Abbreviations
and acronyms
| ENRAP |
Electronic
Networking for Rural Asia/Pacific |
| ICT |
Information
and Communication Technology |
| IDRC |
International
Devleopment Research Centre |
| ISP |
Internet
Service-Provider |
| IT |
Information
Technology |
| NEDA |
National
Economic Development Authority |
| PMU |
Project
Management Unit |
Introduction
The Electronic Networking for Rural Asia/Pacific (ENRAP) is an IFAD-funded
initiative to support Internet use among its rural development projects
in the Asia and the Pacific region. Its ultimate aim is to enhance the
efficiency and effectiveness of the agricultural sector in the pursuit
of sustainable human development. Its method is the strategic introduction
and application of information and communication technologies. ENRAP was
launched in 1998 as a three-year pilot project, running until May 2001,
with total funding of USD 750 000.
The exchange of information was expected to be horizontal among projects
and their environments, and more interactive in enabling genuine dialogue.
Electronic networking, especially the open-ended low-cost Internet, was
thought to be ideally suited to such horizontal communication, while also
serving the continuing need for a vertical flow of information. The ENRAP
project was created to fulfil this broad mandate.
II.
Project objectives
During the pilot phase, selected IFAD-financed projects in Bangladesh,
China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, The Philippines and Sri Lanka
participated in ENRAP.
The objectives focused on: developing horizontal communication; supporting
documentation of local knowledge; improving access to technical research
from local environments; and improving vertical communication for administration
and reporting among projects, supporting organizations and IFAD. In summary,
the project aimed to create a base for the sustained building of Internet-based
networks by projects within their local, regional, national and international
milieu, and it aimed to fulfill these objectives through three distinct
but interrelated chronological components.
(a)
Connectivity and electronic communication - this component would
facilitate: access to the Internet, attainment of proficiency in basic
and intermediate use of information and communication technologies (ICTs),
and sharing of project management, monitoring and related information.
(b)
Knowledge networking among IFAD projects - this would include the
identification and documentation of best practices and knowledge generated
by IFAD projects, and the exchange of this information among projects.
This work would form the basis for a knowledge network and develop pilot
solutions for replication elsewhere.
(c)
Local applications development - under this component, various
activities would be conducted to ensure a sustainable use of the Internet
in support of project activities and wider networking at the local level.
III.
Evaluation objectives and process
The ENRAP evaluation reviewed the project with a two-fold purpose: (a)
to assess its achievements against the stated objectives; and (b) to understand
which information and knowledge needs of ENRAP project managers, field
implementers and client communities might be met through the second phase.
The evaluation reviewed ENRAP inputs into the various IFAD projects (hardware,
software, training and participation in workshops). The level of electronic
communication activity was also assessed, including the establishment
of e-mail, web browsing, documentation of best practices, the uploading
of information onto the ENRAP website and the development of project websites.
The review also focused on understanding the critical tasks involved in
implementing IFAD projects, and the linkages between ENRAP activities
and the performance of these tasks. Thus a balance was to be maintained
in the evaluation between assessing the achievements of the pilot phase
and understanding the information and knowledge needs that could be served
in the design of the next phase.
The overall evaluation framework was captured in an approach paper formulated
at the beginning of the exercise. A draft was discussed by the Office
of Evaluation and Studies at an ENRAP workshop held in Singapore in February
2001. Field work was undertaken in June and July. The evaluation was driven
by a "core learning partnership" (CLP) that met at critical
stages to reflect on the ENRAP experience and discuss the approach paper,
the mission's terms of reference and the draft evaluation report.
As part of its analysis, the evaluation team reviewed numerous reports
and documents related to ENRAP activities. A two-member evaluation team
travelled to nine projects in India, Nepal, The Philippines and Sri Lanka
to record the opinions and perceptions of stakeholders and partners. Discussions
were held with project management units (PMUs) at the country level, staff
at field sites, partners involved in implementing the IFAD projects and
representatives of the communities in which ENRAP was being implemented.
A one-person mission visited the Employment-Generation Project for the
Rural Poor in Bangladesh, which was part of the ENRAP pilot phase. The
conclusions of the Bangladesh mission have been included in the final
evaluation report. Thus this evaluation draws upon the experiences of
ten of the fifteen IFAD-supported projects participating in the ENRAP
pilot phase. Finally, the evaluation team held discussions with the International
Development Research Centre (IDRC) in New Delhi and the project office
of IDRC in Singapore. The discussions with IDRC, the key implementing
institution of ENRAP, were expected to help identify an appropriate mechanism/organization
for implementing the second phase.
Project performance
The ENRAP implementation team concentrated on the achievement of basic
connectivity, training/workshops, central website development, local Internet
application development and knowledge-networking pilot activities. A project
management structure was established and coordinators designated for all
participating projects. Five workshops/meetings were organized that brought
participants together to learn about the Internet and networking and to
plan future networking activities. Four small-scale training courses were
given during visits of ENRAP team members to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Some small equipment (laptops and digital cameras), software and literature
were provided to the projects.
Following a Mindanao workshop in May 1999, two proposals for local application
development with the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) were
supported. One of these was the publication of a print newsletter by the
Zamboanga Del Norte (ZN) Centre for Social Concerns and Development. The
newsletter has been well received by the community. The second project
with NEDA was support for the creation of a project database and the use
of a geographic information system (GIS) for planning purposes. Currently,
there is little use being made of the database by NEDA or outside planners.
The activities in Sri Lanka resulted in several technical reports and
the documentation of local innovations. Participants of the workshops
in Pune in January and Singapore in August 2000 (training in website design)
felt that they had been useful. The main outcome of the Pune workshop
was a plan for knowledge networking (KN) among IFAD projects in India.
Three KN teams focusing on different thematic areas were formed. However
the intended follow up among the communities formed in Pune did not take
place.
Use of e-mail was studied. The content of the ENRAP website as well as
data generated from the website log regarding its use were also analysed.
Use
of e-mail
Analysis revealed that PMUs and, in a few cases, field units were beginning
to use e-mail. However the use was sporadic, for ad hoc purposes and special
events. For example, organization of the international workshop in Pune
was completely facilitated by e-mail. Notices of regular meetings, on
the other hand, often were not conveyed through e-mail, even though many
of the participating organizations have the facility. Maximal benefits
from e-mail can be derived if it is used regularly for communication among
PMUs and all or most of the implementing partners.
In terms of Internet use, the ENRAP website was visited by project staff
once in two to three weeks. The prohibitive cost of Internet connectivity
in these countries restricts its use.
Content
on the website
A critical look at content on the ENRAP website revealed that most of
the documents posted were appropriate to ENRAP goals. However the random
assortment of documents did not clearly bring out the rich range of activities
undertaken by the project, and the website lacked adequate documentation
of the field experiences contributed by ENRAP partners. The content emphasized
knowledge management and ENRAP project-related issues; documents providing
learning for IFAD's poverty-related work were fewer.
Use
of the Website
Analysis of the ENRAP website log revealed a reasonable level of use (data
collected during April-June 2001). Though there were 5000-7000 hits per
month, 55% of the users were based in the United States. In contrast,
visitors from ENRAP countries accounted for a mere 17 user sessions during
the three-month period, and developing countries accounted for only 3%
of the total sessions. It would appear that the ENRAP website is being
used by researchers in the developed world and is not frequently accessed
by the IFAD project personnel who are presumed to be the main beneficiaries.
There is a need for a more dynamic and interactive website carrying practical
and useful content to support poverty-alleviation work, effectively facilitated
online discussions, purposefully moderated list servers and face-to-face
interactive events.
Overall
assessment
The major gains of the ENRAP project were in raising awareness and in
capacity-building. Projects recognized the need to capture and share local
knowledge and best practices. Some key players benefited from technical
training and began to share these skills with colleagues and partners.
Local capacity in Internet use, design of websites and use of tools for
managing information was developed. Communication between projects improved
marginally.
While ENRAP partially met the specific objective of enabling projects
to develop horizontal, self-sustaining communication, the objective of
improving communication between projects and the Fund was yet to be realized.
Perhaps a foundation was laid for sustained building of Internet networks
by projects, but further inputs would be required to develop that sustainability.
The objective of instigating and supporting the documentation of local
knowledge and relevant experience was not met on an extensive scale.
Project impact: sustaining communication and knowledge networking
Measurement of benefits gained by deploying ICT has always been a challenge,
even in profit-oriented enterprises. The nature of ICT use and its impact
is highly contextual, and isolating the impact of a single factor on increased
programme effectiveness is difficult. If several concomitant conditions
are satisfied, of which ICT deployment is just one, programmes may become
more effective. Well-run organizations are known to extract greater value
from their ICT investments.
Many of the IFAD projects visited by the team had just begun their poverty-alleviation
work. In places where significant successes had been achieved, the role
of ENRAP in those successes was not evident. Project managers were unable
to cite instances in which ENRAP had helped them solve problems of design
or implementation.
The formally stated objectives of the first phase of ENRAP were perhaps
ambitious. The project was formulated at a time when there was much euphoria
about knowledge management. Experience seems to indicate that it is easier
to systematize documentation of knowledge, indexing, storage and the provision
of access to such databases. Large bandwidths have made it possible to
store and transport documents in a variety of forms and formats covering
all types of media. However utilization of this knowledge for more effective
organizational functioning seems to be far more difficult. Few organizations
claim to have done it successfully.
Access to knowledge can impact effectiveness when individuals feel enriched
(new ideas, solutions to problems) and are able to seek information at
the time and place it is needed. Individuals need to trust the information
before the distilled knowledge is applied to a specific action. Projects
like ENRAP can at best hope to create large electronic networks, which
will then support the emergence of human networks eager to consult each
other and beginning to value and trust the information/knowledge that
is pooled and disseminated.
There appears to be a consistent pattern in the use of new information
technology (IT). People begin to use computers for simple tasks such as
document preparation or organizing presentations. Some graduate to its
use as a tool for analysis and decision support. E-mail is used fairly
widely but can lead to information overload. There are only a few who
use the Internet extensively. For the rest, Internet browsing is helpful
if a specific need for information is identified. Perhaps the users of
ENRAP will also have to be supported through this process of IT use before
they can become involved in knowledge-management activities. However this
process can be lengthy, as an attitudinal/behavioural change is involved.
The evaluation concludes that the success of the next phase of ENRAP will
depend on the following premises:
- many
key actors involved in the implementation of IFAD projects have convenient
and reliable e-mail and Internet connectivity;
- those
who can access the Internet have the time and necessary computer skills
to do so and are aware of the potential benefits of seeking information
and knowledge from external sources;
- budgetary
allocations are available to pay for Internet service-provider (ISP)
and local telephone charges to cover a reasonable amount of Internet
use;
- the information
available through the ENRAP website or in list-server exchanges is useful
to their day-to-day work (e.g. solving operational problems);
- project
staff are eager to share knowledge and information with other projects,
have the skills to document knowledge in a form useful to others and
the resources for documentation work.
Since the actual documentation and sharing of knowledge and the use of
e-mail and the Internet are on a very limited scale, some of the key preconditions
identified above need to be significantly strengthened.
Thus the next phase of ENRAP could focus on promoting the use of electronic
communication on a more extensive scale and on creating a culture of information-sharing
before embarking on the more ambitious goal of knowledge-sharing.
Lessons and recommendations
Based on interactions with ENRAP project managers, the IFAD evaluation
team proposes several lessons and recommendations for the design and implementation
of the next phase.
Increase
internet access
Access of PMUs to the Internet was limited. Many implementing partners
had PCs but did not have operational budgets for an Internet connection.
Even at the PMUs, use of the Internet was restricted because of inadequate
operational budgets for ISP and telephone charges. ENRAP incurred very
limited expenditures for procurement of hardware or providing operational
budgets for Internet use.
ENRAP should consolidate activities in the area of basic ICT access and
institutional capacity-building before taking up ambitious plans for knowledge-sharing.
Strategic injection of capital for improving basic connectivity and ICT
use and provision of operational funds for a limited duration could make
a significant difference.
Coordinate
ENRAP at the Project Level
In many ways, ENRAP was truly a pilot project. There was significant variation
in the way ENRAP was coordinated in different projects and different countries.
Activity levels and approaches in electronic connectivity, documenting
and sharing of knowledge - and the impact of these activities on the effectiveness
of poverty-alleviation programmes - were also different across projects.
Varying models of implementation were used in different projects and countries.
Some of the more successful implementation arrangements in specific contexts
are described below.
In Nepal, for example, an external agency, World Link, succeeded in creating
the necessary connectivity infrastructure and in building the technical
capacity of project-level staff to use Internet resources. In Shillong
the ENRAP coordinator, who is one of the key managers involved in implementing
the IFAD project, ensured that ENRAP was integrated into the basic IFAD
project.
In Pune, ENRAP coordination was done by an IT-knowledgable mainline functionary.
This resulted in greater awareness of the ENRAP potential among project
partners. Some documentation of best practices also took place. At the
Matale project in Sri Lanka, ENRAP coordination involved teamwork, with
both the project director and his assistant involved in the activities.
The project made good use of external information sources, even though
use of the Internet was restricted because of inadequate budget resources
for local telephone charges.
In the project in The Philippines, key ENRAP activities were actually
being carried out by project partners rather than the PMU itself. ENRAP's
support to the CESCODE Newsletter by a non-governmental organization (NGO)
implementation partner perhaps resulted in a more direct impact on the
poverty-alleviation programme. In contrast, in projects where the responsibility
of coordinating ENRAP was entrusted to a computer programmer, ENRAP was
used merely as a facility, rather than as a process for knowledge-sharing.
ENRAP coordinators should be mainline functionaries with experience and
responsibility in implementing aspects of poverty-alleviation programmes.
They should have an interest in using technology and building networks.
This should not be seen as a technical job. The technical work of creating
web pages or uploading files can be handled by a trained administrative
assistant.
Thus the standard procedure of designating the project director as coordinator
may not be effective. An appropriate candidate will have to be identified
in each project. In countries and regions where project staff lack the
capacity or the motivation, outsourcing coordination work to an NGO/ISP
should be explored.
Network
at the national Level
The potential benefits of intraregional sharing notwithstanding, the primary
focus of networking should be at national and subnational levels in order
to ensure usefulness and applicability to local interventions.
The pilot model of ENRAP was based on each project being directly connected
to the implementing agency, IDRC, in Singapore, and via Singapore being
connected to each other. ENRAP should be reconfigured to a network-of-networks
configuration. Within this new configuration, ENRAP would comprise a national,
or several subnational, networks within each country. Local IFAD-supported
projects would form these networks. It may be useful to consider extending
these local networks beyond IFAD projects to include like-minded projects
and organizations working on the same development problems or with the
same communities.
The national networks could be connected to each other and might be connected
to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) or the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asian Countries
networks, thus forming the regional ENRAP network. This decentralized
configuration would emphasize national and subregional developmental areas.
Integrate ENRAP with core IFAD projects
An important lesson was that many project personnel perceived ENRAP as
a separate entity unrelated to IFAD project activities, which weakened
its scope. The following steps need to be taken to integrate ENRAP into
core IFAD projects.
ENRAP should address the full range of computer applications, in addition
to the connectivity aspects required by the projects, and contribute to
building the technical capacity of project teams in IT and related areas.
This would lead to convergence of the management of information within
projects and contribute towards effective information exchange within
ENRAP.
It should communicate project objectives clearly. Although many documents
have defined ENRAP objectives, the perception among project directors
and field staff was varied. In the field, ENRAP was seen as a technical
project, less integrated with the basic poverty-alleviation projects.
Country focal points for IFAD programmes and project directors are key
functionaries; they must buy into the concept of promoting knowledge-sharing.
One possible way of building this sense of ownership is to view ENRAP
as a core component of the IFAD project, rather than as a separate project
in itself. If it is to be treated as a separate project, the above-mentioned
functionaries must be involved in the initial discussions to define project
scope and activities.
In some cases, the project is seen as a laboratory/testing ground for
researching new methods and approaches in managing knowledge and information
within a rural development context. This is quite different from the forthright
statement indicating that ENRAP is to facilitate the deployment of ICT
in IFAD-supported projects and should be used for a variety of purposes,
including sharing of knowledge to make the implementation of poverty-alleviation
programmes more effective. The next phase should clearly communicate project
objectives.
The role of the implementing agency is crucial in conveying the objectives
with clarity. The implementers must understand and be sympathetic to the
core objective of poverty alleviation. Knowledge management should be
seen as a means and not an end.
Empower
communities through relevant information in the local language
To a great extent, the rural populace in project countries lacks the skills
required to filter through the vast information available on the Internet
and identify information relevant to them. Thus ENRAP would need to facilitate
filtering of information, testing of solutions offered to their specific
problems and their adaptation, until the villagers themselves acquire
the skills needed to access this information.
The evaluation recommends that ENRAP build the capacity of grass-roots
workers to receive and process feedback, ideas and needs from the communities.
These workers should be provided the opportunity to access information
through the Internet and interpret it for the use of rural communities.
Once extensive connectivity is established, reaching most local partners,
it can be used for the training of grass-roots workers. Greater communication
between these workers and their immediate supervisors can significantly
motivate the workers. Greater interactivity among project staff would
lead to the nurturing of knowledge formation.
ENRAP should experiment with telecentres. Bearing in mind the reality
of the short supply of Internet connections and electricity in developing
countries, the practical approach is to provide Internet connectivity
to communities through multifunction public access points or telecentres
that offer a variety of services. There may already be experimental telecentres
established by governmental or other agencies with which partnerships
could be established to deliver relevant content.
Finally, in promoting electronic communication among project staff, field
workers and client communities, use of the local language should be emphasized
and supported.
Combine
digital media with other approaches
Care needs to be taken that new technologies do not replace interpersonal
methods in the field. Successful coupling of the new digital media with
other tested approaches for communication and knowledge-sharing should
be a strategy for the next phase of the project. For instance, publication
of a newsletter in the local language has been very successful in some
locations. Electronic versions of such newsletters can be distributed
to many more stakeholders. Thus ENRAP should continue to support the production
of development communications in a variety of media.
Capacity-Building:
Build a culture of sharing and learning
In many projects, the motivation to learn from the experience of others
was not strong. Project staff felt that new ideas might be picked up through
sharing, but there was often little immediate usability of the information/knowledge
picked up. The documentation of best practices needs to focus on process
rather than outcomes, so that others can learn how projects could be successfully
implemented. In some projects, the culture of sharing information is weak.
Most projects were eager to use the ENRAP platform to project their own
achievements but not necessarily to learn from the experience of others.
ENRAP should also work to identify and consolidate existing grass-roots
information and knowledge networks (informal learning, community advisers)
with deployment of and training and user support for appropriate, robust,
low-cost ICTs. Experiments can be undertaken to document local knowledge,
such as the development of a dedicated website to capture and disseminate
this knowledge and its innovations.
Redesign
the ENRAP website
The website can be redesigned in consultation with participating projects.
The content should be indexed to clearly identify sections dealing with
ENRAP; general issues of ICT in development; managerial and technical
material relating to IFAD's poverty-alleviation projects; and best practices
contributed by different projects. The topics that appear to be of most
interest and relevance to IFAD projects are: microcredit, self-help groups,
community mobilization, natural resource management, land use and entitlements,
and participatory impact monitoring. The content has to be practical and
useful - something that could also emerge from discussions among the communities
of field workers and/or clients once they begin to use e-mail actively.
During the content analysis of the website, it was found that ENRAP permits
partners to upload contributions in a wide variety of formats, including
tabular material. However interactive features to share information in
a manner leading to the formation of knowledge were missing.
Many projects have created their own websites, hosted on servers of ISPs
or other free service providers. ENRAP training has enabled project staff
to develop these sites, but access is slow and free space is limited.
The ENRAP website should consider providing a hosting service for participating
projects.
It was also felt that interaction within the ENRAP network needs to be
facilitated by a moderator, or a team of facilitators, so that networking
can catalyse the greatest developmental impact and the formation of knowledge.
This special skill of 'e-facilitation' should be inculcated in the members
of ENRAP.
Reinforce
communication between IFAD and project staff
There is a felt need to strengthen communication links between IFAD staff
and project personnel and stakeholders. If the regional nature of ENRAP
reaches a national level, then close involvement of national decision-makers
is desirable and in some cases even vital.
Facilitate
understanding through project documentation and analysis
It is suggested that, in addition to sharing success stories, an organizational
culture of sharing problems should be brought about in the next phase
of the project in order to enable a broader understanding of project implementation
and related issues. The site should not only reflect the work procedures
involved in project implementation, but should also post reflections on
and analysis of the results produced by project interventions.
Organizational mechanism for ENRAP - Phase II
As with ENRAP Phase I, a multitude of implementing agencies are unlikely
to have a common understanding of the objectives. Coordination problems
will arise as they did in the first phase. Organizations do exist that
have technical competence in knowledge management and understand the domain
of poverty alleviation. Any of these organizations, if selected as an
implementer, could help integrate ENRAP - Phase II into the core activities
of IFAD-supported projects.
The evaluation envisions that national ENRAP coordinators in a reconfigured
ENRAP network would fulfil the following responsibilities, among others:
(a) build a community of professionals around a few key themes, relevant
at the national level; (b) organize capacity-building activities and promote
information exchange on project execution; (c) coordinate budgetary allocations
to projects; and (d) run discussion lists in specific thematic areas and
moderate the publication of project material on the ENRAP website.
In the new structure, the central implementing agency will maintain the
ENRAP website, provide tools for uploading and downloading files and provide
hosting services for project websites. To facilitate access, hosting of
the project website on a server with a reasonable bandwidth is recommended.
