Ben Hur Viray
| Organización | UP Open University |
|---|---|
| Organization type | University |
| Organization role |
Student
|
| País | Philippines |
| Area of Expertise |
Information Systems
|
This member participated in the following Forums
Foro Forum: "ICT and producer organizations" November, 2012
Question 4 (opens 20 Nov.)
Hi Pierre,
I agree that there is a gap called digital divide among the POs and farmers, making ICT a double-edged sword. Indeed, the ones who are left behind are further marginalized, and I admire the people that can manage their farms/livelihood without ICT.
In this study by Lumbo, Declaro and Casanova (2010) in Occidental Mindoro, Philippines, a vast majority of the women farmers are not affiliated in any community organization, had not attended any training, and had not recieved any assistance from outside organizations. They still practice gama (farmers and household exchange labor with others) and pakyawan (arrangement that requires negotiating with one or two persons for labor supply) among farming communities. Also, the extension programs available to them may have been designed for men as some regarded them as housewife material.
In another study by Lu (2010) in Benguet, Philippines, women are not aware of the hazards of pesticide use. They are not aware that chronic illnesses can develop over a long period of time. They also believe that injuries/illnesses occur because of fate, and not because of unsafe conditions/practices. Sad to say, the absence of ICT lead to negative effects.
Harv
To answer the main question, it does both but I would like to focus on the positive side, the empowerment. In last year's World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2011 (WTISD), the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) of the Philippines shared a success story on a digital literacy campaign for women. According to the report, it is an ongoing crusade to train and equip 10,000 Filipino women from the poor and marginalized communities with basic ICT skils and proficiencies specifically on functional digital literacy. The campaign allows Filipino women to explore and reach their highest potential as women in the digital information age. Included in this project is the Basic and Customized Internet Literacy Course for Rural Women, which trains women in the rural communities on the use, application, and services of ICT as a vehicle for improving their social and economic conditions.
Harv
Question 3 (opens 19 Nov.)
Hi Pierre,
Regarding your comment on the government sponsoring/subsidizing ICT for PO, you may want to check the website of the Philippines' Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank, which provides social mobilization, connectivity, content development and ICT training for farm use.
Harv
Hi Dolores,
Thank you for your insights, I also believe in free software, so let's rename it to FOSS. This will greatly affect the cost of software, but the hardware/infrastructure problems remain. If the government/LGUs/NGOs can look for alternative and cheaper ways for devices (such as Raspberry Pis), then we can go for a win.
Harv
Hi Michael,
Actually the XOs are laptops, and selected schools are lucky recipients of these devices (for free!). As for sustainability in the Philippines, the first deployment in Lubang (Dec 2010, initiated by the mayor) is still going smooth because of the support of the government. In fact, it was expanded to the whole region of Occidental Mindoro (Nov 2011, initiated by the governor). Given proper training, all stakeholders (students, teachers, administrators) can incorporate the laptops in their daily activities. As for the costs, you will just need a basic computer for the server and internet access, plus the training. The school can get these for free if there are NGOs helping. Recently, there is a private company that has started to deploy XOs, and they provide free training (through eKindling, volunteer org) and connectivity (through Smart, private telco).
Harv
Hi Mike,
I agree that the public sector should empower the farmers. I would like to add to your example the Philippine Rice Research Institute's Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank. They have a system called PalayCheck that presents the best key technology and management practices in rice crop management.
Regards,
Harv
Let me speak for the small time farmers. They are generally dependent on producer organizations, so they need all the help they can get outside, and that includes the public sector. The latter can help them reach wider markets through various ICT channels such as websites, forums, geocaching, and social media. At first the public can do this, but once the ICT infrastructure of the PO has been set up they can work hand-in-hand.
Regards,
Harv
Hi Sansu,
The XO laptops are designed and targeted for children so I don't think OLPC will allow these to be given to farmers. Besides, at around $150+ each, it might be better to give them cellphones or ebook readers. By the way, private organizations were the ones who brought the OLPC laptops to the Philippines, the DepED only supported it.
Regards,
Harv
Question 2 (opens 14 Nov.)
I realized that I didn't answer the main question in my previous posts. Here's what I think: linkage through ICT. The POs should help link the farmers to the different markets, LGUs/NGOs and the R&D centers. These different channels provide the essential elements for agricultural success: marketing and selling strategies, funding activities, and knowledge transfer. The agriculture system in the Philippines is somewhat fragmented, as shown in this cycle: Markets->R&D->LGUs/NGOs->POs then back to Market again. With ICT, the three are directly connected with the POs.
Harv
Hi Sr. Eva,
The data doesn't have to be stored in phones. We already have cloud technology where information can be stored in the Net and can be shared to everyone who has access to it. As for managing farm productions, I believe mobile phones are sufficient for the far-flung areas where there's no electricity. For them, paper is enough.
Regards,
Harv