Project Title
"ACACIA II: Improved Access to Information for Development"
Project Goal
Capacity of local communities to contribute more effectively to their own development and development processes is enhanced.
Project Purpose
Systems and strategies that enhance improved communication and information flow in support of enterprise development, natural resource management and the well-being of rural communities developed and tested.
Project Rationale
Local communities engaged in farming activities are faced with a daunting challenge of inadequate information about markets, technologies and natural resource management innovations. Existing communication channels are largely informal, with formal channels lacking in quality or breadth. Diverse development projects operate in a disarticulated manner, often duplicating or contradicting one another in the information delivered to farmers and undermining credibility. The hypothesis on which this project is based is that improved communication and information flow strengthens decision-making, increases use of available technologies and hence improves livelihoods within rural communities.
Recognizing the need to consolidate these diverse efforts, this project sets out to establish a system that will harmonize information available from different development partners and thereby minimize duplications, contradictions, and conflicts in service delivery. The strategy used by AHI-Acacia to improve information flow and communication is twofold:
- Provide communication and links with information sources that will assist communities in Operationalizing their plans related to enterprise development and NRM; and
- Improve communication, information sources and links between organizations (NGO, government) and policy bodies to improve services and support to community efforts.
Strategies to enhance impact in this project include: a) deliberate communication, packaging and targeting of information; b) linking information provision to other actions that improve capacity to take up and utilize information; and c) research to capture lessons and methods that can be used in scaling up. The ACACIA project targets Kabale District, Uganda in an intensive way with regard to experimenting with ways to improve information flows and communication for development.
Project Nature
Non CGS project
Participating Countries and Institutions
Uganda: NAADS, CARE, CIAT, Africare, Makerere University (Win-26)
Duration and the Status of the project:
2003 to 2006 (ongoing)
Source of Funding
IDRC
