Information literacy and the way of living in deep countryside in China: A case study in Guyuan, Ningxia

Type of Presentation

Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)

Target Audience

Other

Location

Room 212

Abstract

Abstract: This case study reviews an increasing impact of information literacy on the life of farmers in Guyuan Municipality of Ningxia, China, an area that used to be poverty-driven and, until three decades ago, had been known for its low productivity of crops and high illiteracy rate of its residents. Farmers in the area still practice traditional ways of farming; but with the adaptation of modern device of communication tools and the local governments’ training programs, the farmers have been introduced into the front door of the information literate society. Fast and accurate information in such aspects as seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, product supply and demand as well as channels of transportation has radically improved their life and is changing their way of living; and yet it is still obvious to find that the majority of the farmers are badly handicapped with “a lock of need of the essential skills to enter the information literate society” (Ranaweera, 2008). Based on the researcher’s experience working as a volunteer director of a poverty alleviation center in Guyuan and his recent interviews on the farmers in the area, this study proposes methods that may effectively propagate the advantages and importance of information literacy in regions like Guyuan.

Keywords: information literacy; farmers; China; training programs

Presentation Description

This presentation discusses how information literacy is developed in Guyuan, Ningxia, China, a once-poverty-driven agricultural region, and proposes more ideal developing methods.

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Sep 25th, 2:45 PM Sep 25th, 4:00 PM

Information literacy and the way of living in deep countryside in China: A case study in Guyuan, Ningxia

Room 212

Abstract: This case study reviews an increasing impact of information literacy on the life of farmers in Guyuan Municipality of Ningxia, China, an area that used to be poverty-driven and, until three decades ago, had been known for its low productivity of crops and high illiteracy rate of its residents. Farmers in the area still practice traditional ways of farming; but with the adaptation of modern device of communication tools and the local governments’ training programs, the farmers have been introduced into the front door of the information literate society. Fast and accurate information in such aspects as seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, product supply and demand as well as channels of transportation has radically improved their life and is changing their way of living; and yet it is still obvious to find that the majority of the farmers are badly handicapped with “a lock of need of the essential skills to enter the information literate society” (Ranaweera, 2008). Based on the researcher’s experience working as a volunteer director of a poverty alleviation center in Guyuan and his recent interviews on the farmers in the area, this study proposes methods that may effectively propagate the advantages and importance of information literacy in regions like Guyuan.

Keywords: information literacy; farmers; China; training programs