ICT, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND THE LAW

The Seventh Day Part 1 Sabbath Truth http://ping.fm/e7V3c

REPORT – DAY 4 – ARDYIS YOUTH EXCHANGE AND TRAINING WORKSHOP

REPORT – DAY 4 – ARDYIS YOUTH EXCHANGE AND TRAINING WORKSHOP

By Jason Haynes (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and Rebeccah Sangwani Gondwe (Malawi)

Serenading the room, paper and pen extended, carefully jotting the phrase “I love you” in each language spoken in the respective countries represented by the approximately 27 participants at the 2011 Ardyis Youth Exchange and Training Workshop, being held in Accra, Ghana, was Mangena Gerald, one of the Zimbabwean representatives. Day 4 was indeed an enthralling experience which admittedly stimulated the interests of all participants as they were moved by thought provoking presentations by Mr. Chisenga and Mr. Richard.

The main focus of the day’s proceedings was on online collaboration both through the use of Wikipedia and google docs. These social networking tools were posited by the presenters as effectively facilitating the dissemination of information regarding ICT, Youth, Agriculture and Rural Development in ACP Countries. The tools, whose success is proven throughout the years, allow users to plan various events online from remote locations, make adjustment to various features and even publish to the Web. Indeed, if adopted, and to a great extent, effectively utilized, these tools can ably assist in promoting the views of Youths in ACP countries regarding various issues which affect their daily lives.

In addition, participants were introduced to ping.fm, a social networking tool which is specifically designed to allow users to post from ping while contemporaneously updating their statuses on several other media sites including twitter and facebook. This new discovery clearly intrigued participants and the addictive effects were already evident by several rather interesting posts:

Tyrone Hall

“So little time left and I haven't seen the Makola Market, Cape Coast Castle and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park... Launching operation "Let's Make It Happen”

Wilson Gitau

“ping ping”

Ronald Yasir Ziyad

“Tweet me on facebook”

Ritz Gosai

“Day 4 of the Youth Exchange and Training Workshop, Accra, Ghana...Back after lunch and doing something with ping..lolz..”

Marcus L George

“hi everyone!!!!!!!!!!”

Day 4, from Okra soup to a serenading Zimbabwean, Ardyis Web 2.0 has definitely intrigued and captivated the minds of all involved. The sun slowly goes down in the east, but the interest still lies in advancing the cause of the youth in ACP countries. Ardyis – Youth Exchange and Training Workshop – the future is in our hands!

My African, Caribbean and Pacific Colleagues are truly wonderful people :)

MY EXPERIENCE - ARDYIS - WEB 2.0 FOR AGRICULUTE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, 2011

The ARDYIS – Youth Exchange and Training Workshop on Web 2.0 for Agriculture and Rural Development was indeed a unique and worthwhile endeavour which in fact achieved the objectives of enhanced capacity and initiative amongst youth leaders in ACP countries. Indeed, the sessions, facilitated by Information specialist, Mr. Chisenga, were thought-provoking and interactive and served to further enhance skills and capabilities in the area of ICT, a phenomenon which is most welcome in our communities.

The practical uses to which drop box, blogger, wiki, google maps, ping fm, and Really Simply Syndication (RSS), can be put, were reiterated by the various sessions which highlighted the fundamental role that these media play in not only the dissemination of pertinent information regarding agriculture and rural development but also, provided a knowledge-base from which innovations in key sectors of our societies can be embarked upon.

From the discussions, several issues were highlighted and important perspectives were generated from the youth. Some of the major challenges which were identified include the lack of participation of youths in the decision making process in respect of agriculture, the historically negative attitude toward agriculture as an activity of the “old” and educationally incapacitated, phony political representation on major issues affecting the ACP region especially in respect of ICT and its relationship to rural development, and the inadequate provision of much needed resources to deal with the wide ranging issues affecting our region.

As a backdrop of these acknowledgements, it has been suggested that governments across ACP countries should get more involved in the active dissemination of information in respect of ICT and how it can be used to further enhance capacity in agriculture, in addition to the practical step of providing loans and other incentives to those youths who may be interested in marketing their various agricultural produce. The efforts which can be taken to address the issues which were raised in consequence of the discussions held are not limited to these, but rather extend to other areas such as the legal and social sphere: the provision of legal structures to facilitate enhanced participation of the youth in ICT and agriculture and the changing of social attitudes toward agriculture.

Indeed, I can safely say that the ARDYIS project has in fact achieved its overarching purpose and is definitely something which should be further enhanced upon in the future by key stake holders in the area of ICT, agriculture and rural development.

THE LAW'S RESPONSE TO ADVANCES IN ICT

The role of the law in promoting best practices in ICT and its relationship to employment in the fields of agriculture and rural development cannot be understated. Too long has the law taken a laise-faire attitude toward addressing traditional issues such as the discrimination against young women in agriculture particularly in cases of unfair dismissal, whereby, without reason for making the decision, an employer may dismiss a rural worker who, through no fault of their own, is unable to keep up with modern developments in ICT. The basic premise is that workers placed in this position are simply resistant to change because they do not possess the requisite capacity to confirm to the changing requirements in the job market. The Law must accordingly strike the right balance between the recognition of the employer's right to have his work completed in the most technologically efficient manner, and the general incapacity of rural youth (workers) who may not have the requisite resources to enhance their technological skills.

Further, in so far as the concept of intellectual property rights are concerned, it has been noted that law enforcement authorities do not adequately protect youth entrepreneurs especially in rural communities who may want to market their products but are lacking the knowledge-base regarding the nature of copyright / trades mark protection and the legal implications for breach of such rights. As there is admittedly no defense of ignorance of the law, it has been suggested that individuals from rural communities are more often than not more adversely affected since they, despite their enthusiasm may lack the necessary skills and capabilities to recognize areas in which they may have been infringing on existing copyrights. The basic lack of information and lack of interest / information sharing in respect of the relationship between four key issues, ICT, agriculture, rural development and the law, is thus cause for concern and must be addressed from a policy and institutional perspective.

In conclusion, the issues of unfair dismissal in the employment of youths in rural communities who cannot confirm to improved technological standards and the inadequacy of information regarding possible infringement of intellectual property rights in respect of marketing agricultural produce remains teething problems which must be addressed in due course in order to ensure that our society develops holistically.

ICT, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, AGRICULTURE, THE YOUTH AND THE LAW

Mar08

The Law in developing ACP Countries is an ever evolving phenomenon that is both dynamic and versatile in nature. It not only addresses traditional issues such as criminal and civil disputes, but as of recently, caters for emerging global developments in various fields including ICT, Rural Development and Agriculture.

Increasingly, the Youth are playing a pivotal role in the advancement of rural communities across ACP Countries. Accordingly, the Law must increase its potency and effect to commensurate with the needs of these communities. Clearly, however, the task of framing the legal structure so as to meet these needs is made increasingly difficult by the following factors:

- Inadequate physical and institutional infrastructure
- Phony Political dialogue
- Lack of involvement of key stake holders
- Lack of enforcement mechanisms
- Dependency modes of thinking thereby adversely affecting emerging jurisprudence; and
- Lack of involvement, both monetary or otherwise in promoting an efficacious legal system.

These challenges have indeed proved fatal to efforts made over the years by Youths in ACP Countries. Apart from the basic lack of motivation which is inherent in the approach by youths to the legal system and its relationship to key features of rural communities, the Youth have admittedly been side-lined by some who have deemed their contribution as ineffective in developing and promoting agricultural and rural development, an area of competence traditionally held by community elders. Further, the lack of access to resources, intellectual property issues and incapacity have all complicated the issue of youth participation and hence the need for the law to play a more active role in addressing these concerns.

Suffice, the use of ICT, particularly Web. 2.0 tools have over the years proved to be quite effective in disseminating pertinent information relating to the Youth and agriculture/rural development in Communities across ACP countries. Apart from the effective dissemination of information, these instruments of communication have also proved successful in ensuring that copyright laws are complied with and that trades mark and other legal requirements for the marketing of various products are complied with. However, it must be admitted that the knowledge base in respect of these potent issues remains vastly limited.

In sum, the Law has a recognizably important role to play in respect of addressing the many challenges faced in the area of agriculture and rural development. However, to achieve the purpose of enhancing livelihoods through legal structures and mechanisms, ICT tools, particularly web development tools must be effectively invested in, and adopted. Only then can true progress be recorded and the demands of our rural communities be met.