Examines two small-scale projects being implemented in northeast Thailand that illustrate how participatory strategies are being used successfully to meet basic rural development needs. (JOW)

As developing countries gradually rely less upon agriculture for rural income, rural economies require new solutions to access knowledge and information systems for rural development. Non-agricultural rural knowledge and information systems can play a significant role in developing and disseminating successful strategies to escape rural poverty.…

This newsletter discusses development projects in developing nations, including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru. The following major articles are included: (1) "Radio Santa Maria: A Case Study of Participatory Evaluation" (John K. Mayo, Charles B. Green, and Miguel E. Vargas); (2) "Instruction by Audio Conference: An…

Sierra Leone is currently emerging from a brutal civil war that lasted most of the 1990s, and now has the dubious distinction of being ranked among the world's poorest countries. As thousands of displaced people move back to their villages, a large proportion of the predominantly farm-based rural population are growing food crops for the first…

Although failures have been encountered in the West African cooperative movement, farm cooperatives are an indispensable tool for rural development. They can generate an investment budget at the village level and can provide a stimulating framework for education. The Senegalese farm cooperative movement has experienced a number of problems. Three…

The history of the literacy campaigns in Nigeria is the story of attempts made to focus on the importance of education outside the school walls and to make it a vehicle of social, political, and economic change. (Author/SK)

Discusses information networking in Bangladesh and describes the formation of the Information Network on Rural Development (INRD) which was initiated by the Center on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP). Organization, membership, activities, participation, and finance are examined. (four references) (LRW)

This discussion of the cultural aspects of mass media in Indonesia covers the following topics: (1) PALAPA, the Indonesian communications satellite; (2) cultural, demographic, and economic characteristics of Indonesia; (3) television policies and programming; (4) the number of government- and privately-owned radio stations; (5) a longitudinal…

Presents an overview of the South Pacific Telecommunications Development Programme (SPTDP), which is designed to extend the present telecommunications, infrastructures to provide network-connected telephones to more communities. Highlights include satellite networks in the area, telegraph and television services, user requirements, and cost…

Describes a workshop held in Zambia in August 1979, to disseminate among performing artists and rural development workers skills for using the performing arts to communicate information on problems related to agriculture, health, and community development. Over 70 participants from the U.S., Canada, Botswana, Lesotho, Tanzania, Kenya, and Zambia…

Context is a key factor in designing and delivering adult learning programmes, and in multilingual environments the choice of language plays a decisive role. Four programmes, two in Asia (Bhutan Myanmar) and two in Africa (Ghana and Uganda), which focus on learning for development, integrate language considerations in different ways, related both…

Activities related to the preparation of literacy follow-up materials in Asia and the Pacific are described in this final report of a regional workshop. Following a summary of the proceedings of the workshop, chapter 1 reviews preparation and field testing of printed book materials, printed nonbook materials, electronic media materials, and games…

The contributors to this document compare the main approaches to agricultural extension in sub-Saharan Africa; the cost-effectiveness in view of precarious national budgets; the weaknesses of the system for generating technology; the difficulties in forging productive partnerships between researchers, extensionists and farmers; the ineffective…

The organization of adult basic education (ABE) in Thailand is outlined, including instructor training, curriculum building, government objectives, and evaluation and administration of ABE programs. (SK)

Details several agricultural and health development programs initiated during the past decade in the Cauca Valley in Colombia. Introduced through nonformal educational strategies making use of media, these programs have had mixed results. (LLS)