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Project

Inclusive Information Societies: Creating Growth and Employment Opportunities in Asia
 

India
Myanmar
Sri Lanka
Project ID
108000
Total Funding
CAD 722,624.00
IDRC Officer
Phet Sayo
Project Status
Completed
End Date
Duration
34 months

Programs and partnerships

Networked Economies

Lead institution(s)

Project leader:
Helani Galpaya
Sri Lanka

Summary

How can information and technology increase economic opportunities in the developing world? Research has shown that integrating knowledge into production processes and connecting small producers to global supply chains is essential.Read more

How can information and technology increase economic opportunities in the developing world? Research has shown that integrating knowledge into production processes and connecting small producers to global supply chains is essential. This project investigates how information and technology connects service sector employees and farmers to supply chains.

Micro-work and rural impact sourcing
Two emerging trends have great promise for employment and economic growth: micro-work and rural impact sourcing. Micro-work is a series of small tasks completed by many people over the Internet, such as translating or transcribing audio clips and pictures. Rural impact sourcing brings outsourced jobs, such as call centre work, business process outsourcing, and other back office tasks, to rural parts of the world.

The need for information and technology is also acute in the agriculture sector in developing countries. In particular, smallholder farmers need timely and accurate information on fertilizer, seeds, or prices to increase productivity and income.

Employment for youth and women
The project has two components. The first focuses on outsourcing service sector work (micro-work and rural impact sourcing) in India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. This sector can play a vital role in creating employment, particularly for youth and women in semi-urban and rural areas.

The second component focuses on the impact of information and incentives on produce quality and income in Sri Lanka. The project will deliver digitized information on various agricultural inputs via mobile phones and other incentives to farmers of two export-oriented crops.