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ICT4D - ICTs for Development

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Connected farmers: A casebook of good practices and inspiring stories from Europe and Central Asia

Budapest: FAO (2024), vi, 127 pp.

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Imaging and Assessing Mobile Technology for Development

Richard Musabe, John Sören Pettersson (eds.)

Newcastle upon Tyne (UK): Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2024), xvi, 186 pp.

"Several studies have already depicted the development of M4D and of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), and that will not be repeated here. However, as this collection of chapters have sprung out from one of the M4D conferences – the M4D 2022 in Kigali – some notes ... on what have been salient at different conferences can be made. If we start with the M4D in Senegal 2014, we can see that from that conference stems a book where the chapters “initiate evocative conversations on how mobile technologies can contribute to expanding mobile participation practices” (Wamala-Larsson, Hellström, and Scharff 2015, 12). In Mozambique, in 2016, there were some contributions connecting to radio and TV technology; the M4D 2018 conference in Uganda included some papers on how utilities can be backed by subscription schemes via mobile services, as well as by apps where citizens can report dysfunctions and illicit use. The M4D 2020 did not take place, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the possibility of running a conference on site and it was postponed to 2022, when Rwanda saw the first blended M4D conference. The Zoom presence for several dozen participants over three days went very well and, via two cameras and two large screens at the venue site, they blended in well at the conference. The IT maturing effect caused by the pandemic was thus noticeable. Among the presentations it was noticeable that the Internet of Things and drones, often blended with machine learning, are now imaginable as “mobile technology”. Of course, drones are always mobile, and IoT sensors often travel with cargo, but it was the realisation of the affordability of these technologies for food chain, livestock, and crop management, combined with their reliance on mobile phone networks to make use of farmers’ photos and senor data, that made such presentations appropriate at a conference that focuses on affordable communication technology. While technology is a prerequisite, in this volume, based on selected contributions to that conference, we will balance some imaginations with some assessments. The focus will not be on the “new” M4D, even though we acknowledge that it is time to set up demonstration farms with IoT and machine learning, as pointed out by Ronald Katamba from Uganda in an interview (Pettersson and Rehema 2022, 145), and books are now published on Applying Drone Technologies and Robotics for Agricultural Sustainability (Raj, Saini, and Pacheco 2023, with examples from India and Zimbabwe; see also FAO and ITU 2022). Instead, the chapters selected for this book adhere to the theme of knowledge dissemination and knowledge development, as mentioned already. One chapter was invited to report from the African Center of Excellence in Internet of Things, hosted by the University of Rwanda in Kigali, to illustrate the efforts to build native technological competence on an advanced level. That chapter simultaneously demonstrates the growing pan-African collaboration in the academic infrastructuring project." (Foreword, pages x-xi) more

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Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy: Harnessing AI for Africa’s Development and Prosperity

African Union (2024), 63 pp.

"For Africa, AI has the potential to significantly impact the attainment of Agenda 2063 Aspirations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is seen as a driving force for positive change, socio-economic transformation and cultural renaissance. AI can stimulate economic growth, create new in ... more

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The perils of ‘tech for good’ lie in its politics of helping

Lisa Ann Richey, Adam Moe Fejerskov

Big Data & Society, issue October–December (2024), 5 pp.

"Vexing political questions of power, inequality and coloniality permeate the tech sector and its growing use of global ‘virtual’ assembly lines that see them penetrate even refugee camps in efforts to extract value. As a response, tech companies have been expanding non-commercial activities wit ... more

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Using social media for agricultural information dissemination: The role of informant-recipient homogeneity

Ryo Takahashi, Yasuyuki Todo, Yu Ri Kim, Yuzuka Kashiwagi, Denu Lemma Tsegaye

Journal of Developpment Effectiveness (2024), 28 pp.

"This study uses a randomised experiment targeting wheat producers in Ethiopia to examine the impact of providing market price information through Facebook on farmers’ sales behaviour. To identify the effect of informant homogeneity, we distinguished the informants’ nationality as either Ethiopi ... more

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China and the Internet: Using New Media for development and Social change

Song Shi

New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press (2024), 368 pp.

"Two oversimplified narratives have long dominated news reports and academic studies of China's Internet: one lauding its potentials to boost commerce, the other bemoaning state control and measures against the forces of political transformations. This bifurcation obscures the complexity of the dyna ... more

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E-empowerment tips for facilitators: Information and communication technologies for farmer field schools

Rome: FAO (2024), viii, 56 pp.

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Guide on digital agricultural extension and advisory services: Use of smartphone applications by smallholder farmers

Rome: FAO (2024), IX, 57 pp.

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AI in Global Development Playbook

USAID (2024), 46 pp.

"When used effectively and responsibly, artificial intelligence (AI) holds the potential to accelerate progress on sustainable development and close digital divides, but it also poses risks that could further impede progress toward these goals. With the right enabling environment and ecosystem of ac ... more

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Rural communication services: Trends and experiences in Asia and the Pacific

Rome: FAO (2024), vii, 79 pp.

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Future directions for context in ICT4D: A systematic literature review

Sonel Pyram

Information Development (2024), 21 pp.

"The digital divide between the Global South and North has been a major concern for researchers from various fields in the past two decades. This divide has led to an increased focus on research related to information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) and other relevant discipline ... more

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Digital Development Guidebook

Christopher Neu, Nora Lindström, Ziad Al Achkar, Yohan Perera

NetHope; Catholic Relief Services (CRS) (2024), 56 pp.

"The three themes selected for exploration in this guidebook are: digital public goods, digital localization, and digital skills and rights. While none of these are new themes in technology and international development programming, they each represent increasingly important considerations for optim ... izing digital investments and rethinking the way. and rethinking the way digital development actors operate and create change through leveraging technology. DIGITAL LOCALIZATION. In response to growing development challenges with scarce resources, digital development practitioners are increasingly recognizing the benefits of greater access for local actors to resources, partnerships, decision making, and capacity strengthening. Exploring best practices for digital adaptation to specific contexts, reviewing lessons learned in fostering local ownership and local tech leadership, and understanding donor perspectives and consensus agreements such as the Grand Bargain will all be key steps in planning technology strategies effectively. It is important to note that the sector lacks a common definition of localization and its intended outcomes. DIGITAL PUBLIC GOODS. As digital development organizations have come to integrate technology into their strategy and approach, the reliance on proprietary solutions has brought challenges for sustainability and working with local partners from smaller NGOs to government entities. Building on developments in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Digital Public Goods (DPGs) offer implementers new opportunities to reimagine approaches to better serve communities in need. DIGITAL SKILL AND RIGHTS. Digital transformation and local ownership must be built on a foundation of digital rights and digital skills to help create a more informed, equitable, and connected society. This past decade highlighted the need to apply international human rights to the digital arena and the interconnectedness of digital rights with physical protection. Donors and implementers must both align on issues such as access to information, privacy and security, and freedom of expression if digital investments are to yield sustainable societal outcomes and development impact. Local governments have an essential role to play in enabling the environment that allows a digital ecosystem to flourish and be free. Broad regulations such as GDPR, as well as organizational strategies by Oxfam and others to prioritize these insights will be key." (Introduction to key themes, pages 17-18) more

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USAID Digital Policy 2024-2034

USAID (2024), 46 pp.

"For nearly 50 years, USAID has been a leader in supporting digital transformation around the world. This Policy now sets the course for USAID to continue advancing development and humanitarian outcomes in an ever-accelerating digital age. The Agency will strive to improve our ability to meet the ne ... more

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Scaling toolkit: A guide to scaling (digital) innovation in international cooperation

Jan Schröder, Pierre Golbach

Bonn; Eschborn: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (2024), 47 pp.

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Manjarrés en el tiempo del aprendizaje móvil

Juan Zambrano Acosta (comp.)

Medellín: Editorial Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (2023), 153 pp.

"Este libro presenta una reflexión sobre las posibilidades didácticas de las TIC en el ámbito educativo rural, en el marco de la investigación “Formación de docentes de escuela nueva con aprendizaje móvil para la integración de TIC en sus prácticas de enseñanza” realizada por el Grupo d ... more

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Informing an Uncertain Future II: Localizing Strategic Alignment with a conceptual analysis of 75 interviews with social impact leaders from East Africa

Jean-Louis Ecochard, Nicholas M. Kerastas

NetHope (2023), 24 pp.

"This whitepaper establishes that there is misalignment on the implementation of digital enabling strategies between global headquarters and the local humanitarian and development programs of East Africa. As headquarters of international NGOs – mostly based in the global north – participate in a ... more

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The Digital Transformation of Small and Micro-Businesses in Bangladesh

United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) (2023), iii, 43 pp.

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Coding Da Vinci: Das Playbook. Schritt für Schritt zum eigenen Kultur-Hackathon

Philippe Genêt, Andrea Lehr Ilias Kyriazis (eds.)

De Gruyter Saur (2023), 95 pp.

"Das von 2019 bis 2022 von der Kulturstiftung des Bundes geförderte Projekt "Coding da Vinci" vernetzt seit 2014 technikaffine und kulturbegeisterte Communities mit deutschen Kulturinstitutionen, um das kreative Potential in unserem digitalen Kulturerbe weiter zu entfalten. Inhaltlich ist die Publi ... more

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Libro Blanco de la Transformación Digital del Tercer Sector en América Latina

Fundación Telefónica (2023), 165 pp.

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Hold the Phone! A Cross-National Analysis of Women's Education, Mobile Phones, and HIV Infections in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, 1990–2018

Aarushi Bhandari, Rebekah Burroway

Social Science & Medicine, issue 334 (2023), pp. 116217 ff.

"Despite remarkable progress in the fight against HIV, the number of new infections remains unacceptably high, epidemics continue to grow in certain communities, and therefore AIDS continues to be one of the deadliest pandemics of our times. This study analyzes the rate of new HIV infections over al ... more