The use of the Internet in the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network

The Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN) is a non-profit Canadian organization with an international member base. Its purpose is to find simple techniques that farm families and rural communities can use to increase food supplies and improve nutrition and health; and to distribute information on these techniques to rural communicators in developing countries.; The goal of the study was to examine the current and potential use of the Internet to provide and exchange information and create an on-line network in DCFRN.; Data were gathered through an on-line survey; an on-line discussion group; personal interviews in Honduras; and informal interviews with staff of DCFRN. The data analysis included both quantitative and qualitative methods.; The largest number of respondents perceived the Internet as primarily an information provider and secondarily as a networking instrument. The most common concern of respondents was the lack of funds for connectivity and access to the resources it offered. The main incentives to use the Internet were the opportunity to exchange information and communicate with other DCFRN members.