Forget ChatGPT: The Greatest Tech Breakthrough Would Be Getting Cell Phones to Rural Women

A cell phone gives rural women access to financial services, training, networks, and, importantly, information and knowledge. Credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan (CCAFS)By Nicoline de HaanNAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 6 2023 (IPS) While 100 million people worldwide are using the AI chatbot ChatGPT to get ahead on homework and try out for top jobs at Google, more than 370 million women in developing countries lack the services of a simple cell phone. The world may be witnessing a quantum leap in the digital revolution, but cell phones and mobile internet would give these women enough of a foothold to access unprecedented opportunities to improve their incomes, nutrition and health. For rural women and girls in low-income countries who rely on small-scale agriculture, ICT can unlock financial services, training and networks, and, importantly, information and knowledge. Without these core technologies, women are farming with one hand tied behind their backs, making up just a quarter of registered users of agricultural applications in Africa. The potential of digital technology to transform farming and agriculture in countries across the Global South is increasingly compelling. Producers in sub-Saharan Africa who adopted online services were found to increase their incomes by up to 40 per cent while new forecasting and early warning systems can also help farmers stay ahead of climate shocks. Digital innovations are therefore an essential component of agricultural research strategies to strengt...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa Climate Change Development & Aid Education Food and Agriculture Food Security and Nutrition Gender Global Headlines Health Inequality Innovation TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news