The chain of information provision in the villages of Malawi: A rapid rural appraisal

International Information and Library Review

Volumn 28, Issue 2, 1996, Pages 135-156

  Sturges, Paul ^a   Chimseu, George ^b  

^a LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY   (United Kingdom)

^b NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 85029960506     PISSN: 10572317     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1006/iilr.1996.0010     Document Type: Article

References (40)

1. 1 The project was a co-operative exercise in July and August 1994 between Malawi National Library Service and the Department of Information Studies at Loughborough University, with financial assistance from the British Council in Lilongwe, Malawi. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Carolyn Pritchett of Loughborough University in the preparation of this paper, and thank Evelyn Kerslake, also of Loughborough University, for very helpful comments on a draft version.
2. 2 Doob, L.W. (1961) Communication in Africa. New Haven. Yale University Press.
3. 3 Scribner, S. and Cole, M. (1981) The psychology of literacy. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press.
4. 4 A study with rich implications for information research, but little cited in the LIS literature, could be mentioned as an instance of this: Amaratunga, C. and Shute, J. (1982) Extension and adult learning in a Ghanaian community. Canadian Journal of African Studies 16, pp. 549-566
5. 5 Adimorah, E.N.O. (1983) An analysis of progress made by public libraries as social institutions in Nigeria. UNESCO Journal of Information Science Librarianship and Archives Administration 5, p. 162.
6. 6 Aboyade, B.O. (1984) Communication potentials of the library for non-literates: an experiment in providing information services in a rural setting. Libri 34, pp. 243-262.
7. 7 Oladele, B.A. (1987) Toward an integrated agricultural information consolidation scheme for farmers in the Nigerian rural areas. Quarterly Bulletin of the International Association of Agricultural Librarians and Documentalists, 32, pp. 98-101.
8. 8 Adimorah, E.N.O. (1983) Users and their information needs in Nigeria. Nigerian Library and Information Science Review 1, pp. 137-148
9. 9 Aina, L.O. (1985) Information needs and information-seeking involvement of farmers in six rural communities in Nigeria. Quarterly Bulletin of the International Association of Agricultural Librarians and Documentalists 30, pp. 35-40.
10. 10 Mchombu, K.J. (1993) Information needs and seeking patterns for rural people's development in Africa. Gaborone, Botswana, University of Botswana and IDRC.
11. 11 Heyd, T. (1995) Indigenous knowledge, emancipation and alienation. Knowledge and Policy 8, pp. 63-73.
12. 12 37% of respondents in a survey in Botswana. Mutanyatta, J.N.S. and Mchombu, K.J. (1995) The Village Reading Room Services in Botswana: final report of an evaluative study. Gaborone, Botswana National Library Service.
13. 13 For instance the data on information needs collected in the evaluation of the Ethiopian literacy campaigns. Sjostrom, M. and Sjostrom, R. (1983) How do you spell development?: a study of a literacy campaign in Ethiopia. Uppsala, Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, p. 151.
14. 14 Mabomba, R. (1985) Developing library and information services to rural communities in Malawi. Masters Dissertation, University of Wales.
15. 15 A research programme began in 1995, under the direction of George Chimseu, to evaluate the successes and failures of the Rural Community Information Centres. The programme was awarded the Ulverscroft Munford Research Award, against considerable international competition.
16. 16 Mchombu, K. (1992) Information needs for rural development: the case study of Malawi. African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science 2 pp. 17-32.
17. 17 Uta, J. (1993) Health communication in rural populations in developing countries: with special reference to Malawi. PhD Thesis, Loughborough University.
18. 18 Chambers, R. (1983) How outsiders learn. In Chambers, R. ed. Rural development: putting the last first. Harlow, Essex. Longman.
19. 19 Sturges, P. and Chimseu, G. (1996) Qualitative research in information studies: a Malawian Study. Education for Information. 14, pp. 117-126.
20. 20 Khon Kaen University (1987) Proceedings of the 1985 International Conference on Rapid Rural Appraisal. Khon Kaen, Thailand, Rural Systems Research and Farming Systems Research Projects.
21. 21 Chambers, R. and Guijt, I. (1995) PRA five years later: where are we now? Forest, Trees and People Newsletter 26/27 pp. 4-14.
22. 22 Webb, B. (1926) My apprenticeship. London. Longman. Appendix B, The method of interviewing. pp. 361-3.
23. 23 Invaluable assistance with the group interviewing in this area was provided by the very resourceful Kelly Mhone of the local Community Development office.
24. 24 A fuller account of this phase of the project is presented in: Sturges, P. and Chimseu, G. (1996) Information repackaging in Malawi. African Journal of Library Archives and Information Science 6, forthcoming.
25. 25 Mhone, G.C.Z. (1992) Malawi at the crossroads: the post-colonial political economy. Harare. Sapes Books.
26. 26 Malawi Ministry of Agriculture, Evaluation and Action Research Unit. (1992) Blantyre ADD Communication Project: Baseline Survey. Lilongwe, Ministry of Agriculture.
27. 27 Mpachika, E.D. et al. (1990) Contact farmers voice opinions: T. and V. system of extension in Malawi. Journal of Extension Systems 6 pp. 67-73.
28. 28 Pelletier, D.L. and Msukwa, L.A.H. (1990) Role of information systems in decision-making following disasters. Human Organization 49 pp. 245-254.
29. 29 Namponya, C.R. (1986) Agricultural development and library services. International Library Review 18 pp. 267-274.
30. 30 Malawi Ministry of Agriculture, Evaluation and Action Research Unit. (1992) Blantyre ADD Communication Project: Baseline Survey. Lilongwe, Ministry of Agriculture.
31. 31 Francis, P. and Rawlins-Branan, M.J. (1987) The extension system and small-scale farmers: a case study from Northern Zambia. Agricultural Administration and Extension 26, pp. 185-196.
32. 32 Kaniki, A.M. (1991) Information seeking and information providers among Zambian farmers. Libri 41, pp. 147-164.
33. 33 Mungunda, S. and Mumbuna, M.M. (1992) Livestock knowledge in Western Province: Part 2, Local knowledge of cattle keepers. Mongu, Zambia, Dept of Veterinary and Tsetse Control Services.
34. 34 McClymont, D.S. (1982) An investigation into the communication of innovation among commercial farmers in Zimbabwe. Unpublished report, no bibliographic details. Copy in library of Overseas Development Institute, Regent's College, London.
35. 35 Mchombu, K.J. (1992) Information needs for rural development: the case study of Malawi. African Journal of Library Archives and Information Science 2, pp. 17-32.
36. 36 Malawi Ministry of Agriculture, Evaluation and Action Research Unit. (1992) Blantyre ADD Communication Project: Baseline Survey. Lilongwe, Ministry of Agriculture.
37. 37 Mchombu, K.J. (1992) Information needs for rural development: the case study of Malawi. African Journal of Library Archives and Information Science 2, pp. 30.
38. 38 Shibanda, G. (1991) Information for agriculture in Kenya. Information Development 7, pp. 141-146.
39. 39 Kaniki, A.M. (1991) Information seeking and information providers among Zambian farmers. Libri 41, p. 161.
40. 40 "If CABI is to be seen as providing services relevant to the needs of its member countries it will be important to provide assistance for information dissemination through the development of a training package aimed at assisting adaptive research and extension workers to identify the issues which currently constrain effective dissemination. Such assistance will strengthen the demands placed on fundamental research to produce results more closely geared to the needs of smallholders and the country's development priorities." CAB International. (1992) Appraisal of country needs for CABI services: Republic of Malawi. Wallingford, Oxfordshire, CAB International.