GenARDIS: A small grants fund to address gender issues in information and communication technologies in ACP agricultural and rural development

Latest announcement - 4 July 2003: Winners announced

ICTs are powerful tools that, together with other development activities, can contribute to sustainable development and poverty alleviation. ICTs can empower rural people by amplifying their voices. They are 'enabling' tools that can help poor rural women and men to capitalize on emerging opportunities, especially in education and income generation.

However, access to and use of ICTs is unequal in many respects. A 'digital divide' exists not only between the North and the South, between urban and rural areas, but also between men and women. Gender disparities mean that the opportunities offered by ICTs are not immediately available to the poorest of the poor - who are mostly women.

Rural women in ACP countries face important constraints and challenges with respect to ICTs. The challenges include limited time availability to participate in training and use of ICTs; minimal access to technology such as radios, mobile telephones or computers; and inadequate availability of information in local languages that is relevant to local contexts. On the other hand, in some situations where rural women had access to ICTs, they have made remarkable improvements to their livelihoods and the well-being of their families and communities.

At the close of the September 2002 CTA Observatory Meeting on Gender and Agriculture in the Information Society, CTA and the International Institute of Communication and Development (IICD) announced a small grants fund known as GenARDIS to address gender issues in ICTs in ACP agricultural and rural development. Later, they were joined by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada as a third partner in this initiative. The three organizations each pledged 15,000 Euros, to be distributed among 9 winners as non-renewable grants of 5,000 Euros each.

The aim of GenARDIS is to support innovative activity that contributes to the understanding and application of ICTs in gender, agriculture and rural development in Africa, the Caribbean or the Pacific. This competitive fund provides an opportunity for organizations in ACP countries to strengthen gender-related work on ICTs in agriculture and rural development.

The widely used acronym 'ICTs' encompasses a multitude of equipment, software and services, ranging from satellite communication systems, telephone booths in rural areas, digital radio programs, the Internet and electronic databases, to e-commerce services via the World Wide Web. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be interpreted broadly as technologies that facilitate communication and the processing and transmission of information by electronic means. This definition encompasses the full range of ICTs, from radio and television to telephones (fixed and mobile), computers and the Internet. In development contexts, the interface with traditional communications systems and tools is also important, as are applications in areas like agriculture, business, governance, health, and education.

For more information please send an email to GenARDIS@cta.int