Agriculture

This summary is part of a research project carried out between March and October 2006 in support of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), one of The Communication Initiative (The CI)'s partners.

In Zhangtan Township in 1998, regional authorities initiated a 24-hour telephone hotline giving farmers information on agricultural technologies and market conditions. Supported by central and provincial authorities and actively utilised by farmers, this project, dubbed NJ110 (Agricultural Technology 110), quickly expanded to include an administrative system and computer-equipped agricultural information centres in Zheizhang’s 139 townships. Three levels of information service stations - municipal, county, and township - made up the network, employing the internet and telephone as the primary modes of communication. Farmers’ needs and queries were sent to the information centres, and replies were provided via website and directly to individual farmers. Raw usage numbers seemed to indicate the project was a success.

Three years after its implementation, however, it became clear that the project was failing to draw widely-dispersed farmers into a reciprocal information network. The information service stations at the township level were the weakest administratively, characterised by such problems as a lack of essential equipment, inability to pay phone bills and thus gain access to the internet, untrained and incapable computer operators who changed often, and technicians unfamiliar with agricultural development and market trends. Additionally, some farmers lived a significant distance from the township centre, making access difficult, while others’ lack of familiarity with the internet made them fearful and mistrustful of its information. Still others had an ingrained distrust of the government. The network’s architecture was vertical and hierarchical, shaping the information provided.

In response to the challenge of reaching individual farmers, the government modified and expanded the project. The municipal government invested in construction of a central building and developed software and a database for the project, improving the efficiency of information dissemination. Labour information, agricultural standardisation, and film channels for training were added to the website, and training programmes provided with the aim of building the capacity of the farmers.

Additionally, media was enlisted to expand the coverage of the information network. In recognition of the limited use of computers in rural areas, radio stations, newspapers, and television stations served to broaden the flow of agricultural information. Prices of agricultural products on various markets were broadcast daily via radio, while a television station developed a programme on agricultural information and another produced a thrice-weekly programme focussing specifically on information provided through the NJ 110 project.

An NJ 110 service station was established in each village, with defined standards designed to keep it operational and accessible to farmers. The government currently provides financial incentives and an “Information Man” is appointed to manage the village information station. Professionals and volunteers are dispatched by local government to visit the villages, carrying out computer demonstrations and tutorials in farmers’ yards. NJ 110 associations have also been developed in an attempt to organise individual farmers and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas. The capacity of the township government to provide information is under development, which includes active collection of farmers’ needs and monthly publication of the responses to their questions to the township computer.

The NJ 110 network was completed by 2003. As of June 2003, 77,000 farmers were trained, over 400,000 queries answered, and 800,000 visitors welcomed to the project website. NJ 110 centres had collected over 300,000 pieces of information and issued over 170,000 through the website. The project also attracted significant investment and facilitated product sales.

The project has also catalysed the coordination of six government departments concerned with agriculture, thereby increasing their administrative efficiency and allowing for a greater focus on agricultural services.

NJ 110 functions have increased to include local public affairs information on the website in addition to agricultural information, thereby leveraging established communication channels to create greater transparency and public awareness of government services and processes.

As a result of NJ 110’s effectiveness, the agricultural information model has been extended throughout the Zheijiang province with the support of the provincial government.