Development of a Knowledge Management System Integrated with Local Communication Channels and Knowledge Management Initiatives for Kenyan Rural Farming Communities

摘要

This paper presents an innovative application of wireless, mobile and ubiquitous technologies to support informal and collaborative learning in Kenyan rural farmingcommunities. Such an approach is achieved by thedevelopment of a Knowledge Management System(KMS) integrated with existing local communitycommunication channels, together with experimentalKnowledge Management (KM) initiatives employing theVeSeL (Village e-Science for Life) distributed resource kits (DRKs). The initiatives support illiterate and semiliterate farming community groups, in learning newagriculture practices, and also enable the use of advanced digital technology to improve their agricultural practices and literacy levels. Results of a recent field trip to Kenya are presented and an application sketch is developed. The process of applying wireless and Internet technologies for the education of local farming communities, using irrigation and water management as the application,concludes the paper.