Case Study from Addakal, India: How do trained rural women transform generic information into locally relevant?

Generating location specific information from generic information, in the current scenario of rapidly changing world, has been recognized as an essential mechanism for delivering information (knowledge) and advice as an input for modern farming. However it has to escape from the narrow mindset of transferring technology ferring knowledge or information packages. If this can be achieved, with the help of ICT, then agro advisory, agricultural extension and knowledge dissemination will become more diversified, more knowledge-intensive, and more demand driven, and thus more effective in meeting farmers information needs. As a part of the VASAT rural hub activities, the partner organizations ICRISAT-AMS conducted an experiment to develop a framework for transforming generic information into locally relevant information by using ICT as an interface.

Method

By keeping ICT mediated Open Distance Learning methodology as an objective, VASAT converts ICRISAT research results into learning modules (English) and take the help of partner organizations in various locations for localizing these modules. For instance Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Ltd (MKCL) being transformed ICRISAT-VASAT modules into Marathi (local language of Maharastra) and 30,000 students benefited from these modules.

AMS (Aadarsha Mahila Samaikya), an NGO led by a group of semi-literate women, became a partner of VASAT in the year 2002 for the welfare of rural farm community members lives in Addakal, one of the drought prone areas of Southern India. Unlike in the MKCL case, here the AMS team hasn’t the capacities to transform the generic modules into location specific information.

Capacity Building

VASAT made an attempt to build the capacities in the selected three villages. AMS identified highly motivated semi literate rural women (VASAT actors) belongs to the same village for operating centeral hub and village spokes centers ( hub and spokes model ). VASAT organized computer literacy training programs to the selected rural women in two phases, the focus of the first phase is on basic computer operations, MS office and trouble shooting and the second phase concentrated on telugu digitization, telugu fonts and software.

The series of activities and trainings eventually developed frameworks for tranforming the generic information into locally relevant information.

Framework I (Web based medium)

In the initial phase of the web based agro advisory, the non trained semi literate rural women post the farmer queries to ICRISAT experts via a web enabled content management system for seeking solutions. The questions with inadequete information makes the experts to ask some more details for proper diagnosis. This process increased the time delays in web based agro advisory system.

Later the 24 hours live result demonstration training helped the rural women in understanding the requirements of an expert to diagnose the distant farm problem (some times they add photograph also). This particular training helped the PEW and VNAs to process the rural farm resident questions into expert understandable format, and they process the expert solution into rural farm resident understandable format.

Over a period of time, the VNAs started providing solutions to the farmer questions by looking into their Questions repository. For new questions they approach ICRISAT expert via this medium (more details).

Framework II (Videoconferencing as an effective tool for transforming the generic information into locally relevant)

In the second phase, ICRISAT-AMS jointly developed an integrated communication medium for creating a synchronus learning environment. The image tranfer available via yahoo chat give a lively appearnace and the telephone conversation helps to facilitate farmer-expert interaction uninterruptedly.

The center being selected as a VRC (Village Resource Center) for ISRO-MSSRF-ICRISAT VRCs project. As a part of this activity, ISRO provided all the VC faciltiy infrastructure to both AMS and ICRISAT. ICRISAT and MSSRF being nominated as an expert centers for identifying seven VRCs across the country.

VASAT-AMS used this faciltiy very well. In the initial stages they organized live interactions with the experts, eventually on the interest of trained rural women and rural farm communities VASAT started organizing virtual classes daily at 1430 hrs – 1530 hrs (time suggested by trained rural women).

Though ICRISAT has many learning modules, virtual classes started with groundnut on the request of Addakal farm communities. ICRISAT Resource person teaches about the daily farm operations (seed to seed including land prepartion, suitable seed varieties, sowing methods, water requirements, fertilizer and pesticide applications to harvesting etc.) over Video Conference in the regional language (Telugu) by looking into the generic module (English). During the classes the women takes the notes. In addion to this VASAT provides multimedia CDs (contains the class notes in picture format with voice over) to them click here for viewing CD material (File size is 22.3 MB).

The trained rural women organize the farmers meetings in their respective villages in the evening hours and share their notes with them, and also takes the questions from the farmers for next class.

They also digitize the notes and prepare the Powerpoint slides in Telugu (local language), link to the ppt. Surprisingly the trained rural women having the higher secondary level shool education with farm community background generated the locally relevant information from the ICRISAT generic modules by following this frame work.

Click to view the Powerpoint (824 kb)

Click here to download the Video (22.3 mb)