MCFly volunteer Dama Kudoja interviewed Manchester University’s Professor Richard Heeks about the “Nexus for ICTs, Climate Change and Development” (NICCD). NICCD is a practical academic project looking at the use of information and communication technologies to help people who didn’t cause climate change cope with its effects.

How was NICCD created and who are your partners?
NICCD (www.niccd.org) is a project that brings together both knowledge and practitioners relating to ICTs (information and communication technologies), climate change and development. The coordinator is the University of Manchester’s Centre for Development Informatics (CDI), a research centre specialising in work on ICTs and developing countries.
The two main partners are Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), which funds the project; and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), which is helping with project dissemination.

The project was created from the perception of staff working in CDI that ICTs have an important role to play in climate change in developing countries, but that role was under-recognised, and almost completely un-researched.

How has the project worked and which are your most successful case studies of ICT for climate change adaptation?
The project is producing three main outputs. First, a set of papers which review and analyse what is already known in various thematic areas: ICTs and mitigation, ICTs and strategic actions, ICTs and
adaptation, etc. Second, a series of case studies of projects which – again – touch various different aspects of climate change: mitigation, monitoring, but particularly adaptation. Third, some strategy briefings on the roles that ICTs can play.

I wouldn’t pick out an individual case study since we have more than 20. But I would highlight two cross-cutting lessons. ICTs are best used tactically where they empower those who are on the frontline of climate change – the poor farmers, fishers, inhabitants of low-lying areas; helping them to get advice, information, early warnings, etc.
And ICTs are best used strategically where they help to bridge gaps; most particularly between science and politics – between those who understand climate science and those who make the political decisions about climate change.

When choosing countries to cover, how is the selection administered?
We didn’t pre-select any particular developing countries, but asked for case study proposals and chose those of highest quality. This has led us to have cases from all continents of the global South though, as more broadly with use of ICTs in development, there is a particular strength of activity in South Asia.

How can NICCD be effective in countries where electricity is an issue and how do you overcome this?
Electricity is an issue for many developing countries and their use of ICTs but it is not a “deal-breaker”. Backup generators, battery power, solar chargers are all widely used to keep desktops and laptops running. And the icon of ICTs in developing countries – the mobile phone and its related infrastructure – are highly resilient in locations with poor electricity supply.

UPDATE: NICCD have just released new a Strategy Brief titled “ICT-Enabled Responses to Climate Change in Rural Agricultural Communities”.

They say: “This Strategy Brief identifies the role of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) within the climate change responses of rural agricultural communities in developing countries. It argues that ICTs can become strategic enablers of action to create awareness about, mitigate, monitor and adapt to climate change within these communities. Despite their differences, rural agricultural contexts share similar attributes and challenges (geographical, economic and social) that are exacerbated by climate change impacts, and that require the adoption of innovative strategies based on emerging and traditional knowledge and information tools.

The analysis identifies different types of ICT interventions, key enablers and constraints to the use of these tools within rural
agricultural settings impacted by climate change. It suggests the
importance of adopting an ‘Information-plus’ approach that targets the improvement of local livelihoods through a variety of content and
tools, while tackling climatic impacts as part of a broader set of development vulnerabilities.

You can access the Brief at:

http://www.niccd.org/ICTs_and_Climate_Change_in_Rural_Agric_Communities_Strategy_Brief.pdf