Organizations serving rural communities in Kenya have found use for media as a tool of replacement for personal interface in the daily communication with the beneficiaries of their programmes in deprived areas. The in...Organizations serving rural communities in Kenya have found use for media as a tool of replacement for personal interface in the daily communication with the beneficiaries of their programmes in deprived areas. The interactions between two non-governmental organizations （NGOs） and rural beneficiaries in Isinya, Kajiado County, provide case studies of how NGOs modernize their outreach via new media and how beneficiaries respond to the change. The research was not only concerned with the presence of information technology （IT） and online facilities in remote and deprived locations. It also evaluated responses to the replacement of person-to-person contact with technologies, such as social media, the Internet, Compact Disc-Read Only Memory （CD-ROMs）, and Digital Versatile Disc （DVDs）. Conducted in four focus groups, the research evaluated the uptake of new media technologies by beneficiaries following the transition, asked whether beneficiaries engaged with the materials being communicated, and assessed whether this confluence of technology and culture had eased the flow of communication, or unsettled it. Evidence of discomfort among the older （over 50-year-old） beneficiaries stemmed from fear of failure to master the technologies and a desire for a continuation of regular interpersonal interaction with the NGO field officers （whose field trips were scaled back in preference of computer-mediated communication）. However, younger （under 40-year-old） beneficiaries were less insistent on regular interpersonal visits and were appreciative of the use of technology, and of the building of Maarifa Centres to give the beneficiaries free access to internet, DVDs, and hard drive-based information materials. Another demographic, beneficiaries aged between 40 and 50 years old, said they were not comfortable with the change and wanted the interpersonal interaction to continue, but were open to a longer-term transition once the beneficiaries were all conversant with the uses of the new technologies. The study recommends a better managed transition that accommodated the beneficiaries’ fears, misgivings, and cultural preference for verbal, face-to-face consultation.展开更多
Dufuya wetland gardens and Insukamini irrigation scheme in Lower Gweru communal areas of Gweru district are two examples of how rural communities can be self-reliant if they are capacitated. This study sought to compa...Dufuya wetland gardens and Insukamini irrigation scheme in Lower Gweru communal areas of Gweru district are two examples of how rural communities can be self-reliant if they are capacitated. This study sought to compare crop diversity between these two vegetable producing schemes. The location of the two areas and the selected plots were determined using the GPS （global positioning system） hand receiver. Maps of the quadrants were produced in a GIS （geographic information system） on a computer. Simpson＇s index D = sum （pi2） was used to measure crop diversity while the Shannon-Weiner index （/4） was used to measure crop evenness. Results show that although both schemes are viable, Dufuya Gardens have higher crop diversity than Insukamini irrigation scheme. The study recommends that AGRITEX officers at Insukamini must advise farmers to diversify their crops in order for their produce to be more competitive on the market and also to cushion farmers against the effects of natural hazards. Given the success of the two schemes, the government must seriously consider sustainable utilization of the many small-scale dams and wetlands lying idle across the country for crop production in order to empower poor rural communities as well as alleviate poverty.展开更多
文摘Organizations serving rural communities in Kenya have found use for media as a tool of replacement for personal interface in the daily communication with the beneficiaries of their programmes in deprived areas. The interactions between two non-governmental organizations （NGOs） and rural beneficiaries in Isinya, Kajiado County, provide case studies of how NGOs modernize their outreach via new media and how beneficiaries respond to the change. The research was not only concerned with the presence of information technology （IT） and online facilities in remote and deprived locations. It also evaluated responses to the replacement of person-to-person contact with technologies, such as social media, the Internet, Compact Disc-Read Only Memory （CD-ROMs）, and Digital Versatile Disc （DVDs）. Conducted in four focus groups, the research evaluated the uptake of new media technologies by beneficiaries following the transition, asked whether beneficiaries engaged with the materials being communicated, and assessed whether this confluence of technology and culture had eased the flow of communication, or unsettled it. Evidence of discomfort among the older （over 50-year-old） beneficiaries stemmed from fear of failure to master the technologies and a desire for a continuation of regular interpersonal interaction with the NGO field officers （whose field trips were scaled back in preference of computer-mediated communication）. However, younger （under 40-year-old） beneficiaries were less insistent on regular interpersonal visits and were appreciative of the use of technology, and of the building of Maarifa Centres to give the beneficiaries free access to internet, DVDs, and hard drive-based information materials. Another demographic, beneficiaries aged between 40 and 50 years old, said they were not comfortable with the change and wanted the interpersonal interaction to continue, but were open to a longer-term transition once the beneficiaries were all conversant with the uses of the new technologies. The study recommends a better managed transition that accommodated the beneficiaries’ fears, misgivings, and cultural preference for verbal, face-to-face consultation.
文摘Dufuya wetland gardens and Insukamini irrigation scheme in Lower Gweru communal areas of Gweru district are two examples of how rural communities can be self-reliant if they are capacitated. This study sought to compare crop diversity between these two vegetable producing schemes. The location of the two areas and the selected plots were determined using the GPS （global positioning system） hand receiver. Maps of the quadrants were produced in a GIS （geographic information system） on a computer. Simpson＇s index D = sum （pi2） was used to measure crop diversity while the Shannon-Weiner index （/4） was used to measure crop evenness. Results show that although both schemes are viable, Dufuya Gardens have higher crop diversity than Insukamini irrigation scheme. The study recommends that AGRITEX officers at Insukamini must advise farmers to diversify their crops in order for their produce to be more competitive on the market and also to cushion farmers against the effects of natural hazards. Given the success of the two schemes, the government must seriously consider sustainable utilization of the many small-scale dams and wetlands lying idle across the country for crop production in order to empower poor rural communities as well as alleviate poverty.
