Farmers, wholesalers, retailers, agro-processors, inputs suppliers, and traders are challenged severally by limited access to reliable and timely information. Providing access to modern ICT facilities can help farmers and value chain actors overcome information isolation and improve their access to markets and essential public services, such as timely and high-quality information on weather, crop conditions, and market prices as well as technical advice on, say, improved technologies and techniques. Building or creating techno hubs in community centers in rural villages can be extremely helpful to farmers getting familiair with ICTs capabilities. I have been instrumental building a 'knowledge village center' in Hansapur, Nepal and I have seen that exposing farmers to low cost technologies helps them to discuss options and experiment with new forms of communications, capturing data, use of satelite data helping them to make informed decisions. 

At the International centre for Integrated mountain Development (ICIMOD) we have scheduled a literature study on ICT4D in the HKH region. Up until now we have not seen sustainable ICT4D projects in the mountainous areas of the Hindu Kush Himalayan with its est population of 220 million poor people a significant number. The rural poor in the HKH are excluded from various benefits ICT can bring but the specific conditions in the HKH makes it apparently more difficult to apply ICT4D on a sustainable way. We have seen some positive examples but very few and its our aim to look more into the application of ICTs and their successes and failures through an impact pathways study. We will share the results thought his network.