On September 25, IREX’s Technology for Civil Society Speaker Series [7] hosted Subbiah Arunachalam (Arun), an independent scientific researcher with a special interest in technology-facilitated development. Arun discussed the development model being pioneered by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in rural India; though telecenters and information technology are an integral part of the MSSRF’s work, Arun was clear that the Foundation is composed of “people people, not technology people.” The Foundation begins its operations in each locality by assessing peoples’ opinions and needs, often facing initial resistance and uncertainty. However, by building personal relationships – even going so far as to meet with a man and woman from each family in the small town of Pondicherry, for example – MSSRF empowers people to participate and invest in their own community development. In some cases, local families open their homes and local temples open their sacred spaces up as inclusive telecenter facilities, enhancing the organic nature of the Foundation’s model.
This sort of inclusion is reflected in the services provided by local telecenters. One village identified the need for more readily available community information; the Telecenter responded with an initiative to develop local newsletters and ‘yellow pages.’ The project garnered 100% participation among villagers. Another set of needs common to fishing villages was also brought to the local telecenter, as fishermen and their families faced constant concerns about selling their catch and escaping injury or even death on the job. Local telecenters facilitated a partnership between Qualcomm, Tata Teleservices, and Astute Systems Technologies to allow fishermen to track fish concentrations and dangerous weather developments in real time using mobile phone technology. In addition, fishermen can now contact vendors and ensure a fair price for their product while still at sea. In an even starker example of these telecenters’ value, one coastal village resident spotted the water receding hundreds of feet – the initial sign of the now world-famous 2004 tsunami. The man rushed to the local telecenter and used its computer-enabled loudspeaker to warn his community of the coming threat; every life in the village was spared. As a result of MSSRF’s efforts, and those of telecenters around India, technology is helping to broaden community participation and promote critical development.
The key, according to Arun, is letting people identify their needs and responding with appropriate technologies – from loudspeakers to SMS systems. This people-focused approach is very different than the concept of injecting a community with a host of modern technology and then seeing what can be done with it. Despite his success, Arun is far from satisfied with keeping such powerful tools within one country; they should not “look like a homegrown tool only applicable to India.” He is now exploring opportunities to adapt such initiatives to Latin America and Africa. Such tasks will not be easy, but as Arun put it, “what is development all about if not hard work?”
