Enhancing Access and Use of Climate Information through ICTs

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Michaelina Yohannis ◽  
Timothy Waema ◽  
Agnes Wausi ◽  
Margaret Hutchinson
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Livelihood Strategies ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Seasonal Forecasts ◽  
Rural Livelihood ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
Social Scientific

Although the role of ICTs in improving human life in Kenya is acknowledged widely, the focus of much of ICT-related developments has been on human experiences at the level of disease and needs for communication and mobility. Less obvious is how such technological interventions may be used to address seemingly abstract yet grave concerns like climate change and its impact on the quality of human life. This review paper, therefore, shall investigate the different situations where ICTs may be deployed in relaying packaged and relevant localized climate information that can help rural farmers in Kitui County, Kenya to make pertinent and timely decisions to improve their productivity and, ultimately, their livelihoods. We hypothesize that rural communities' use ICT tools such as the mobile phones and the community radios to access localized climate information (weather, seasonal forecasts, and agro-advisories) and that livelihood assets and livelihood strategies positively change with the increasing availability and use of the ICT-based climate information. The idea of the paper presented is to merge theoretical and applied research outcomes to narrow the gap between the theory of ICTs usage and the practice of it, while linking it to climate information and enhanced rural livelihood strategies. The review of this paper shall be captured in social-scientific terms, and shall contribute to knowledge by helping researchers and policymakers to determine climate information needs of rural ASAL communities, knowledge on innovations related to ICTs, among others.

scholarly journals Tracing livelihood trajectories: Patterns of livelihood adaptations in rural communities in eastern Nepal

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 57-80
Author(s):  
Phu Doma Lama ◽  
Per Becker ◽  
Johan Bergström
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Mountain Communities ◽  
Rural Livelihood ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Political Economic

Mountain communities are adapting their livelihoods to a complex combination of social, political and economic changes and associated risks. Despite recognition of adaption in response to multiple changes in sustainable livelihood and critical climate change literature, risks attributed to biophysical effects of climate change have increasingly assumed importance. Consequently, diversification is promoted as an adaptive approach to reduce such risks. However, understanding livelihood adaptation from the vantage point of climate change alone might lead to a limited understanding of non-climatic factors also shaping it. This paper proposes understanding adaptation through analysing long-term livelihood changes and using society rather than climate change as a conceptual starting point. It argues that such an approach has better potential to highlight a broader range of dynamic drivers operating over decades and to inform contextually grounded rural livelihood adaptation policies. Changes are traced in the overall livelihood trajectories among four rural communities in Nepal, in living memory, to understand the role of adaptation in shaping it. Qualitative life narratives were collected and complemented by key informant interviews, field observations and the analysis of official documents. The findings suggest that livelihoods have shifted not only from subsistence towards income generation but also from engagement in diverse livelihood sectors towards specialisation; the opposite of the advocated diversification. The role of political, economic, social and cultural processes within and outside the community has been prominent in shaping this trajectory.

scholarly journals EXPLORING THE RURAL DIGITAL LANDSCAPE: LIBRARIES, EQUITY, AND SCALE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Strover ◽  
Alexis Schrubbe
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Internet Service ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
State Library ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Digital Landscape

As community anchors and public spaces, libraries are in unique positions to serve emerging 21st century information needs for the unconnected. Some libraries have extended their technology offerings beyond basic computers and Internet to include mobile hotspot lending, which allows patrons to "take home" the Internet from the library. The research in this project examines hotspot lending programs undertaken by the Maine State Library and the Kansas State Library across 24 different libraries in small and rural communities. In the United States, rural areas tend to have lower Internet adoption because many communities face considerable barriers to competitive and fast Internet service, exacerbated by the fact that rural communities tend to be older, of lower-income, and less digitally skilled. This research examines the role of library hotspot lending and how free and mobile-based Internet connects rural communities and serves their information needs. Through qualitative and quantitative assessments this research details the scope and efficacy of programs to reach publics, the impact that rural hotspots have in communities, and the larger information and communications ecosystem in these rural communities in Maine and Kansas.

scholarly journals Impact of Collaborative Forest Management on Rural Livelihood: A Case Study of Maple Sap Collecting Households in South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1594
Author(s):  
So-Hee Park ◽  
Youn Yeo-Chang
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Livelihood Strategies ◽  
National Forests ◽  
Rural Livelihood ◽  
The Government

Some forest-dependent rural communities participate in the Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) program in South Korea, which provides the local people with access to national forests for the collection of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in return for their contribution to the management of national forests. This study investigated what factors influenced rural communities’ participation in CFM and how their participation in CFM affected livelihood strategies and income level. Households in 17 villages near the Seoul National University (SNU) forests owned by the Government were interviewed. The study found that CFM participating households tend to choose diversified livelihood strategies. CFM participating households with diversified livelihood strategies are likely to have a higher income than non-CFM participating households choosing sectoral focus strategies. Expansion of the CFM program is suggested as a policy option to improve forest-dependent rural livelihood. However, ageing and female-headed households are faced with difficulties in participating in CFM due to their physical ability of forestry work while new settlers restricted access to forest resources. There is a need for innovation in forest governance for equitable distribution of forest services for both original and new residents to achieve sustainable rural livelihoods.

scholarly journals The Role of the Legal Deposit Library in Bridging the Digital Divide: A Case Study of the Msunduzi Library in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. p151
Author(s):  
Mpubane E. Matlala
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Ict Tools

In the 21st Century, the pace of globalization and the growth of Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities, such as computers and the Internet are fuelling human advancement. The development of ICT applications plays a vital role in providing information access. Access to the Internet is not enough, but ICT applications and the intellectual knowledge, expertise and skills to use them to find relevant information and solve problems is what is essential. It is critical that people who have access are in a better position as compared to those who lack access. This gap is known as the “digital divide”. In this digital era of information, people who do not have access to the Internet are at a disadvantage. This paper examines the role of a Legal Deposit Library in managing the Digital Divide in the Pietermaritzburg area. This is informed by the idea that libraries play a significant role in helping to bridge the digital divide by providing free access to the Internet and other ICT tools to users. It is well known that the library is the only place where people can access free information through ICTs without any costs. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the collection of data. Data is therefore, obtained through self-administered questionnaires, interviews, and observation. This triangulation of methods of data collection is designed to increase the validity and reliability of the results. The findings indicated that the Msunduzi library plays a key role in the delivery of digital inclusion activities, community engagement and social inclusion. The results indicated that while the Msunduzi library has made a considerable effort to ensure provincial-wide access to ICT, which currently constitutes an effective instrument for meeting information needs, a considerable number of challenges still exist. The factors impeding easy access are unearthed in this article and therefore, the paper recommends that the public library should engage on more outreach programs in order to include more people of the communities as it is clear that, ICT tools are the requirements for accessing information and participating in the global knowledge system because the ability to access ICT tools has become important to individuals to connect economically, politically, and socially with others in the world. 

scholarly journals Moving Climate Information off the Shelf: Boundary Chains and the Role of RISAs as Adaptive Organizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Carmen Lemos ◽  
Christine J. Kirchhoff ◽  
Scott E. Kalafatis ◽  
Donald Scavia ◽  
Richard B. Rood
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Adaptive Strategy ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Boundary Organization ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
The Past ◽  
Boundary Organizations ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
A Chain

Abstract While research focusing on how boundary organizations influence the use of climate information has expanded substantially in the past few decades, there has been relatively less attention to how these organizations innovate and adapt to different environments and users. This paper investigates how one boundary organization, the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center (GLISA), has adapted by creating “boundary chains” to diversify its client base while minimizing transaction costs, increasing scientific knowledge usability, and better meeting client climate information needs. In this approach, boundary organizations connect like links in a chain and together these links span the range between the production of knowledge and its use. Three main chain configurations are identified. In the key chain approach, GLISA has partnered with other organizations in a number of separate projects simultaneously, diversifying its client base without sacrificing customization. In the linked chain approach, GLISA is one of several linked boundary organizations that successively deepen the level of customization to meet particular users’ needs. Finally, by partnering with multiple organizations and stakeholder groups in both configurations, GLISA may be laying the groundwork for enhancing their partners’ own capacity to make climate-related decisions through a networked chain approach that facilitates cooperation among organizations and groups. Each of these approaches represents an adaptive strategy that both enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of participating boundary organizations’ work and improves the provision of climate information that meets users’ needs.

scholarly journals LIVELIHOOD SUSTAINABILITY

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Chairul Basrun Umanailo
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Economic Welfare ◽  
Rural Livelihood ◽  
The Village

This study aims to determine the form and role of livelihood institutions in ensuring the sustainability of community livelihoods in rural areas. This research was conducted in Wamalana village, Buru Regency, Maluku using a qualitative approach. The results showed that the livelihood institutions in the village of Wamalana had a relationship with the ability of the community to meet the sustainability of their livelihoods to survive even though they were in a limited situation. Variety of livelihood institutions such as masohi, Masaurat, group of countries, and parusa have given their role as social security schemes for the community in building sustainable livelihoods. This livelihood institution is reflected in the tradition of helping the community in building cooperation based on the spirit of brotherhood ties. In the context of development intervention through empowerment of coastal communities in Buru Regency, various livelihood institutions at various levels can be used as an intervention channel for empowerment programs. Meanwhile, for the sake of further studies on rural livelihood institutions, it can be focused to see its effect on the level of economic welfare in rural communities which is measured quantitatively.

Management of Economics and State "Bottom"

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 76-91
Author(s):  
E. D. Solozhentsev
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Probabilistic Models ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Special Software ◽  
Human Quality ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The scientific problem of economics “Managing the quality of human life” is formulated on the basis of artificial intelligence, algebra of logic and logical-probabilistic calculus. Managing the quality of human life is represented by managing the processes of his treatment, training and decision making. Events in these processes and the corresponding logical variables relate to the behavior of a person, other persons and infrastructure. The processes of the quality of human life are modeled, analyzed and managed with the participation of the person himself. Scenarios and structural, logical and probabilistic models of managing the quality of human life are given. Special software for quality management is described. The relationship of human quality of life and the digital economy is examined. We consider the role of public opinion in the management of the “bottom” based on the synthesis of many studies on the management of the economics and the state. The bottom management is also feedback from the top management.

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