Enhancing access to online information by researchers and extension agents in rural Uganda through a voucher system. End of project report
Abstract
This is the end-of-project report for the project 'Enhancing Access to Online Information by Researchers and Extension Agents in Rural Uganda through a Voucher System' implemented by The Rural Empowerment Network (REN), in partnership with INASP.
The project was based on the voucher concept of information service delivery which sought to enhance researchers' and extension agents' access to online information. This approach of information service delivery responds to specific identified information needs using various actors and tools to capture process and disseminate appropriate and timely information. The voucher system is an important tool to enable information services to gauge the information needs of users and also provide appropriate responses to these needs.
During the course of the project, two hundred (200) requests were received and responded to. The project covered two districts: Kasese and Mityana. An analysis of the information requests reveals that 103 requests were from Mityana and 93 were from Kasese. 105 of the requests were by researchers and 95 were by extension agents.
The initiative to enhance access to online information by researchers and extension agents through a voucher system in rural Uganda has been able to fill the gap created by lack of access to online information and the unavailability of relevant information in most rural areas of the country and the voucher system is going to continue enhancing researchers' and extension agents' access to INASP and other online information.
This report gives recommendations for the proper implementation of the voucher system of information service delivery.
Citation
INASP. Enhancing access to online information by researchers and extension agents in rural Uganda through a voucher system. End of project report. International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP), Oxford, UK (2010) 15 pp.
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