Description: 'The Internet will be of most use to cropping farmers when providers of agricultural information use it less like a library and more like an interactive field day. It is not its scarcity but the local contextualization of information that makes it valuable for farmers. The huge volume of information available on the Internet is of less value to farmers than the opportunities for interactivity with others that it provides to help make local sense of that information. There is a mismatch between current content aimed at farmers and the way that farmers make decisions.

The high social and economic costs of Internet access mean that it must complement and supplement traditional low cost media if it is to be most useful. A comparison is made of rural Australia and rural Uganda: the constraints on Internet services and the need for cross-promotion and integration with other media. In both cases a positive policy environment has been vital to the successful development of rural Internet services.

Farmers need good access, a supportive peer group, personalized training and online mentors to make best use of the Internet. Developing online support groups based on existing farmer groups is a good way to help individuals develop their skills in a safe environment and to find practical uses for the Internet. Organizations providing online information to farmers could greatly improve its relevance if they invested in online extension services to help farmers find and interpret their information and to facilitate the development of online farmer groups.'

To learn more about the how the Internet is used to provide information relevant to Agriculture, Health, and Politics, visit the International Crop Science Congress website to read Warwick Easdown and Ann Starast' article: http://www.cropscience.org.au/icsc2004/symposia/4/3/238_easdownwj.htm