ICT for sustainable development: an example from Cambodia

Abstract

Can telecentres get a new lease of life, facilitating climate change adaptation and mitigation?  Having been widely promoted as an innovative way of bringing information and communication technologies (ICTs) to developing countries since the 1990s, the efficacy of and need for such centres has been questioned more recently, with the attention of ICT for development (ICT4D) shifting towards market-led mobile services. But it is doubtful that sufficient account has been taken of the many, non-ICT roles played by such centres, whether in fostering education, empowerment, or greater environmental awareness. Through a conceptual framework informed by the capability approach, research discovered that iREACH, a Cambodian telecentre initiative had encouraged farming practices compatible with sustainable development. The paper suggests that telecentres might hold some promise in this area, and calls for greater focus on this potential function of such facilities, both in research, policy and implementation