Introduction

I am called Richard Awah Nche, Head of the Department for Communication and Documentation at IRAD Yaounde in Cameroon. IRAD (Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Dévelopment) is a french acronym that stands for the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, the sole public agricultural research institute at the service of the rural masses or farmers. I am very pleased to join this forum because it will permit me to gain a lot of knowledge and insights in the use of of mobile phones in the dissemination of information to the rural masses. Cameroon is principally an agricultural country, but the widespread use of mobile telephony in the present context of this forum is stiil to be a reality