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.

According to this paper, the communist system of the former Soviet Union created a narrowly-based and modulated flow of information about agricultural development from the centralised government to farmers in the field. Information provided was formed in Moscow and disseminated through government-controlled media. In-house, well-trained technical specialists addressed a variety of crop and livestock related problems and served as the main providers of knowledge. There were very few opportunities for individual farmers to provide input or for the cross-checking of information received. The emphasis was on providing information and knowledge to meet government-set, politically motivated production targets with little or no importance placed on the economic or environmental sustainability of farming systems or information sharing with the rest of the world.

With the fall of the communist system, the new Russian government sought to implement structural reforms to improve the flow and quality of information to the agricultural sector. It sought to make a vital transition from a centralised planning system to a market-oriented one. In this paper, Subramaniam Janakiram examines the Agricultural Reform Implementation Support (ARIS) project, initiated in 1994 to address such issues as the macroeconomic imbalances in Russia, outdated farm structures, lack of competitive international markets or a well-functioning credit system. Janakiram notes that the continuing legacy of state-controlled information systems designed solely to meet centralised planning requirements was an issue to be rectified. The problems of access to markets and technical information, and the lack of awareness by those engaged in agriculture of how to function in a market economy were also particular challenges to the goal of modernising the Russian agricultural sector.

According to Janakiram, information and communication technology (ICT) was used in the broadest possible sense by the new government. It consisted of a range of instruments to build a human information exchange network, increase public awareness of agricultural strategies, and increase access to information by interested individuals using such tools as printed materials, telephones, radio, television, video, audio, and computers.

The main objective of the project was to facilitate the free flow of information and knowledge to improve the decision-making capabilities of different types of emerging public and private rural enterprises. It also sought to support communities and institutions during the transition from the old centralised planning system to a new market-based economy.

The approach taken to achieve this broad objective was a modular “Four M” concept:
Multi-media to develop and disseminate Multi-disciplinary information and knowledge from Multiple sources to Multiple users with built-in user needs assessment and feedback mechanisms.

The multiple users were the newly emerging farm structures, including various agricultural communities, agro-industries, and government departments of agriculture. The multiple sources included the local and international agricultural research institutes, universities, input suppliers, producer organisations, and foreign and local data banks. Multi-media consisted of print, television, video, computer networks, exhibitions and fairs. Multi-disciplinary refers to the laws and regulations around the status and changes of reforms in various sectors: finance, economics, accounting, marketing, relevant technologies, and the environment.

To implement this “Four M” approach, four key steps were instituted:

Step one was to assess the informational needs and expectations of the end-user.

Step two involved the development of client- and media-specific multi-disciplinary information packages from various sources. This included using selected regional scientific research institutes, the Timirayazev Agricultural Academy, and specific technical and management institutes. Any technical information was then translated into everyday terms familiar to each audience addressed and presented in an understandable and practical format for emerging private farmers.

Step three saw the dissemination of information gathered using multi-media. This consisted of using such information and communication technology applications as television, video, radio, print, and computer networks. Traditional avenues of information dissemination were also retained, such as the annual St. Petersburg agricultural exhibition which displays and promotes various agricultural technologies, farm products, and farming innovations. Staff of farmer information and advisory services were appropriately trained in the preparation and distribution of farm messages and information packages to appropriate media. Information addressing general concerns were sent to national media outlets, which involved the coordinated development of video/TV, radio, print and computer-based information products in order to effectively respond to the particular need identified. In addition, the agricultural computer network was modernised at all levels based on the following criteria: ease of use, best available contemporary technology, flexibility for expansion and reconfiguration, security of high value data, effective use of available communication bandwidth, integration with existing international and domestic services. Because telephones and mainlines were lacking and had poor transmission quality, especially in rural areas, alternative communication channels such as radio telephone and diskettes were employed.

Step four consisted of a feedback mechanism put in place to accommodate the changing needs of various end-users. This was necessary because of alterations in the areas of agricultural reform, liberalisation efforts, price and subsidy policies and the challenges incurred by emerging private farmers and farming enterprises.

The key outcome for the ARIS project was the establishment of a framework for the delivery of a well-functioning, pluralistic rural information and knowledge-based system throughout Russia.

Several recommendations were noted at the end of the ARIS project:

• Involve as many public and private institutions as possible for information development and dissemination at the government, university, research, non-governmental, local community and public and private media organisational levels.
• Incorporate locally relevant content in information packages and adapt them to local conditions. Local customs, interests and media practices need to be respected in transmitting information.
• Incorporate flexibility and scalability in technology hardware that is internationally recognised. Information network design should feature hardware and software standards that are built into information network design and communication should be internationally accepted. This especially applies to the distributed computing environment, open software, the effective use of communication facilities and bandwidth.
• Expect limited cost recovery. Operating costs will likely only partially be recovered. Be prepared to provide information as a free goodwill initiative, especially in transition economies.
• Ensure adequate operations support for the administrative execution of ICT upgrading in the form of office supplies, communication expenses, transportation, and incentives that recognise the performance of project staff.