Impact of ICTs in Rural Areas (India) Phase II – Information Village Research Project supported by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada implemented by M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) Terminal Report [2000-2004] Introduction As momentum builds up around the globe for debating and directing the future of ICTs in society, a key concern that cannot be ignored is the fate of the world’s villages, especially in developing countries, where most of the human population lives. What are some notable success stories on this front? What has been their guiding vision and evolving infrastructure? How can these lessons be captured, exchanged and multiplied? This terminal report is an attempt to tell the story of the Rural Knowledge Centres [RKCs], its human face, evolutionary path, future directions, trials and tribulations. It is a work in progress, and will undoubtedly evolve as the story of this bold and inspiring human adventure unfolds. How has ICT-blended development impacted the lives of the rural poor? Can such experiments survive after seed donor funding has dried up? What knowledge assets can be created, exchanged and leveraged by rural communities? Why are such knowledge-intensive experiments so few in number around the world? How can policymakers and local community stakeholders sustain this experiment? This terminal report attempts to address a wide range of these critical issues. Genesis Technological divide has been an important factor in enlarging the rich-poor divide both among and within nations since the onset of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. With explosive progress in many areas of technology, like information, space, bio- and nano-technology, this divide is increasing. The challenge now is to enlist technology as an ally in the movement for economic, social and gender equity. Therefore, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation [MSSRF] chose the imparting of a pro-nature, pro-poor and pro-women orientation to technology i.exe development and dissemination as its main mandate when it started functioning in Chennai in 1989. The foundation launched a series of annual inter-disciplinary dialogues on ICT-enabled development from 1990 onwards, titled “New Technologies: Reaching the Unreached”. The first dialogue in this series was related to biotechnology. The recommendations made at this dialogue resulted in the organisation of the Biovillages initiative. MSSRF held an Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Information Technology: Reaching the Unreached [Annexure 1] in January 1992 with the support of International Development Research Centre [IDRC], United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], Department of Space, Govt. of India, International Tropical Timber Organisation [ITTO] and Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology [CAPART]. The dialogue output made it clear the future of food security in the developing world especially South Asia is dependent less on resource intensive agriculture and more on knowledge intensity. In the coming years, agriculture will have to be developed as an effective instrument for creating more income, jobs and food and such a paradigm of sustainable agriculture will be both knowledge and skill intensive. The key step in the use of ICTs in sustainable agricultural and rural development is the value addition made to generic information to render it locale specific. It is on the latter that the rural families, particularly the marginal farmers and the assetless can act on to improve productivity of labour and inputs. Biovillage Programme It took a while before we could actually move forward to test our ideas on what intelligent and innovative application of ICTs can do in rural development. We went through the route of testing the impact modern biology could have on rural livelihood, largely thanks to the life-long interest of Prof. M S Swaminathan in biology. We set up several ‘biovillages’ and worked closely with the rural population in the villages of Pondicherry. On hindsight, we realize how valuable this experience was. It is through the ‘biovillage’ project that the foundation staff and the rural communities came to know each other well. The biovillage programme [Annexure 2] helps the villagers use the available resources in a sustainable way as an additional source of income by using biological tools. Some of the biovillage activities are: Fish pond, mushroom cultivation, paper and board from banana waste, rain water harvesting, cultivation of pulses, ornamental fish growing, using water from the 2 fishpond as manure for the coconut, hybrid seed production, trichograma (biopesticide), fodder and dairy. The main aim of these activities is to stop degradation of existing resource base. From a Small Beginning MSSRF – IDRC Information Village Research Project was designed as a test bed for research into how information and communication technologies could be used in rural development. This project was launched in January 1998 in the Union Territory of Pondicherry with the support of IDRC, Canada, and the first phase came to a close in June 2000. The second phase of the project commenced in February 2001 and came to a close in July 2004. The second phase supported by both IDRC and CIDA. During the interim period, funds from the Ford Foundation grant came in handy to sustain the project activities. We have also used Ford Foundation funds to upgrade our communication technologies in some villages. The entire project is based on community ownership of technological tools as distinct from personal or family ownership and it encourages collective action for empowering communities. Information needs assessment Initially we have conducted two surveys: One is related to information linkages in the rural areas and the other is on the reach of electronic media. To get a clear picture of the state of existing communication habits and channels in the rural areas, especially among the poorer households, we conducted detailed survey covering 10% of the resident families in the proposed area of coverage in 1998. The predominant sources of information are the local shopkeeper, the market place, and the input supplier. A very considerable amount of information transaction takes place between the rural poor households and this also acts as a primary source of information [Annexure 3]. From our earlier research in 11 villages, we found that reach of electronic media, especially television, is reasonably high when one considers the prevalence of poverty in the villages surveyed. They do not have even 1 phone per 500 people [Annexure 4]. We also collected information through surveys on district and village profiles, economic activity, maps, information needs, education levels and institutes, healthcare, quality of life, information disseminators (primary and secondary), infrastructure, local interaction patterns, problems of 3 landless laborers, self help group market needs, traditional helath practicioner, artisans and small merchants, and profiles of underprivileged communities [Annexure 5]. Hub and Spokes Model The Village Knowledge Centres are connected in a hub and spokes model with Villianur as the hub [Annexure 6]. Our project staff operates this. Our field experience shows that community ownership and participation are necessary conditions for success. Setting up of these Village Knowledge Centres was preceded by large-scale consultation with the local communities. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) [Annexure 7] was used as a method to identify information needs of the community. PRA was also used to assess how far the community was willing to go in operationalising the local centre, by way of making in-kind or cash contributions. This was also used in the identification of a group of individuals who would be consensually chosen by the community for managing the local centre. In each case, the community provided an accessible rent-free building, electricity and volunteers, many of them women. The project provided all the needed equipment and training and helped in collecting data. The project pays NO money to the volunteers. The rural community has a sense of ownership. The following rural knowledge centres are established during Phases I and II with the help of IDRC, CIDA, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of Pondicherry and Volkart Foundation with different models. Location Establishment Operated by Type of Village Situated in Year Villianur 1998 Project Staff Block Rented Building Development Head Quarters Kizhur 1998 Private House Agricultural Private House owner & Village Village Voluntary Organisation Embalam 1999 Women Self Agricultural and Public temple Help Group Milk Production room Village 4 Veerampattinam 1999 Volunteers Fishermen’s Panchayat selected by Village [Village Council] traditional building panchayat Poornangkuppam 1999 Temple Trust Agricultural and Public Temple and Horticultural room Grampanchayat village Pillayarkuppam 2000 Village Biocentre (Hub of Own building of Volunteers the Biovillage M S Programme set Swaminathan up by M S Research Swaminathan Foundation Research Foundation) Thirukanchipet 2000 Village Agricultural Govt. TV Room Volunteers labourers village Kalitheerthalkuppam 2001 Village Agricultural and Part of the Volunteers Milk Production Noon Meal Village programme Room Nallavadu 2001 Volunteers Fishermen’s Panchayat selected by Village Building traditional panchayat Periyakalapet 2003 Volunteers Fishermen’s Panchayat selected by Village building