New tools to connect people and places: the impact of ICTs on learning among resource poor farmers in Bolivia

Abstract

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have the ability to rapidly connect the poor to both wider communities and larger knowledge sets. However, while the use of ICTs in development has increased dramatically in recent years, there is a dearth of evidence regarding the impact and uptake of programmes. Therefore, the following article describes the development of El Promotor, a multi-media, interactive programme for poor farmers on the Bolivian Altiplano. The study further examined the relationship between new and existing knowledge regarding animal health and production among 85 farmers in 13 communities, who utilised the programme. The authors found that the uptake of new knowledge was highly dependent upon the specific topic involved i.e. disease causation, symptoms, treatment and prevention. Not surprisingly, the level of challenge to existing beliefs also impacted learning levels. Nonetheless, by utilising visual referents, which supported customary knowledge, improvements in farmer understanding of disease causation, diagnosis, treatment were noted after use of the programme. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.