Donor Grant Title
IDRC-52—African Highlands Initiative/Acacia

Donor: International Development Research Centre
Grant Start Date: 01-Apr-1998
Grant End Date: 31-Mar-2001
Expenditure Start Date: 27-Apr-1998
Expenditure End Date: 26-Apr-2001
Grant Duration: 36 (Months)

Grant Description
The overall objective of this research project is to contribute to the development of communities and the sustainable use of natural resources in the intensively cultivated highlands of Eastern Africa by testing/trying application of Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) and other communication approaches for better decision making at household and community level. Specific objectives are:

1. To use community-driven approach for identifying information needs and local information resources.
2. To develop an integrated community information network facilitating a smooth flow of information among farmers, extension workers, NGOs, researchers, the private sector and other stakeholders at two benchmark sites of AHI (Kabale, Uganda and Maseno, Kenya).
3. To repackage and make easily available information generated within AHI to local decision makers, extension workers, farmers and other users.
4. To improve the competitiveness of smallholder farmers, especially women, in the two communities in marketing their produce at local and national markets through the provision of ICT-based market information.
5. To raise awareness among grass-root communities and policy makers about the potential of ICTs in catalysing development.
6. To train community leaders and development workers in the use of ICTs for information exchange and dissemination.
7. To create linkages with similar initiatives attempting to provide ICT access for rural communities.
8. To provide learning experience about the introduction and use of ICTs for disseminating development information at community level.