India: Information Village Research Project (MS Swaminathan Research Foundation)

The Information Village Research Project is an experiment in electronic knowledge delivery. Ten villages in Tamil Nadu have been connected using a hybrid wired and wireless network of PCs, phones, VHF duplex radio devices and email through dial-up telephone lines. Local volunteers gather information and enter it into one of several databases (in the local language, Tamil), which can be accessed by villagers via the local intranet. One of the databases contains agricultural information for local farmers such as the prices of agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides) and produce such as rice and vegetables. The project has also compiled a ´Rural Yellow Pages´ where people can post advertisements.The Information Village Research Project is an experiment in electronic knowledge delivery. Ten villages in Tamil Nadu have been connected using a hybrid wired and wireless network of PCs, phones, VHF duplex radio devices and email through dial-up teleph