First of all, let me introduce myself.  My name is Mark Leclair and I am a Program Officer with Farm Radio International.

I think we (development practitioners) often look at knowledge generation as something that is "disseminated" to farmer groups.  The idea that simply sending out great info is enough to transfer knowledge and to get farmers to change their practice is certainly enticing, especially for those of us who work with mass media like radio, TV and web-based platforms.  We see it a lot:  "Let's get the radio station to play this recorded CD on the air!  That will transfer knowledge to farmers."

Unfortunately, in reality simple dissemination methodologies don't work all that well, even if the information is great/locally relevant. At Farm Radio International we take a different view:  That farmers actually work through a series of steps in the generation of knowledge.  Transfer of basic facts and techniques is just the first step.  While its important, I would argue that the next step is just as important:

DISCUSSION!

This crucial step is all about farmers working through the information presented on the radio.  They discuss with one another, call into the station/ask questions and weigh the pros and cons of any new technology or approach that is talked about on-air.  Given the chance, farmers are very willing to ask questions to further understand agriculture innovations.  Mobile ICTs like phones help greatly in opening up this feedback mechanism. After all, it would be very difficult for anyone to make a decision without a chance to discuss its implications with others (especially those in their peer group).  And farmers are no different.

By adding in this crucial participatory step you can move from simple transfer of facts to real generation of knowledge at the farmer level.  The information from the radio is contextualized to the local setting and farmers now more fully understand how a given innovation fits into their particular circumstances.  You would be hard pressed to see this change through a pre-recorded message put on the air.

Of course then you can talk about transitioning this knowledge to a "decision point" and potentially implementation on the farm.  Whether a farmer adopts or not is not the question.  What is important is that the farmer received enough information and support to make an informed decision.

Through this approach we have seen some pretty amazing transfer of knowledge and indeed uptake of agricultural technologies on the ground.  You can read more about this research here:  http://bit.ly/farmradioprc

Thanks!

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Mark Leclair

Farm Radio International

Hi everyone, I may be a bit biased, considering I am working at Farm Radio International, but my experience shows that mobile phones may be a perfect way to tie into already viable and solidified forms of technology. People often see ICT's as being new cutting edge devices such as using 3G networks and Telecentres. However, the reality is that in many rural areas living on the edge of subsistence, mobile phones may have poor or non-existent signals (although this is changing rapidly) and perhaps even more likely, the cost to operate a phone in this context is simply too expensive. Farmers value communication but often see voice calls (using valuable minutes) as too cost prohibitive. SMS is clearly a great alternative but even that has drawbacks given its text-based format (targeting only those that are literate. We have been exploring ways that radio (a form of ICT that is by far the most wide-spread at least in Sub-Saharan Africa) can link with mobile phones. Imagine a farmer listening to a rural radio program then sending questions and input through their mobile phone. This could be done through a "call back" number where the farmer calls a number, hangs up, then the number calls them back (therefore zero cost to the farmer) It could be from the radio station offering farming information through an automated system. I could go on and on.... Anyway, what I see mobile phones as right now is a bridging technology between existing and time-proven technologies such as radio. What does everyone else think? Mark Leclair (Farm Radio International, Ottawa Canada)