1 / 18

The Web Alliance for Regreening in Africa: Innovating ICT Solutions for Rural Development

Explore the unexpected partnership between the World Wide Web and regreening efforts in Africa, with a focus on enhancing the lives of subsistence farmers in challenging conditions. This presentation showcases the transformative impact of ICTs on rural communities, sharing success stories and highlighting the importance of contextual adaptation. Discover the W4RA approach, leveraging voice-based tools, radio, and indigenous knowledge to drive sustainable development. Learn about the innovative Web of Speech and community-building initiatives aimed at empowering local content creation. Join the initiative funded by the European Commission and the International Press Institute to support Voice-based Community-centric mobile Services for social development.

kirtana-devaj
Download Presentation

The Web Alliance for Regreening in Africa: Innovating ICT Solutions for Rural Development

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The World Wide Web and Regreening in AfricaAn unexpected alliance ?Presentation at the Institut français des rélations internationalesBrussels, 5 June 2012by Anna Bon, Nana Baah Gyan, Victor de Boer, Pieter De Leenheer, Chris van Aart, Christophe Guéret, Chris Reij, Wendelien Tuyp, Hans Akkermans

  2. Question: • Can ICTs improve the lives of people in remote rural areas in Africa ? • Even under very constraining conditions: • Very low incomes;low levels of literacy, many different languages spoken, no internet access, no computers, no electricity...?

  3. Focus our efforts on subsistence farmers in the Sahel

  4. 1970s - 1980s: Drought … Common perception: Poverty, degradingenvironment, Permanent crisis

  5. Zinder, Niger: 1975 and 2005 2005 1975

  6. Farmermanagednatural Regeneration Simple techniques 1990 Zaï Half moons Big impacts 2004 Piliostigma reticulatum Combretum glutinosum

  7. THE SAME FIELD IN 2008/LE MEME CHAMP EN 2008 2009: OusseniKindo’s fields

  8. STUDY AREAS ZONES d’ETUDE

  9. AfricanRegreening Initiative is about sharing of indigenousknowledge

  10. W4RA approach: Trying to understand the local conditions • low levels of literacy • many different local languages spoken • mobile phone –( voicebased, no smartphones) • radio is very important channel for information • internet/computers hardly used • electricity is scarce; cost of phonecalls

  11. The context

  12. Apply Living Labs methodology

  13. Voice-based phone access to a webservice

  14. Radio Marché, a voice based trading system

  15. Web of Radios

  16. interdisciplinary approach • Social/cultural – living labs • Low literacy – voice apps • Channels – make use of radio and mobile phone • Languages – apply speech technologies for under-resourced languages • Cost aspect– use inexpensive, robust systems, use and deliver Open Software • Sustainability: business models; ecosystems; community of developers, training.

  17. Conclusions: work in progress... • ICTs are only useful, when contextualized and adapted to the local requirements • We will encourage local content creation so that • Future developments: The Web of Speech;Community building towards development of innovative ICT services…?

  18. Web Alliance for Regreening in Africais part of VOICES partly funded by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme Project No 269954 VOIce-based Community-cEntric mobile Services for social development And partly funded by the International Press Institute IPI

More Related