 townships of Zheizhang province. Each center was equipped with computers to access the Internet. The municipal NJ110