Enhancing the rural livelihoods of the poor: knowledge map
The rural poor, one billion of whom are defined as those living on less than a dollar a day, have been by-passed by developments in ICT. This is despite substantial investment by the private sector, developing country governments and development donors, and agencies in ICT projects and programs. Yet ICTs when appropriately adapted, help improve the livelihoods of poor individuals, families and communities in rural areas and increase their income opportunities, thereby improving their chances of escaping from persistent poverty.
Commissioned by the Information for Development Program (infoDev), this report aims to provide a Knowledge Map; synthesising insights from a comprehensive range of existing resources exploring how ICTs can enhance the livelihoods of the rural poor.
The Map builds on the Information and Communications for Rural Livelihoods (ICD4RL) project which was completed by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in cooperation with the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank (WB). The Map is grounded in eight principles for successful ICD4RL, these are:
- adapting content to local context
- building on existing systems and working with existing policies
- addressing diversity
- building capacity
- ensuring equitable access and empowerment
- building partnership networks
- adopting realistic approaches to technology
- information costs.
The report asks what we already know, both from research and from experience in the field, and what donor staff and their country counterparts most urgently need to know about these issues. A key goal of the Map is to recommend a way forward in the international community's framing of these issues, as well as identify urgent priorities for further research and experimentation.
Appendices include an annotated bibliography which focuses specifically on documents containing recent analysis or evaluation about the application and impact of ICT projects on Rural Livelihoods.
