Pierre Rondot
| Organization | Centre International de Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement (CIRAD) |
|---|---|
| Organization type | Research Institution |
| Country | France |
With an agricultural engineer background and a PhD in Agricultural Economics, Pierre Rondot has more than 35 years of experience in rural development and rural producer organizations capacity building at local, national, regional and international level. He has worked in West Africa, South East Asia and in Middle East and North African countries, with (i) NGOs such as the Centre International de Développement et de Recherche (CIDR-France), OXFAM etc., (ii) Research Institutions such as le Centre International de Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) and (iii) International organizations such as the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN/ESCAP) and the World Bank.
Pierre Rondot has extensive research and development field experience with specific emphasis in: (i) agricultural services development, including support to rural producer organizations to access input and output markets; (ii) market (export and domestic) development through quality improvements; (iii) community-organizations and rural producer organizations’ capacity-building (technical, organizational and institutional), (iv) promotion of negotiations processes between rural producer organizations and public and private institutions; (iv) public/private institutional reforms.
Pierre Rondot has retired from the Word Bank Agriculture and Rural Development Department in March 2012 and is now working, on a part time basis, with CIRAD, based in Montpellier, France.
This member participated in the following Forums
Forum Forum: "ICT and producer organizations" November, 2012
Question 4 (opens 20 Nov.)
Thanks Peter for your remark. You are not pessimistic but realist.
This is because Technology including ICT, creates gap in all nations that Governments in all nations, including the US and Europe, are supporting producer organizations in rural areas, to among other things, help them reduce this gap. Producer organization can be much more effective than Government institutions in doing this, if properly supported.
The role of Government in that case is not to do the job but to help producer organizations do the job.
As of today, in developping countries more than a quarter of people do not have access to electricity. This does not prevent them to listen to radio nor to have a cell phone.
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS?display=map
Internet user are even less
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.P2?display=map
What I what to underline is that ICT can realy help bridge the knpowledge gap and the smallholder to be better off if Producer Organization are careful to help those who have difficulties to access and use ICT. This is the role of Government to support PO to bridge this gap.
Dear All
Reading the different posts it seems that ICT does empower women and smallholders in POs.
To have a cell phone may be easier than to have an internet or e-mail account in rural areas. ICT need however, a minimum of public and private infrastructure + a minimum of knowledge to be used and accessible: electricity, internet connection, wifi or bluetooth, computer and or cell phone with chargers etc...
Let me be provocative by saying that ICT may also marginalize smallholders or people who have no access to these modern technologies, thus increasing the gap between those who can use ICT and access knowledge and services and those who can not use ICT (for whatever reason), who will be left behind.
In remote rural areas of Yemen or Morocco or in Africa or in Asia, who are those who can access and use ICT? How producer organizations can make sure that ICT is bridging the knowledge gap for all members and not only for those who can have access and use ICT?
I have seen often older women or smallholders telling us that ICT is for young people as they are not used to it and they did not grow up with such technology.
ICT can be a fantastic tool to promote transparency and accountability; it can also increase the gap between those who can use the technology and those who have difficulties with it, here again whatever the reason.
Interesting to note Fatima that companies (Sonatel and Manobi) (not Government) provided additional services for women to access internet!!
Dear All
When working with local communities and local producer organization there is always the risk of elite capture: the local elite taking advantage of the organization for their own benefit.
As we said at the beginning of the forum, ICT can help accountability and transparency in decision making through facilitating the sharing of information. Are you aware of example where ICT help local poor or traditionally excluded people to have their voice heard? I know that a lot of rural women are now using cell phones (all over the world) to have information on commodity prices prior going to the market. Any concrete exemples??
Question 3 (opens 19 Nov.)
Fatima and Abaguilar
This is a very interesting discussion. Radio is expensive to run but this is the easiest way for PO to communicate with their members, to communicate prices, knowledge, information etc.. Almost everybody has a small radio and can listen. I have been fascinated to see how farmers in remote areas, are attached to their radio which is a window open to the world (as they say).
Radio are expensive to run thus why not being supported by Government? Then we have the question of PO depending to much on Government resources.
PO dependency on Government resources is absolutely normal when PO are delivering services instead of Government. In the US or Europe, all producer organizations are supported by their Government as cheap vehicules to transfert knowledge and technolgy to farmers.
If Government are serious about PO and increasing farmers production and revenues, reducing poverty etc.. then it is worthwhile for them sponsoring/subsidizing ICT for PO to be more efficient.
What do you think??
Dear All
We have seen that ICT can help Producer Organizations (PO) better serve their member needs trough improving access to information, access to input and output markets, etc.. ICT can also help PO to have their voice heard.
We have seen the priority areas PO should invest in with regard to ICT.
Now what is it that the Government should do for PO to invest in ICT? Of course training, capacity building. In addition what should the Government do to create a conducive socio-economic environment for PO to invest in ICT. What type of IC infrastructure? What legal environment? Should Government provide subsidies for PO to buy cell phone or to by cell phone contracts? or for PO to have a radio for themsleves? or for PO to produce films, music, video etc. etc.??
John
I entirely agree with you; that is why it is important to suggest government to work at the same time on IC instruments and vehicles as well as the legal framework to allow meeting and free communication between producers in and out of the country.
In some countries, producer organizations have no right to have a radio.
Pierre
Anne
I believe you are answering the question as it is important to find out what should the government do to help producer organization better use ICT.
Government are in charge of roads and public infrastructure. Should Governments invest massively in ICT infrastructure? If yes which one? Radion? cable? wifi?? others I do not know ?? What kind on ICT infrastructure should the government invest in for producer organization to use ICT for the development of their members??
You also mention legal. This is also very important. Legislation should exist and allow producer organization to have radio, newspaper, to produce films for TV etc.
Cell phone exist because of license given or sold by Government to private entreprises. How can government intervene for cell phone communication to be affordable etc... How to organise competition among cell providers for them to serve rural areas where population density is few ??
You also very rightly mention access to information. Producer organization should be able to connect between themselves through social networks or other form of connection? How can they connect with other producer organization outside the country?
Therefore legislation for producer organization to have the freedom to meet, to network, to communicate, to receive funding from outside the country, etc.. is very important.
What should Government do for farmers leaders to participate in forum like this one???
Pierre
Question 1 (opens 12 Nov.)
Thanks Anadaraja
This is a great form of organization developped by India. I hope similar legal institutions can be developped elsewhere in the world as this will be an alternative to the cooperatives that was the only business status for the farmers.
Congratulation and obvioulsy ICT is essential for the success of the entreprise.
I beleive ICT can be very useful to facilitate transparency in transactions but it is always dangerous to try to remove middlemen as they have a role to play. Farmers are to farm and traders to trade. ICT can provide market information not to remove the middleman but to have "fair" price for the farmers. This is not the job of the government to distribute fertilizer to farmer even using ICT.