3.3. Peru: ICTs and food security: The case of Huaral Valley
Karel Novotný, Knowledge Sharing Projects Coordinator, APC, with input from Bruno Güemes Delgado, CEPES
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Knowledge |
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Strategic ICT tool |
Telecentres |
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Innovative approach |
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Geographic location |
Global; |
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Key words |
Agrarian |
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is a global network of 51 civil society organisations, most based in the global South. Despite differences in their particular work focus, all members are engaged in community development and primarily focus on using ICTs to do their work. They have chosen ICTs because they all believe in “the creative potential of ICTs to improve people's lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies”.21
The spectrum of development areas they work in includes new initiatives that are emerging in response to global changes in climate and the environment. These initiatives deal with areas such as research and implementation of renewable energy resources; ICT-enabled capacity building and knowledge sharing among local farmers; development of training materials on building photo-voltaic solar energy systems; research on low-power consumption hardware; strengthening regional sustainable economic development in Central America; the use of community radios for climate action; helping meteorological offices decentralise the analysis of climate information; and SMS-based data collection on environmental accidents and disasters, amongst others. (Specific examples of initiatives in these different areas can be found in the section on APC member climate change-related initiatives below.)
A number of APC members have been developing ICT projects in rural areas for years, and their work is inevitably impacting farming and trading practices in the communities they work with. In some cases, this comes as a secondary effect of community development projects with a different focus, such as ICT-based educational projects, developing local telephony systems or providing access to key information published online. In other cases, improving local agricultural production and its subsequent revenues, promoting environmental and production sustainability, and the better management of natural resources are the main objectives of these projects. Such is the case of the long-term project developed by Centro Peruano de Estudios Sociales (CEPES) in the Huaral Valley, 90 kilometres north of Lima.
Overview of the project
The Huaral Valley cuts through a semi-arid and desert region and only receives about eight millimetres of rainfall annually. Water for irrigation is so scarce in this region that it must be obtained from the lakes in the neighbouring highlands. Climate change is the probable cause for the melting snowcaps and diminishing rainy seasons, contributing to a decrease in water supply in the valley.
Since 2003, CEPES has established a network of small, local telecentres in the valley with assistance from leaders of local agricultural organisations. An agrarian information system was built, to which all local organisations are connected, as well as a system that facilitates the fair distribution of irrigation water. Most importantly, CEPES has achieved this by working in close collaboration with local farmers and their representatives, making it possible for these organisations to essentially take ownership of the project which they now run with ongoing technical assistance from CEPES.
Telecentres
The administrators of local telecentres have become information hubs for farmers who have not yet mastered the use of computers themselves. In these “information kiosks” the farmers can search for relevant information through the agrarian information system or elsewhere online. The agrarian information system provides local data and information on market prices and farming (such as information on crops and cultivated areas), amongst other environmental content, and is updated daily. The objective is not only to achieve changes in patterns in water consumption by the farmers, but also to build resilience to climate change in order to prevent further environmental degradation in the region. Besides promoting access to information, the telecentres also serve as capacity-building hubs, which host workshops and online radio programmes.
In addition to the numerous secondary benefits of bringing publicly available connectivity to the valley, the project has had a direct impact on the way agricultural production is being managed on different levels. For example, the distribution of water is now being monitored and recorded in the information system and administered by the local board of irrigation users. The system makes water usage more transparent and fair, and also makes it easier to monitor contributions towards the maintenance and administration of the irrigation systems.
Changes in the Huaral Valley
With access to new ICT tools and information that were previously unavailable, or only available at high costs in terms of resources and time-consuming travel, the Huaral Valley has experienced some notable changes. The project has brought new opportunities, and some of the more receptive farmers have started making use of these tools. The shift is slow and gradual, but notable despite the fact that farmers who are directly accessing online resources form only a small minority (the majority of farmers are over 50 years of age, which makes the appropriation of new technologies more difficult).
Since its inception six years ago, local cooperative leaders have grown in status, and many farmers recognise the benefits of access to information for the whole community. As a result, new knowledge is being shared far beyond the circle of those who are primarily connected to the project. Not only are farmers reaping the benefits of the project, they now own the project, and local leaders travel to other farming communities to tell how ICTs can benefit them.
Spin-off effects
These changes in the community have given rise to new initiatives that were not originally intended. For example, a community radio station – Siembra Huaral – has been set up, and among other farming-related topics, it recently started broadcasting a new programme on the environment and climate change and the challenges that they present for Huaral. In mid-2009, the programme promoter, Bruno Güemes, will start publishing a blog dedicated to environmental issues that are relevant to the Huaral Valley.
Alternative power
The absence of a power grid in one of the telecentre’s localities generated a need for research about the use of alternative power resources. A small two-kilowatt hydro-generator has been built alongside an irrigation ditch. This makes it operational only when there is water in the canal, which in turn depends on the irrigation schedules. The need to secure electricity from local natural resources might set an important precedent for future planning, and it can be also environment- and climate-friendly (though not always).
The impact on food security
It is still too soon to evaluate how ICTs have contributed to increasing food security for people living in the Huaral Valley. The effects that can be observed are complex and interrelated, and it will take some time before these effects can be reflected in charts that demonstrate an increase in agricultural productivity.
However, the fact that farmers – many with no formal education beyond the primary school level and virtually no exposure to ICTs – are learning to use the new technology and are finding answers to problems that they otherwise could not solve, is already an important indicator of positive changes in the livelihoods of Huaral Valley inhabitants.
Project links:
Huaral Valley Agrarian Information System: huaral.org
A detailed case study on the Huaral Valley project is available at: www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/394/335 (Spanish)
APC member climate change-related initiatives
Research and implementation of renewable energy resources
Fantsuam Foundation works in BayanLoco, a peri-urban slum of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It is looking into the development of a self-sustainable local telecentre using alternative power sources (solar energy) and a sophisticated power back-up system (see: www.fantsuam.org/background.html and fantsuam.it46.se/S/solar_system). Rede de Informações para o Terceiro Setor (RITS) is working with two communities on the banks of the Tapajós River in the Amazon region of Brazil. It is looking into the development of local telecentres and Wi-Fi-connected boat hospital services in isolated areas using solar power (see: www.rits.org.br/projetos/index.cfm)). As this case story shows, CEPES is also exploring renewable energy solutions in the Huaral Valley.
ICT-enabled capacity building and knowledge sharing among local farmers
The Arid Lands Information Network in Kenya has two programmes which have been leveraging the use of ICTs to help communities adapt to climate change. They have created a platform providing support materials and information on climate change adaptations for local Kenyan communities. Complementing this is a farmer-led grassroots programme on best practices and local management of adaptation knowledge, and plans for development of an SMS-based data collection system focusing on environmental issues (see: www.alin.or.ke).
Development of training materials on building photo-voltaic solar energy systems
Training materials were developed as part of the TRICALCAR project (a series of Latin American and Caribbean regional workshops on building community wireless networks). These are available in English and Spanish and published on ItrainOnline.org: www.apc.org/en/projects/lac/wireless-lac-tricalcar..
Training materials in English: www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/mmtk/wireless.shtml
Training materials in Spanish: www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/mmtk/wireless_es.shtm
Research on low-power consumption hardware
This is one of the current focus areas of United Kingdom-based APC member Computer Aid International (see: www.computeraid.org)
Strengthening regional sustainable economic development in Central America
Sula Batsú (in collaboration with Hivos) is working in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Its project consists of empowering organisations working in sustainable production and renewable energy; positioning the voices of the most vulnerable populations so that their experiences and visions are heard; developing markets for sustainable production; and positioning local initiatives for renewable energy (see: www.red-des.com).
Use of community radios for climate action
This is one of the strategies currently being adopted by Cameroon-based APC member organisation PROTEGE QV (see: www.protegeqv.org).
Helping meteorological offices decentralise the analysis of climate information
Computer Aid is working in this area in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda, in partnership with national meteorological offices in Africa as well as with the UK Meteorological Office and Reading University. Through providing hardware and software to rural weather stations, the project enables meteorological stations to conduct in-house analysis and issue forecasts and advice to local farmers and fisherpeople. This helps with community preparedness against droughts, storms and other adverse climatic events (see: http://www.computeraid.org).
SMS-based data collection on environmental accidents and disasters
The Bulgarian NGO BlueLink is setting up an SMS-based information system that will enable users to report environmental accidents and disasters (see: www.bluelink.net). The system will be based on the Ushahidi.org project, which was developed for monitoring and reporting on violence hotspots during the Kenyan elections (see: ushahidi.org).
21 APC’s vision can be found at: www.apc.org/en/about
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