Through the use of workshops, training and other methodologies, the project “Gender issues and women’s livelihoods improvement”, a GenARDIS grantee, seeks not only to develop an understanding relevant issues but also how to take advantage of the opportunities offered by ICTs in order to enhance the livelihoods of those in the area.

“Majelissar Mata Manoma”: A meeting place for women farmers connecting with radio and mobile phones” is the project being implemented by the African Radio Drama Association (ARDA), another GenARDIS grantee. ARDA is a development communication non profit, non- governmental organisation based in Nigeria that uses radio, drama and other appropriate vehicles of communication to inform, educate and motivate social and behavior changes that ultimately lead to sustainable development. Data Phido has been the programme director at ARDA since June 1996 and leads the implementation team.

Successful global research results indicate that there is no doubt that “Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) improve rural people’s livelihoods” (IDRC/Acacia Prospectus 2006-2011). In a rural community context, this phrase is widely understood to mean traditional and modern electronic tools that include telephony (both mobile and fixed), community radio transmissions, television broadcasting, cinemas, computer hardware, software and the internet that help access and use quality information that has the potential to accelerate, if used strategically, sustainable rural people’s social, economic and political development. However, in the Rwenzori Region of Western Uganda where the Toro Development Network (ToroDev) operates, ICTs need to be embraced more comprehensively. Although efforts have been made in the past five years by a limited number of local and international NGOs, assessments show most of these initiatives have been dominated by men.

Having recently emerged from a civil war, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is still struggling to catch up with its development initiatives, especially where ICTs are concerned. Small-scale women farmers in the Uvira region could greatly benefit from increased access to ICTs.

Dans la province de Sissili, au Burkina Faso, les femmes se sont regroupées pour former des associations et des groupes pour générer des revenus. Malheureusement, il leur manque les connaissances organisationelles et techniques pour bien gérer leurs activités et promouvoir leurs produits. La Fédération Provinciale des Professionnels Agricoles de la Sissili (FE.P.P.A.SI) va donc former des femmes de plusieurs organisations de a région, afin d’accroître leurs connaissances techniques et ainsi améliorer la gestion de leurs activités économiques, et défendre leurs intérêts.

Quels sont les problèmes liés au genre et au TIC à résoudre ?

Le Burkina-Faso est un pays enclavé de l’Afrique subsaharienne où l’agriculture est la principale source de revenus. Plus de 90% de la population vivent de l’agriculture. La grande majorité des producteurs pratiquent une agriculture de subsistance qui génère des revenus assez faibles.

Dans la région d’Uvira, en République Démocratique du Congo, les femmes constituen la majorité de la populatinon des pauvres. Elles vivent principalement de l’agriculture, mais ce sont les hommes qui sont propriétaires des champs qu’elle travaillent. Comme elles sont pauvres, elle ne peuvent accéder aux intrants, outils et technologies agricoles ; et n’a encore moins les connaissances pour communiquer et changer sa situation. Le Groupe African d’Experts pour le Développement (GRAFED) cherche alors a mettre en place un réseau de femmes rurales internautes aux fins de promouvoir les échanges et la vulgarisation des technologies agropastorales appropriées et le plaidoyer.

Quels sont les problèmes liés au genre et aux TIC à résoudre ?

Les femmes rurales d’Uvira constituent la majorité de la population et des pauvres dans ce territoire. Elles vivent essentiellement de l’agriculture.

Au Bénin, la pêche est l’une des industries les plus importantes, mais dans ce secteur où les activités sont divisées, le rôle souvent artisanal des femmes est souvent ignoré. L’ONG Aquaculture et Développement Durable (AquaDeD ONG), gagnant de GenARDIS en décembre 2008, aide à renforcer les capacités des femmes afin de les autonomiser dans la gestion technique, commerciale, financière et administrative de leurs activités.

Au Bénin, la pêche est l’une des industries les plus importantes.

Fundación Taigüey combined ICTs, women’s empowerment and agro-processing empowerment in their project Empowering women in managing rural cooperatives with relevant ICTs and e-business tools, which was awarded with a GenARDIS grant last December.
Victoria Rodriguez is working hard on turning these innovative ideas into reality.

The project Women Learning Women (WLW): Women-led Documentation and Community Information Centres in the region of Tigray, northern Ethiopia, was awarded a GenARDIS grant last December. Being implemented throughout 2009, the aim of the project is to experiment with new documentation methods that are led by women farmers, in order to see whether and how this form of documentation can complement that done by researchers, adding value by giving the women’s perspectives.

Olanla village is an agrarian community in Nigeria. GenARDIS grantee Information Development Network (I-DevNet) is planning to train women teachers, the literate people in the village, on how to use internet and mobile phones to make things work better for everyone involved, especially women farmers, who are the most vulnerable group of the process.