Title

Redefining the use of ICTs as tools for empowering farmers and rural communities: A Malawian case study

Summary

This chapter analyzes the current use of information and communication technology (ICT) in Communication for Development (C4D), advocating for co-creation and co-design to better address the needs of vulnerable populations. It critiques the traditional top-down approach, where agricultural experts deliver information to farmers, based on Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation model, arguing that this one-way communication overlooks farmers as innovators and owners of their development. The pandemic highlighted how underutilized ICT tools are in agriculture, as they primarily served to disseminate information rather than engage farmers in problem-solving. The chapter calls for recognizing farmers as innovative problem solvers.

 

َAuthor

Masambuka-Kanchewa, F., & Rodriguez, M. T.

Year

2024

َThematic Area

Communication Studies

Topic

Country

Global

Region

Global

Misinformation Combatting

Cross Cutting

Place Published

APA 7th End Text Citation

Masambuka-Kanchewa, F., & Rodriguez, M. T. (2024). Redefining the use of ICTs as tools for empowering farmers and rural communities: A Malawian case study. In A. Chowdhury & G. A. Gow (Eds.), Digital communication for agricultural and rural development: Participatory practices in a post-COVID age (pp. xx-xx). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003282075