Success factors identified for community e-centers in Malaysia include the following:

- Focus on people, organization, content, and processes rather than on technologies;

- Research the actual needs and socio-economic goals of the community;

- Provide ICTs and services via the CeCs which are relevant to community needs;

- Find local champions who can motivate and mobilize the community;

- Community participates capitalizing on local strengths and resources in the development (planning, implementation and operation, evaluation, monitoring) of the CeCs;

- Sound business plans and sustainability models ensure CeCs' continuing existence and growth;

- On-going monitoring and evaluation of CeCs' performance;

- Foster and develop smart partnerships (government, industry, NGOs, and community) for strategizing and translating CeCs' goals into action; and,

- Continue to train, and educate the CeCs' personnel and community. (http://www.ictregulationtoolkit.org/en/Section.3185.html)

ICTs can deliver potentially valuable information to end-users like market prices to poor rural farmers and medical advice to rural healthcare workers.  However, market information is useless if there are no roads to transport goods, and medical advice is meaningless if there is no money to purchase medicines.    As evidence from research on Botswana SMEs (small and medium enterprises) confirms,  information is important, but it is only one part in a chain of resources (infrastructure, skills, money) required for the end-user to have the capacity to act (UNDP, 2001). (http://wsispapers.choike.org/ict_telecenters_dev.pdf)  -  Joyce Wendam

Through partnerships, universities could play a significantly broader role on the world's efforts to employ ICTs for sustainable development and poverty reduction.  Take the situation in China.  A group of major agricultural universities agreed to explore ways to support the nation's agricultural extension system. (see http://ip.cals.cornell.edu/ commdev/agunivproj.cfn). 

How such universities can be partners  is illustrated by a list of proposed activities that they could undertake.

1.  Conduct localized eReadiness studies and expand them to include questions about the information needs of village and rural populations.

2.  Convert their own research and "academic" knowledge into relevant and applicable information for agricultural communities in their provinces, and, in the process, become contributing partners to the China Gateway and the MOA rural information network.

3.  Continuously survey and filter external sources of development information and make it relevant to particular agricultural or climatic zones. 

4.  Provide telecenters with student interns, information databases; and provide training for telecenter staffs, local organizations (such as health providers and extension), and the surrounding community.

5.  Conduct research on ways to maximize and evaluate the benefits of ICT-for-development, including studies of innovative approaches to sustaining telecenters, and possibly linking them to the inevitable growth of ecommerce in the country.

Threaded throughout these agricultural university proposed activities is the immersion of faculty and students in the uses of ICT for development and poverty alleviation - with the expectation that in the future they can serve as ICT "champions" in their professions and in their communities.(http://wsispapers.choike.org/ict_telecenters_dev.pdf)  -  Joyce Wendam

Thanks for your observation Kelly.  Massive information campaign and dissemination is what we really need including dissemination of success stories of agripreneurs to attract high school students to take up agriculture courses.  Career talks to various high schools should also be done as what you're doing.  Thank you very much for those insights.

The Department of Agriculture is also offering scholarships for students who would like to take up agriculture and agriculture-related courses funded under the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement  Fund (ACEF).  DA is granitng free tution, miscellaneous expenses, monthy stipend, book allowance and even thesis allowance to the qualified scholars.  The scholars may enrol only however in accredited State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).  This scholarship program has been existing for at least four years now.

But in our place, in Iloilo, we have one producer organization, the Tubungan Federation of Farmers' Association, Inc. (TFFAI), helping out fourth year high schools students in their locality to obtain a scholarship for a four-year agriculture course from a local state university (Capiz State University or CAPSU) through the Department of Agriculture (DA).   This is under the DA-CSO/PO/SUC Partnership.  The Farmers' Federation is paying for the miscellaneous fees of the scholars while the tuition is being granted by the SUC, 100% free.  On the part of the DA, it serves as a link between the Federation and the state university, and grants agricultural programs and projects to the school like the Goat Production Project, research projects, etc.

Yes Sir.  There are some producer organizations which have invested in telecenters.  For instance, in Uganda, the 3,800 members of the Busia District Farmers Association have a telecenter with various facilities, including seven Internet-ready computers, a printer, a fax machine, and a generator in case the main electricity fails (Naborne 2010).  It was set up in 2008, with the Uganda Communications Commission contributing 80% of the costs and the members 20%.  Farmers are trained to use the internet to identify markets and liaise  with them directly, and they say they can find better prices and sell their produce in bulk.  They pay a small fee to use the center.

Another example is the telecenter model of Huaral Valley in Peru, where farmers cannot operate without access to water for irrigation.  The water comes from lakes in neighboring highlands, and there is a long history of social organization to ensure that water is distributed fairly. 

The benefits of telecenters operated by farmer organizations - access to technical and market information from the Internet, for instance - do not have to be limited to literate farmers who live close by.  The benefits can be amplified if telecenters are used to develop training materials for illiterate or far-flung members of the organization.

The telecters concept shows that literate farmers readily learn to use ICTs to access technical information and market prices.  The farmers benefit from being able to contact other farmer groups and link with buyers (http://www.ictinagriculture.org/ictinag/sourcebook/module-8-farmer-organizations-work-better-ict).

I agree with you Sir that database is easy for local organizations.  However, some producer organizations find difficulty in having their database because they don't have computers.  That's the usual reason that they are giving our office  if they are being asked for the masterlist of their farmer-members.  This hinders the immediate delivery of services.  Our agency will not give any government intervention to farmers' organizations which are not duly registered with concerned government agencies and the masterlist of farmer-beneficiaries is required for monitoring puposes.  - Joyce Wendam

True.  DA is allocating a sizeable amount of its budget for ICT development and its making sure that the facilities are functional and sustainable.  Part of the budget is also allocated for the training of its personnel and partners. 

Aside from the Agriculture and Fisheries Marketing Information System (AFMIS) website for price monitoring and marketing information and services, DA has recently launched the Matuwid na DAAN (Department of Agriculture Accountability Network) website for transparency purposes and to respond to the call for good governance.  Agri-fishery success stories are being featured here to disseminate the best practices. 

Investments in terms of training of DA key personnel and program implementers including the LGU partners specifically on geotagging of the various programs and projects of the DA are being undertaken.  It is now being required by DA that all agri-infra projects like FMRs, flatbed dryers, irrigation projects, and other major projects should be geotagged in order to avoid ghost projects and duplication, to promote transparency and for easy progress monitoring.  This will enable key officials virtually monitor the progress of the projects 24/7 without actually going to the sites.  GIS Laboratories are now being established in each region to serve the ICT needs of the agency and the clientele/stakeholders. 

Farmers Contact Centers and the Farmers Information Technology Services (FITS) Centers were established to serve the agricultural information needs of the farmers and other agriculture stakeholders.  With FCCs, farmers may ask any agricultural information through SMS/text messaging using the cellphones.  This is in partnership with Smart, Globe, Talk & Taxt, TM and Sun.  FITS enable the farmers to use the internet for knowledge acquisition, updates and other relevant information.  E-extension classes have also been promoted in order for farmers to gain additional knowledge and enhance their competency and skills in agriculture online.   Investments made by DA on ICT development include acquisition of ICT equipment/facility and capability building. - Joyce Wendam

To disseminate agricultural information and technology updates efficiently and effectively, the Department of Agriculture makes use of the quadmedia (radio, print, television and internet).  So, it's a combination of the use of modern ICTs and the traditional media to reach the vast number of farmers and agriculture stakeholders including those living in the far-flung areas.  Barangay Agricultural Information Centers (BAICs) are established in partnership with the rural communities, with DA providing IEC materials while the barangay providing  the building and takes charge of the maintenance of the BAIC.  BAIC is effective in serving the information needs of the rural residents.  We also have radio and television agri programs.  For the use of ICTs, we have the Farmers Contact Centers and the Farmers Information Technology Services Centers, among others. We also make use of the face-to-face contacts like the conduct of farmers' forum, congresses, cliniquing, information caravan, consultations, farm visit and other means.  We also utilize the Local Farmer Technicians, the Magsasakang Siyentista, State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), NGOs, CSOs, POs and the private sector to help us in disseminating information and extending services to our farmers.  Public-private partnership is DA's major strategy in implementing  programs and projects for optimum results and sustainability.  - Joyce Wendam