Sustainable Global Development e-Thinktank blog: The potential of ICTs and the youth in contributing to sustainable rural livelihoods

#ICT, #youth, #sustainable, #rural, #development, #innovation, #mudombi, #shakespear

Author: Shakespear Mudombi

Type: Thoughts and Perspective

Date: 16 March 2015

Why talk about rural livelihoods?

Mr Melusi Ndlovu (a farmer) and Shakespear Mudombi (researcher) in a field in Chidobe, Hwange District, Zimbabwe

When we talk of sustainable development, there is no way the issue of the youth and rural livelihoods can be left out. Why? Because sustainable development encompasses both inter- and intra-generational equity, and the youth and rural areas do appear on both dimensions – in most cases they are at the periphery, at the marginal. Sustainable development in simple terms is meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The inter-generational aspect implies that if the current generation pursues development on an unsustainable path, it is the future generations that will bear the consequences of current actions. The intra-generational aspect of sustainable development is concerned with issues of equity within the current generation and it implies that the numerous divides (economic, digital, education, information, gender, race, amongst others) should not widen but rather narrow. In this context, rural areas are usually on the periphery in terms of development; as such failure to achieve sustainable livelihoods in rural areas has negative implications on the overall achievement of development goals both in the short and the medium term. The marginalisation and the associated poverty will further worsen in the long term due to the ratchet effect – current inequality if not addressed will lead to greater inequality in the future. The ‘haves’ (those with access) have greater ability to acquire more whereas the ‘have-nots’ are further left out.

Farmers attending a focus group discussion in Jambezi, Hwange District, Zimbabwe

Though there are many other livelihood options in rural areas, agriculture still remain the major livelihood option for the majority of rural households the world over and Africa in particular. Agriculture is not only important as a source of food and income but also as a way of life. The world’s bottom billion is mostly found in rural areas, and as such solutions to the several challenges they face cannot be found without integrating sustainable livelihoods especially when answering the question of how their livelihoods assets can be enhanced. In other words, without proper livelihood assets their ability and capability to fight poverty will remain constrained, regardless of zeal they have to be out of that dire situation. The rural youth are important both as consumers and producers of agricultural and non-agricultural products. They participate in production as workers, advisors and managers (especially in child-headed household). It is from this background that the rural youth are and should be recognised as important actors in the achievement of sustainable rural livelihoods. This article looks at how information and communication technologies can be harnessed to enhance different livelihoods assets in rural areas and how the youth can actively participate towards this objective.

How are/do ICTs enhance livelihood assets

A Sustainable Livelihoods Framework is used to explore how ICTs are likely to contribute to growth in rural livelihood assets. The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework has at its core, livelihood assets which DFID (1999) termed the asset pentagon which is comprised of five different types of capitals namely: human, social, financial, physical, and natural. The shape of the pentagon can be used to show schematically the variation in people’s access to assets (DFID, 1999). Other people who have used sustainable rural livelihoods framework in looking at the contribution of ICTs include Duncombe (2006) and Sife, Kiondo, & Lyimo-Macha (2010) amongst others. The International Telecommunications Union (2008) noted that the increasingly ubiquitous use of ICTs in all aspects of human endeavour is transforming the way that people live and work; they contribute to economic growth and development by stimulating the productivity of people, organizations, and nations. The important role that ICTs play in rural livelihoods is by facilitating information and communication which will directly and indirectly enhance the different livelihood assets/capitals. Figure 1 shows the information and communication processes in the livelihoods framework.


Figure1: Information and communication processes in the livelihoods framework Source: Duncombe (2006) who adapted it from Heeks (1999)’s information chain)

The livelihoods framework shows the Vulnerability Context. It frames the external environment in which people exist, of which people’s livelihoods and the wider availability of assets are fundamentally affected by critical trends, shocks, and seasonality (DFID, 1999).

Table 1: The vulnerability context

Trends

-Population trends
-Resource trends (including conflict)
-National/international economic trends
-Trends in governance (including politics)
-Technological trends

Shocks

-Human health shocks
-Natural shocks
-Economic shocks
-Conflict
-Crop/livestock health shocks

Seasonality of

-Prices
-Production
-Health
-Employment opportunities

Source: DFID (1999)

Shakespear Mudombi documneting field evidence in Hwange District, Zimbabwe

Duncombe (2006) noted that information within the framework has an analytical and a functional role. ICTs will help in contributing to sustainable rural livelihoods by giving accurate, up to date information relating to the vulnerability context of the households. Having information on trends, shocks, and seasonality is necessary as this help households to plan, adapt and mitigate effects of the numerous risks and vulnerabilities. Though rural areas have poor access to ICTs, the contribution of ICTs to the goal of development is envisioned as stretching and expanding the livelihood asset pentagon as shown in Figure 2, and reducing the various forms of exclusion that rural people face. Heeks (2009) categorised the various forms of exclusion as social, political, economic, and psychological.

Figure 2: ICT4D and the expansion of the Livelihood asset pentagon

Source: adapted from the DFID (1999) Sustainable Livelihood Guidance Sheets

Unpacking the livelihood asset pentagon

Human Capital

Using a Nokia Data Gathering Application in a reseearch survey in Hwange District, Zimbabwe

Human capital represents the skills, knowledge, ability to labour and good health that together enable people to pursue different livelihood strategies and achieve their livelihood objectives (DFID, 1999). ICTs enhance the human capital in many ways. ICTs play an important role in the transfer of information and knowledge. This includes increase in knowledge through programs such as online and distance education. The internet is an important source of information. ICTs can be used to enhance information availability to rural people, not only agricultural/extension information but also other developmental information.

Social capital

ICTs can enhance social capital in communities as they improve communication and exchange of knowledge and information, thereby strengthening and creating new social and economic networks (UN Millennium Project, 2005). Thioune (2003) noted that ICTs can help establish networks between community members and/or with outside world. The role of ICTs in improving the social capital of communities by linking rural communities to outside people and organisations who can help with information and other resources necessary for development is very important. Nevertheless, ICTs are likely to reduce face to face interaction between individuals.

Financial Capital

ICTs can enhance financial capital by reducing costs in business transactions. Rural areas are generally characterised by limited access to essential infrastructure and services, which translates to high transaction costs for rural consumers and producers. ICTs can reduce these costs especially costs of accessing market information on prices, supply, demand, quality; etc. Already there is evidence of great contribution of ICTs in accessing banking services by people who were previously excluded. For example, MPESA in Kenya, EcoCash in Zimbabwe, just to name a few. In reference to MPESA in Kenya, The Economist notes,

“This is particularly useful in a country where many workers in cities send money back home to their families in rural villages. Electronic transfers save people time, freeing them to do other, more productive things instead.”

Natural Capital

Shakespear Mudombi in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

Natural capital refers to the natural resource stocks from which resource flows and services useful for livelihoods are obtained (DFID, 1999). There are various ways in which ICTs are being used to enhance the management and monitoring of usage of various natural resources. The ICTupdate newsletter (Issue 59) highlights use of handheld computers and portable GPS receivers to collect data for carbon credit trading by farmers. Use of these ICTs enables rural communities to monitor resource usage and improve their land management.

Physical Capital

ICTs will enhance the physical capital in rural areas as their introduction will involve infrastructural development. The contribution of ICTs in enhancing physical capital is however more likely to be indirect by linking the rural communities to potential investors who are likely to see opportunities for investments. The setting up of ICT infrastructure creates employment in rural areas; nonetheless this will be mainly in the short term because once the infrastructure is set, unskilled labour which is the majority in rural areas will not be required in the actual running and maintenance of the equipment.

Locating the youth in the space

One of the important attributes of the youth is that they are eager to learn, to experiment, to do new things, and to do old things in new ways - differently. Why is this important? Today’s world is undergoing a lot of changes (e.g. globalisation) and experiencing a lot challenges which include: climate change; food insecurity; socio-economic-environmental-political insecurity; growing inequalities; and pandemics (HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria). These changes and challenges require creative and innovative minds, of which the youth can contribute a lot. I remember long back when I was in growing up in the rural areas (in rural Zaka of Zimbabwe), a lot of creative, innovative young minds who would make and modified equipment (technology), they had good ideas about solving community problems but these young minds ended up being frustrated and dejected because no-one noticed them, they did not get the necessary support to transform their ideas into real, tangible, and relevant solutions. That having been said, the growth in access to ICTs especially the internet can provide the much needed platform for such creative, exploring, innovative and enterprising young minds to be heard, get noticed and be given the necessary support.

The youth are likely to be early adopters and users of technologies such as ICTs. Even if they might not own the technologies they are likely to be interested in them. Having a positive attitude towards a technology is a prerequisite for its use and adoption.

Rural areas have low access to most ICTs; nonetheless, various development partners are taking initiatives to improve ICT access in rural areas by setting up community telecentres and also equipping schools with ICTs. In this regard, the youth are likely to have greater access to ICT services (such as the internet) especially from schools. Hence, are likely to have better access to information which they can transfer to their parents and other people in their communities – as highlighted before access to information and knowledge is an essentiality for development.

Rural areas are also characterised by high illiteracy rates especially amongst the older generation, hence the youth can play an active role in the use of ICTs by their illiterate parents, relatives and neighbours. Back then when hand written letters was the in-thing, illiterate elderly people especially in rural areas would seek help from literate children and youths to assist them by reading out the letter so that they could understand the contents of the letter. This is the same with ICTs especially new ICTs, these technologies are likely to have a high degree of complexity particularly for illiterate, the elderly and the techno-averse. Everet Rogers (1983) defined Complexity as the degree to which an innovation is perceived as difficult to understand and use, which affects its adoption. Literate youth can help community members in the use and adoption of the ICTs as well as the interpretation and conveyance of information.

Indigenous knowledge is an important aspect of rural livelihoods. Yet, the transfer of this valuable knowledge from elders to the youth is under threat. One reason being the breakdown of the family unit, of which the HIV/AIDS pandemic has had a marked impact. Some children are growing up in child-headed households in which they do not have anyone who can give them such knowledge. It is in this regard that ICTs can play an important role as a repository of such information. Different aspects of indigenous knowledge from various rural communities can be documented and made available on platforms such as the internet so that the youth from different parts of the world can easily access such information. What has been tried, tested and proven in one part of the world can also be of importance to other parts especially now that the world is facing an increased number of multi-scale cross-cutting challenges.

Conclusion

ICTs are contributing to growth and sustainable development the world over, with potential to kick-start and enhance development in less developed parts of the world especially in Africa. However, ICT are just technologies - in themselves and by themselves they do not contribute to any meaningful development; what matters is what and how they are used, and what is transmitted. The content matters – hence the information has to be developmental rather than anti-developmental. This was emphasised by Heeks (1999; 2005) in the Onion-Ring model, which show that “information is at the heart”. It is important to avail information that is relevant to rural areas in an appropriate format. In addition, the ICTs should be user-friendly. Besides the issue of affordability, the advantages of using the ICTs should be clearly evident to rural people so that they have positive perception of these technologies. It is evident that ICTs can to some extent provide or bridge one of the missing links in the rural grassroots innovation system - by acting as conduits of information transfer within the system and with the outside as well as platform to showcase, link with external support, network, partner and collabrate. Thus, ICTs and the youth have the potential to contribute to sustainable rural livelihoods; however this is dependant on many other factors which may constrain the achievement of the objectives. The youth should take advantage of the opportunities that ICTs offer and also use ICTs to create opportunities for themselves and their communities. It is crucial to bear in mind as Spence (2003) noted,

“Poverty will not be eradicated by ICTs…but equally, poverty will not be eradicated without these technologies, and failure to maximize their potential for poverty reduction would be incongruous”