Strengthening rural livelihoods: the impact of information and communication technologies in Asia
Strengthening Rural Livelihoods provides a useful and balanced review of the infl uence that mobile phones and the Internet can have on supporting the livelihoods of rural people, and particularly farmers in Asia. Drawing on six case studies from Sri Lanka, India, the Philippines and China, it shows the benefi cial impact that such technologies can have for enhancing livelihood assets, reducing vulnerability, and complementing existing extension services. However, it also importantly highlights the differential impact that these technologies can have: farmers with larger amounts of land use these technologies most, and cultural factors often mean that women use them much less frequently than men.