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ICT4D - ICTs for Development

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Rural communication services: Trends and experiences in Asia and the Pacific

Rome: FAO (2024), vii, 79 pp.

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Future directions for context in ICT4D: A systematic literature review

Sonel Pyram

Information Development (2024), 21 pp.

"The digital divide between the Global South and North has been a major concern for researchers from various fields in the past two decades. This divide has led to an increased focus on research related to information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) and other relevant discipline ... more

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Guide on digital agricultural extension and advisory services: Use of smartphone applications by smallholder farmers

Rome: FAO (2024), IX, 57 pp.

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AI for Climate Action: Applications and Principles in Development Cooperation

Katelin Butler, Moritz Harzbecher, Sven Marc Egbers, Lea Voigt, Erik Lehmann, Ruth Schmidt

Bonn; Eschborn: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (2024), 16 pp.

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AI and natural disaster analysis: Needs analysis during disaster using Artificial Intelligence by Citibeats, February 2018 - September 2021

Citibeats; UNESCO (2024), 21 pp.

"The main conclusions drawn from the analysis of online opinions during natural disasters in Africa are highlighted below: ● Climate change is one of the main concerns of the African population in recent years. This climate problem is considered to be causing more and greater natural disasters on ... more

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Stratégie Continentale sur l’Intelligence Artificielle: Mettre l'IA au Service du Développement et de la Prospérité de l'Afrique

Union Africaine (2024), 63 pp.

"Pour l'Afrique, l'IA pourrait avoir un impact significatif sur la réalisation des aspirations de l'Agenda 2063 et des Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD). Elle est considérée comme un moteur de changement positif, de transformation socio-économique et de renaissance culturelle. L'IA peut ... stimuler la croissance économique, créer de nouvelles industries, motiver l’innovation, générer des opportunités d'emploi, développer de nouveaux créneaux d'activité économique pour les femmes et les jeunes, soutenir la préservation du patrimoine culturel de l'Afrique et aider à résoudre quelques défis complexes et urgents de l'Afrique dans les domaines de la santé, de l'agriculture, de l'éducation, des finances, de la prestation des services publics et bien d'autres encore. La stratégie continentale de l'Union africaine (UA) en matière d'IA s'aligne sur les aspirations de l'UA en matière de développement inclusif ainsi que sur ses valeurs fondamentales. Guidée par les principes d'éthique, d'inclusion et de diversité, des droits de l'homme et de dignité humaine, de bien-être des personnes, de paix et de prospérité, elle donne la priorité au développement et à l'adaptation des systèmes d'IA au contexte africain. Cette stratégie propose une approche inclusive, centrée sur l'Afrique et axée sur le développement autour de cinq domaines d'intervention notamment : tirer le meilleur parti possible des avantages de l'IA, renforcer les capacités en matière d'IA, minimiser les risques, stimuler l'investissement et favoriser la coopération. Elle définit une vision commune et identifie les interventions clés en matière de politique pour permettre au continent d'exploiter l'énorme potentiel de l'IA tout en relevant les défis sociétaux, éthiques, sécuritaires et juridiques associés aux transformations induites par l'IA. Avec cette stratégie continentale en matière d'IA, l'Afrique est en train de poser les fondements nécessaires pour devenir une partie intégrante de la révolution de l'IA en optimisant ces avantages et en libérant son très grand potentiel pour ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives pour tous les citoyens. La population africaine, jeune et technophile, est bien placée pour adopter les technologies innovantes et les mettre au service de la transformation économique et sociale." (Avant-propos) more

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Imaging and Assessing Mobile Technology for Development

Richard Musabe, John Sören Pettersson (eds.)

Newcastle upon Tyne (UK): Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2024), xvi, 186 pp.

"Several studies have already depicted the development of M4D and of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), and that will not be repeated here. However, as this collection of chapters have sprung out from one of the M4D conferences – the M4D 2022 in Kigali – some notes ... on what have been salient at different conferences can be made. If we start with the M4D in Senegal 2014, we can see that from that conference stems a book where the chapters “initiate evocative conversations on how mobile technologies can contribute to expanding mobile participation practices” (Wamala-Larsson, Hellström, and Scharff 2015, 12). In Mozambique, in 2016, there were some contributions connecting to radio and TV technology; the M4D 2018 conference in Uganda included some papers on how utilities can be backed by subscription schemes via mobile services, as well as by apps where citizens can report dysfunctions and illicit use. The M4D 2020 did not take place, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the possibility of running a conference on site and it was postponed to 2022, when Rwanda saw the first blended M4D conference. The Zoom presence for several dozen participants over three days went very well and, via two cameras and two large screens at the venue site, they blended in well at the conference. The IT maturing effect caused by the pandemic was thus noticeable. Among the presentations it was noticeable that the Internet of Things and drones, often blended with machine learning, are now imaginable as “mobile technology”. Of course, drones are always mobile, and IoT sensors often travel with cargo, but it was the realisation of the affordability of these technologies for food chain, livestock, and crop management, combined with their reliance on mobile phone networks to make use of farmers’ photos and senor data, that made such presentations appropriate at a conference that focuses on affordable communication technology. While technology is a prerequisite, in this volume, based on selected contributions to that conference, we will balance some imaginations with some assessments. The focus will not be on the “new” M4D, even though we acknowledge that it is time to set up demonstration farms with IoT and machine learning, as pointed out by Ronald Katamba from Uganda in an interview (Pettersson and Rehema 2022, 145), and books are now published on Applying Drone Technologies and Robotics for Agricultural Sustainability (Raj, Saini, and Pacheco 2023, with examples from India and Zimbabwe; see also FAO and ITU 2022). Instead, the chapters selected for this book adhere to the theme of knowledge dissemination and knowledge development, as mentioned already. One chapter was invited to report from the African Center of Excellence in Internet of Things, hosted by the University of Rwanda in Kigali, to illustrate the efforts to build native technological competence on an advanced level. That chapter simultaneously demonstrates the growing pan-African collaboration in the academic infrastructuring project." (Foreword, pages x-xi) more

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WorldCat (189)

ICT and Rural Development in the Global South
Deep Insights

Willem van Eekelen

London; New York: Routledge (2024), xiii, 211 pp.

"Drawing on years of experience across 45 countries, as well as extensive original academic research, Willem van Eekelen situates the evolving role of ICT in wider development patterns in the Global South. He discusses the effects of ICT on agriculture, trade, financial flows, resource management an ... more

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Error 404, farmer not found: Why agricultural information services must consider how smallholders use their phones

Jonathan Steinke et al.

Alliance of Bioversity International; International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT); CGIAR (2024), 7 pp.

"Numerous barriers hinder mobile information services in delivering information effectively to smallholder farmers. Many of these barriers can be explained by farmers’ habits in using their phones. Therefore, carefully considering how exactly farmers use their phones in specific local context is c ... more

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A return of dominant paradigm in China: Making Alibaba a development solution for rural China and the globe

Ziyi Wang

Information, Communication & Society (2024), 21 pp.

"In 2011, Alibaba launched the Taobao Villages initiative, which enables rural e-commerce and connects rural sellers with urban buyers, highlighting the role of e-commerce platforms in reducing rural poverty. This approach was later integrated into national rural development policies. As the Digital ... more

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Towards Digital Inclusion in Rural Transformation

Kevin Hernandez, Justin Flynn, Jun He, Huda Alsahi

Rome: FAO (2024), xiii, 113 pp.

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China and the Internet: Using New Media for development and Social change

Song Shi

New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press (2024), 368 pp.

"Two oversimplified narratives have long dominated news reports and academic studies of China's Internet: one lauding its potentials to boost commerce, the other bemoaning state control and measures against the forces of political transformations. This bifurcation obscures the complexity of the dyna ... more

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Rural communication services for family farming in Asia and the Pacific: Regional consultation and forum

Rome: FAO (2024), x, 41 pp.

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United Nations Activities on Artificial Intelligence (AI) 2023

Geneva: ITU (2024), xviii, 366 pp.

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Principles for Digital Development
Key Guides

Principles for Digital Development Working Group (2024)

"The Principles for Digital Development serve as a compass for those working to promote sustainable and inclusive development in today’s complex digital landscape. Using these Principles as a starting point, policymakers, practitioners, and technologists will be better equipped to ensure that all ... people can benefit from digital initiatives and from the broader digital society. Originally developed in 2014, the Principles are officially endorsed by more than 300 organizations, including donors, international organizations, and civil society organizations. During the first decade (2014-2024), they widely influenced funder procurement policies and the design and implementation of development programs. In 2024, the Principles were updated in consultation with a diverse set of individuals and organizations. Through this effort, the community expressed the need for the Principles to better reflect that people today largely interact with technology outside of development programs. Today, all people – even those who do not yet have access to or use technology – live in societies that are increasingly shaped by digital ecosystems that can bring both immense benefit and immense harm. Therefore, the refreshed Principles recognize the need for radical inclusion and local ownership; elevate issues arising from the generation and use of digital data; emphasize that open approaches to innovation can support the realization of the nine Principles; and intentionally speak to the original audience while resonating further with the full diversity of individuals and organizations that exert power over the design, deployment, and governance of digital systems and solutions. The Principles are mutually reinforcing, as they emphasize the actions needed to ensure no one is left behind in an increasingly digital world." Ultimately, when designing and implementing a policy, solution, system, or intervention, endorsers of these Principles commit, at minimum, to do no harm, and at best, to ensure their work maximizes the agency of people and communities to drive their own development. To achieve these objectives, each endorser will define how these Principles can be operationalized in their work, sphere of influence, and specific initiative. " (Introduction) more

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Using social media for agricultural information dissemination: The role of informant-recipient homogeneity

Ryo Takahashi, Yasuyuki Todo, Yu Ri Kim, Yuzuka Kashiwagi, Denu Lemma Tsegaye

Journal of Developpment Effectiveness (2024), 28 pp.

"This study uses a randomised experiment targeting wheat producers in Ethiopia to examine the impact of providing market price information through Facebook on farmers’ sales behaviour. To identify the effect of informant homogeneity, we distinguished the informants’ nationality as either Ethiopi ... more

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Assessing the digital readiness and communication ecosystem of rural youth: Methodological guidelines

Marzia Pafumi

Rome: FAO (2024), vi, 92 pp.

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Conjuring a Blockchain Pilot: Ignorance and Innovation in Humanitarian Aid

Margie Cheesman

Geopolitics (2024), 28 pp.

"When aid professionals adopt high tech pilot projects, ignorance, blind faith, misplaced trust, and authentic expertise all come into play. Based on ethnographic research in Jordan, I examine how a refugee aid organisation produces and applies a blockchain pilot. Innovative pilots help internationa ... more

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Digitalization & Gender Norms: Learnings from CARE's Digital Pilot for VSLA Members in Rwanda & Uganda

Eric Kaduru, Julia Arnold

Care (2024), 10 pp.

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AI for Good: Impact Report

Geneva: ITU (2024), viii, 80 pp.

ICT and Rural Development in the Global South Deep Insights

Principles for Digital Development Key Guides

ICT and Rural Development in the Global South
Deep Insights

Principles for Digital Development
Key Guides