7. Adopting Realistic Approaches to Technology

The use of technologies in information and communication initiatives for development is expanding exponentially. One result is the problem of coordination, which has become a daunting challenge. The emphasis is now on developing a realistic set of compatible technologies to facilitate the exchange of information between different systems. Even in developed countries, there are few good examples of interventions that successfully integrate information technology into workable information management and communication strategies. The lack of suitable evaluation methodologies for the new technologies means that there is little effective monitoring and evaluation, making it difficult to even identify key lessons of interventions. Nevertheless, computer-based information technologies are increasingly being applied to rural development, even in the most remote circumstances, despite the fact that the vast majority of the rural poor, who remain the target beneficiaries of most development programmes, only use information that is communicated by word of mouth.

It is essential to be more realistic about information technology. In developing countries the most realistic approach is often to use a linked combination of old and new technologies. There are many good examples of innovative mechanisms that can bridge the gap between the Internet and rural areas by using existing technologies such as rural radio, rural service providers, or possibly high-frequency radio links or village Internet booths.