The ICT applications project

Is it true that young individuals in the Philippines do not want to be involved in rice farming? Not quite, I guess especially if we talk of indirect involvement in rice farming.

PhilRice is working with students of computer-related studies in universities in Cabanatuan City in a project called “Exploring potentials of ICT-based agriculture games in addressing rice production concerns in ricefields maintained by out-of-school youth Filipino farmers.” This is an interesting undertaking as it brings together two seemingly unrelated disciplines—development and computer-related studies. In information and communications technology for development parlance, it is called Development Informatics.

At the risk of being simplistic, development informatics recognizes that social issues cannot be resolved by solutions recommended by just one discipline alone. It recognizes that disciplines must converge to give a more holistic solution to an issue. Take the case of addressing the digital divide issue among farmers. Social scientists, very easily can point out that farmers cannot stand to benefit from all these high end technologies as they are confronted with a lot of technology issues—computer illiteracy, computer anxiety and others. There is a need to develop something, an ICT application, that will make ICTs more inclusive. Social scientists, however, will never be in the position to do that. We need computer programmers to develop these ICT applications. Computer programmers, on the other hand, should benefit from the strong social consciousness of social science people. Computer programmers and development studies professionals converging to give solution to an important concern—that is development informatics.

In this project, the computer programmers of the universities in Cabanatuan City are working with the information and communication technology for development professionals of PhilRice. We are exposing the students to areas that are probably known to them but they haven’t really touch based with—to the ricefields. We would like them to meet people who are slightly of the same age with them, but are spending their lives in the rice farm. The challenge: how can these university students make a difference in the lives of the out of school farmers? How can they help our young food producers do better in rice farming?

Through the agri games development project, the computer related studies students will be developing games that will promote the cost-reducing and yield-enhancing technologies in rice farming to students. It is an opportunity for them to indirectly contribute to the rice farm. In development communication parlance, what they will do is something called the “edutainment” approach—education and entertainment combined.

When we had the project briefing, everyone seemed excited. There was like the “this-is-an-opportunity-to-be-more-relevant” look on their faces. There was an air of enthusiasm. There was a strong desire to do something good.

I’ll write more after our participatory needs and opportunities assessment next week.