Enhancing the livelihoods of the rural poor through ICT : a knowledge map - Bangladesh country study
Erin Lentz, Mossaendris Ahmed · 2008
Livelihood analysis is deeply rooted at the micro level, where individuals, families, households and groups create their own coping strategies within a context of vulnerability. The vulnerability of the rural poor is determined by multiple influences related to trends, shocks and seasonality concerning economic, social, political, geographical, and natural resource factors. Vulnerability can increase owing to lack of access to resources, weak economic integration and climatic problems, factors which are often exacerbated by ineffective governance, lack of economic opportunities, social exclusion, conflict, discrimination, and lack of voice for the poor. Vulnerability can also decrease when trends move in directions that are favorable to the poor. Information can play two key roles in reducing the vulnerability of the poor: i) an analytical role in assessing the vulnerability context; and ii) communicating such information to those who can act upon it. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to improve rural livelihoods and expand a range of knowledge bases for the rural poor in Bangladesh. ICTs can improve capacity and efficacy both for the rural poor and for institutions engaged in improving rural livelihoods. Institutional systems can act directly and indirectly to ensure the well-being of the poor: through direct physical assistance which may have a visible impact on vulnerability and through dissemination of information which has an influence in terms of improving livelihoods.