FAO and its partners are working on an integrated set of activities to bridge the rural digital divide by strengthening human and institutional capacities to harness information and knowledge more effectively, namely:
· developing appropriate methodologies and tools for disseminating and managing information and sharing knowledge.
· building human capacities
· building partnerships among governments and institutions, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, extension workers and farmers’ organizations.
The overall goal is to ensure that the rural poor and the organizations that serve them are better able to mobilize and exchange information content and to communicate using all the ICTs – in short, to reduce and eventually bridge the rural digital divide.
WSIS action lines related to this activity: Theme 1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
Theme 2. Information and communication infrastructure
Theme 3. Access to information and knowledge
Theme 4. Capacity building
Theme 6. Enabling environment
Theme 8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
Theme 11. International and regional cooperation
Theme 12. Achieving WSIS targets (PoA, Section B)
Theme 13. Digital Solidarity Agenda (PoA, Section D)
Theme 15. Towards WSIS Phase 2 (Tunis) (PoA, Section F)
Related MDGs: MDG 1. Eradicate poverty and hunger
MDG 3. Promote gender equality & empower women
MDG 8. Develop a global partnership for development
Activity type:
Programme
Time scale:
Ongoing
Partners:
A wide range of international and national organizations involved in rural development and food security.
