----- Forwarded Message -----
From: IPID Mailer <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 2:27 PM
Subject: Opportunity to do dissertation fieldwork at the south of Vietnam on
the use of internet by farmers
I can see an excellent opportunity for a postgrad student who is interested in
Information and Communication Technology (ICT4D) to do dissertation field work
here in An Giang Province on the rapidly expanding use of the internet by
farmers in the very south of Vietnam.
Use of the internet here is on very fast-forward. I have been away since 2004
and nothing like what I can see now was visible then, nor was it on my short
visit in 2007, and the growth can only be described as spectacular. Recently
with my colleague, Dr Vo Lam, Associate Dean in Agriculture—who I am copying in
to this mail—I met the director of the Province's Extension service to ask
about developing a new BSc curriculum in crop science. He also told us one of
their projects is the development of the province’s website for farmers,
traders, suppliers of inputs to agriculture and anyone else who cares to use
it. This includes An Giang Plant Protection Service (AGPPS), Vietnam’s largest
suppler of agrochemicals. At present the department does not know how their
web is being used, which makes it difficult to focus on target audiences.
Anecdotally from farmers’ meetings however, they find some farmers are, as he
put it, ‘much smarter
than others’, and they believe many are now using the internet, but don’t know
much beyond that. The Director believes many farmers are learning from their
children, and then investing in a phone line and a laptop. Nothing exceptional
about that on a global scale, but for here that is a major development and it
would be good to know more about what is happening and what are the blockages.
In 2007 the province tried an ‘e-village’ project, which aimed to put the
internet into several villages, but it collapsed through lack of
funds/underfunding. Now it seems, farmers are taking matters into their own
hands and bringing about a ‘bottom up’ change. In my experience this is how
Vietnam’s farmers have periodically transformed agriculture. That observation
comes from my own research. This is yet another agricultural transformation, or
so it seems, and as ever there will be winners and losers.
I think within this there are the makings of one or two good topics for masters
dissertation and no doubt a PhD as well. Between Vo Lam and myself we would be
very pleased to answer queries from student who might consider taking this on.
On a personal note, I can say that anyone who comes will be made extremely
welcome, their findings will be of real use and they will have a great time.
Looking forward to receiving lots of enquiries
with best wishes
Charles Howie [email protected]
Adviser to the faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources
An Giang University,
Long Xuyen City
An Giang Province, Vietnam
http://www.gg.rhul.ac.uk/postgrads/Profiles/Howie.html
_______________________________________________
WestNileNet mailing list
[email protected]
http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet
WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
All Archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including
attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way.
_______________________________________________
