IICD’s livelihoods sector projects are predominently agricultural livelihoods projects and are aimed at improving the incomes of small-scale farmers and improving levels of efficiency in the agricultural sector, using ICT. This sector is the largest focus for IICD, with a total of 65 projects, programmes and policies. Across the nine countries in which IICD is active, the projects have so far reached approximately 180,000 active users and no fewer than 2,500,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries. The users primarily include small farmers and farming associations, traders and trade organisations and informal small and medium-sized businesses. The ICT users are reached through a combination of information centres with internet access, mobile services, rural radio and television and voice radio.

Better access for better lives

Our Livelihoods programmes focus on providing information to farmers on inputs, market prices, and supply and demand; exchanging scientific and experience-based information about traditional and modern production techniques; and providing ICT-based business support services such as multimedia tools for planning and administration, marketing and promotion.

Improving the productivity among smallproducers has not been effectively targeted by private sector and development partners over the past few decades. And yet, their productivity, including their ability to efficiently store and process stocks, can provide the basis for tackling both local economic problems as well as global food shortages. Currently, many small producers do not have access to more efficient production techniques and markets.

One way to enhance production and therefore improve competitiveness can be achieved through provision of better access to information and market prices, supply and demand and more effective production techniques. Over the past few years, this has become strongly dependent on ICT access. This can particularly be seen amongst the IICD programmes which look to enter foreign markets.

In line with all IICD’s sector programmes, at project level, emphasis is focused on three key goals. Firstly, improving the competence of the producer: in this case the farmer. In practice this means, for example, reducing household risk and vulnerability to income loss by building awareness in the community of crop protection and diversification strategies.

Secondly, improving the quality of the product or service. Improving the channels through which knowledge is gathered, stored and accessed and information disseminated has been proven to naturally encourage an overall improvement in product quality.

Lastly, improving organisational processes for production, trade and exports. Enhancing administrative processes from plantation, processing, storage, packing and delivery, can both improve the quality of the produce, as well as address issues related to both national and global food shortages.