6 Guidelines for Better Development Outcomes Using Social Media

Image source: Afrographique.

As more people in rural communities and developing countries continue to come online the option to communicate through social media becomes increasingly more viable. The dynamic and non-hierarchical properties of communication through social media tools contrasts heavily with the more traditional forms of radio and television making its use a popular choice in many contexts across the world.

If the power of social media lies in its ability to democratize communication how can you implement social media strategies to strengthen this quality?

On ICTworks Wayan Vota offers 6 guidelines for developing and implementing social media strategies.

New Online Tool to Track Agroclimate

As reported in Ag Annex, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has developed an online app for tracking agroclimate. The Agroclimate Impact Reporter (AIR) collects data from a network of people and media across Canada. The participatory model provides active updates that are timely and regionally specific. This data will be valuable in the ongoing monitoring and assessment activities by the AAFC.

The Past and the Pending

Screen capture of the OMAFRA website in July 1997.

As the project looks to establish the current and future use of social media tools in the agriculture community it may be useful to see how digital communication in this context has progressed over time. By using the Internet Archive’s “Wayback Machine” we can view the OMAFRA website as it looked in July 1997 and view it beside its current incarnation in July 2013 and compare how its functionality and aesthetics have changed over 16 years.

It may be interesting to note that the basic function of the website has maintained its usefulness, however new ways to engage have emerged. There is now a link to a Twitter account and a link to subscribe to email updates while photos and videos are embedded on the home page. The telephone number has changed though!

Using the Internet to Connect Potato Growers

Recently Dr Chowdhury was quoted in in an article about the current and future social media use amongst potato farmers. The article was published in the Top Crop Manager/Potatoes in Canada - a widely circulated crop magazine which focuses on the needs of potato growers in Canada.

The need for communication amongst potato growers is an integral part of a successful agriculture operation, but it is claimed that the 'use of digital media, especially social networking media is only a recent development in the industry'. The article states that the Potato Variety Management Institute (PVMI), based out of Oregon in the United States, launched an online forum in 2012 for its users to exchange thoughts related to the industry. PVMI is tracking the use of the forum and reports promising initial numbers with usage slowly growing. Also, in 2012 the United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) updated their website and began tracking the number of hits it receives. In the article Kevin MacIsaac, the UPGC general manager, says that he is unsure to what degree potato growers are using internet-based communication tools, but does see the potential benefits of engaging through Twitter and YouTube in the future. He also sees growing use of smartphones in the industry and the potential use of smartphone apps to keep a close eye on market prices- something that other agricultural sectors, he says, are ahead on.

Social media can be a great way to actively locate and share information, but how will these digital tools be used for communication in the agricultural sectors? How are people in agriculture using social media right now? What is the digital literacy level of agricultural producers? What is the future of social media use in agriculture? How do the media influence learning among different actors? What is the role of social capital/relationship building? In an age where many aspects of our daily lives and workflow are transitioning to an online and virtual format these are important questions to ask.