China Agricultural Libraries Society Conference Report

The 2010 Annual Conference of Chinese Agricultural Libraries Society (CALS) on “Innovation and Development of Digital Libraries” was held in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province Oct. 25-27, 2010. The conference was organized by CALS together with other partners including Jiangxi Agricultural University, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural Information Institute (AII) of CAAS. Over 80 agricultural librarians and information specialists from more than 20 agriculture-related institutions attended the conference.

On the theme of digital library innovation and development, a number of presentations were given at the meeting, including “International Agricultural Information Exchange and Sharing”, “Library Service Innovation in the Environment of New Technologies”, “Digital Library Service Innovation and Development in the Library of Beijing Academy of Agricultural Sciences”, “Digital Information Resources Publicity in Agricultural University Libraries”, and “Development Strategy and Service Mode in Agricultural Digital Libraries”. Also, the CIARD (Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development) initiative and CIARD RING were introduced to the participants. Discussions were conducted on topics of significance for international agricultural information exchange and sharing, and how to promote and contribute to an international agricultural information sharing system.

The IAALD China Chapter distributed a Chinese version of new IAALD promotional pamphlets. As a result, participants had a clearer understanding of the IAALD mission, benefits of IAALD membership, and how to join the Association. A number of library representatives showed interest in IAALD activities. The IAALD China Chapter plans to follow-up by distributing IAALD membership forms to the related libraries to facilitate new memberships.

During the conference, participants extensively exchanged research findings, working experiences, and ideas in digital library construction and services and network information sharing. We believe the conference resulted in promoting the development of agricultural library services in China in today’s rapid changing information environment.

by Xianxue Meng, President, IAALD China Chapter

Nokia launches rural information service in China

Nokia is bringing Ovi Life Tools, a set of informational services for rural areas in developing countries, to China, the company said on Friday.

The SMS-based service will be in simplified Chinese, the written form of the language used in mainland China. The services are split into four categories: healthcare, agriculture, education and entertainment.

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Ovi Life Tools lands in China

Rural Calling: Can Nokia Sustain Its First-mover Advantage?

YouthConnect launched in China to connect rural and urban schools

Dell YouthConnect, a global program designed to support education and digital inclusion initiatives for underserved youth, was launched in Beijing. Dell awarded $2 million in cash and in-kind grants of products to the China Education Development Foundation (CEDF) and the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF).

The program will connect rural and urban schools through technology and create an interactive education network that can realize resources sharing between rural and urban areas. As a result, the education quality in rural areas can be improved while nurturing collaboration, information sharing, and creativity.

Prior to the launch of the Dell YouthConnect Program, Dell has donated over $740,000 to set up 25 Dell Learning Centers in 15 cities across China since 2006. Dell YouthConnect was first inaugurated in February 2009 with grants totaling more than $2.7 million, to 11 organizations in Brazil, India, and Mexico. The program will also be rolled out in four more countries by the end of this year.

China: Trabajadores migrantes desempleados crean empresas "con un clic"

Un artículo en China.org reporta del fenómeno de trabajadores chinos migrantes que retornan al campo para convertirse en agricultores y luego en empresarios con tiendas virtuales a raíz de la crisis económica.

El mismo incluye la opinión del director del Instituto de Investigaciones sobre la Economía Rural de la Academia de Ciencias Sociales de Jiangxi, Yin Xiaojian, quien dice que "La experiencia urbana de trabajo ha ampliado sus horizontes. Y el desarrollo de la infraestructura rural de comunicaciones también ha sido una de las razones (para su éxito)."

También agrega que en octubre de 2007, el 92 por ciento de las aldeas y ciudades del país ya tenían acceso a conexiones de banda ancha. Ya para finales de junio pasado, China contaba con alrededor de 96 millones de internautas en sus zonas rurales, en comparación con los 11 millones que había a finales de 2008. Ellos representan el 28,3 por ciento del total de usuarios del Internet en China, según estadísticas del Centro de Información de Red de Internet de China (CIRICh).

El artículo concluye que en las zonas rurales, abrir una tienda virtual puede ser una buena opción para muchos empresarios rurales, pero no es un asunto fácil dado que los servicios de postventa para los equipos de comunicaciones están muy lejos de lo deseable. Asimismo, advierte que el atrasado estado de la logística también obstaculiza el desarrollo del mercado. Un empresario rural, señala que "No hay empresas de entrega que operen en los alrededores de nuestro pueblo. Así que todos los artículos, grandes o pequeños, deben ser enviados primero a la zona urbana para ser redistribuidos desde allí".

Finalmente, recuerda que el acceso a la banda ancha es aún muy caro para muchos agricultores chinos. Destaca además los comentarios de un diputado del Parlamento chino quien pidió un apoyo mas decidido al desarrollo del comercio electrónico en las áreas rurales. Este opina que "Los negocios en Internet pueden ayudar a vender los productos agrícolas y además crear empleos".

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China farmers broaden agricultural knowledge with broadband

According to a recent China Daily article, "The Internet helped a farmer in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region dig a bigger bonanza last year without leaving his door. Using a computer mouse along with his hoe, Li Haigang more than doubled his annual income to 100,000 yuan after buying a computer in 2006 to broaden his agricultural knowledge."

China: Intel helps boost rural informatization

Since February 1, 2009, computers are covered in the scope of "home appliances going to the countryside" in China. Rural residents in these areas can enjoy some discounts if they buy computers of some certain models in designated outlets. Such a move will substantially promote the rural informatization development, and make the rural informatization strategy implemented in China by Intel since 2004 have a new goal.

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