Sub theme 1: ICT innovations for revitalizing Agricultural extension

1. Sub theme 1: ICT innovations for revitalizing Agricultural extension Policy and Perspectives Providing gender sensitive enabling environment

2. Creating Informative/ Knowledge society The success of the ICT enabled projects in rural areas largely depended on potential for economies of scale, societal acceptance and capacity to use information technologies. Five main areas of approach: • Creating an enabling environment - Telecom regulation; ICT delivery • Developing content which speaks of women/men’s concerns and reflects their local knowledge • Education of young girls, boys, men and women in ICT • Promoting increased employment in the IT sector and use of ICTs for men and women groups and grass-root organisations • Implementing e-governance strategies which are accessible including advocacy activities.

3. Strategies for Enabling environment • ICT access strategies need to address the barriers experienced especially by women • Regulation to support these goals • Technology mixes, and use of low-cost technology often produce best results • Public access points/cyber cafes/tele centres To use multiple media - Radio, TV, Video, Print, Phone/Cell, CD/DVD and internet

4. Enabling Environment: Areas for Research • Assessment of use by men and women of information kiosk/ telecentres and other public access points • Centre sustainability; value to users; effect on local economy; e-governance • Information delivery models incorporating mix of technologies • Emphasis on women-appropriate training modes and methods • Evaluation of ICT projects, including gender analysis of costs and benefits; best practices • Gender patterns and practices in defining and creating content at the local level

5. Telecom Regulation, Strategies • Implement cost-effective and appropriate solutions • Universal access • Liberalisation - opening sector to competition • Licensing and regulation: keep charges at affordable rates; allocate quota of licenses to women-owned businesses; waive fees in certain situations • Build capacity of men and women: training • Encourage access to government services and information, especially for women • Promote community leadership

6. Regulation: Areas for Research and Action • Research and data to demonstrate links between ICTs and development • Analysis of gendered effects of telecom policy and regulation • Effects on gender and social equity of high technologies such as GIS • Development of guidelines on mainstreaming gender into ICT policy • Identification and incorporation of social elements of long-term goals into regulation frameworks • Strategies for making low-income markets attractive to investors and providers

7. Content Need for content that is: • developed by men and women, reflecting their knowledge and perspectives • helpful to fulfil daily tasks and responsibilities • aiding in increasing income • available in local languages • accessible to non-literates • Strategically allocated resources and support could produce enormous benefits • Training needed, as is the recognition that indigenous knowledge is valuable.

8. Content: Areas for Research • How to use ICTs to preserve men and women’s knowledge • Dissemination of men and women’s knowledge where it may be beneficial • The role of ICTs in ensuring that people benefit financially and otherwise from this knowledge

9. Issues in Agriculture • Connecting men and women farmers, fisherpeople and exporters with information on availability, pricing • Dissemination of scientific farming information using media mix- radio, video, computer, internet, print and face-to face discussions • Facilitators training- for capacity building of rural men and women • Networking value chains

10. ICT Strategies Inculcate confidence/ security in the use of ICTs Gender perspective in codes of conduct and guidelines on Internet content Gender perspective drafting by all stake holders in national ICT policies and legislation including education Use of the internet through capacity building, and, convergence with other digital media ICT capacity building in men & women’s organizations

11. Development of locally relevant content in local languages by and for men and women Design content to overcome barriers of literacy ICT industry to develop applications for young boys and girls for positive self-development and computer skills Compile best practices of men and women in ICT and education, disseminate through libraries, databases, fora and websites ICT Strategies

12. Promote awareness/benefits of ICTs through mass media, exhibitions etc. Provide affordable ICT assets, resources & bandwidth to rural areas through community access points Support the development of IT interface language and local content related to handicraft, agriculture, fisheries, livestock, savings and loans ICT Strategies

13. Strengthen ICT based network opportunities by building on existing community network, partnerships among GO, NGOs, private sector & community for information sharing & entrepreneurship development Mobilize resources to invest in ICTs for development with specific reference to the advancement of rural men and women ICT Strategies

14. Research in ICT and agriculture • Gendered effects and benefits of use of technologies in agriculture through networking • Feasibility, efficiency and reach of various strategies for using ICTs for extension • Data and indicators on rural men and women participation in ICT use and ICT employment • Review of existing information on use of production technologies by rural men and women • Synthesis of existing work and research on gender, ICT and agriculture for rural development

15. ICTs for entrepreneurial development • Information on developing and maintaining a business - providing business information on how-to, design of product, prices, best practices, and support • Use of ICTs as a tool for production by providing access to technologies to improve farm yields, increase quality and diversity of production, refinement and development of production processes

16. Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in the Development Process Policies, programmes and systems established to ensure mainstreaming of women’s perspectives in all developmental processes, as catalysts, participants and recipients. Wherever there are gaps in policies and programmes, women specific interventions to be undertaken to bridge these. Coordinating and monitoring mechanisms to be devised to assess from time to time the progress of such mainstreaming mechanisms. Women’s issues and concerns as a result to be specially addressed and reflected in all concerned laws, sectoral policies, plans and programmes of action.

17. Gender Budgeting A dissection of the government budget to establish its gender-differential impacts and to translate gender commitments into budgetary commitments. The main objective of a gender-sensitive budget is • to improve the analysis of incidence of budgets • to attain more effective targeting of public expenditure • to offset undesirable gender-specific consequences Gender budgetingis gaining increasing acceptance as a tool for engendering macro economic policy-making.

18. Apro-active gender sensitive ICT strategy is imperative to build the capacities of the rural women to enjoy the fruits of development, sustain their livelihoods, and improve their quality of life. Thank you