Life for rice farmers in the fields of Nam Kham in Shan State (above) is a world apart from the urban activities of most of Myanmar’s cyber-savvy population. But a scheme to bring the internet to rural villages hopes to bridge that gap by giving farmers greater access to market information, hopefully allowing them to raise their incomes and subsequently add to demand for products from the country’s burgeoning industrial sector.

IT scarcely seems conceivable. In a country where just seven percent of the population is connected to the national electricity grid, an organisation is planning to cross a gaping technological divide and bring the World Wide Web to villages nationwide.

But that is precisely the task members of the Myanmar Computer Professionals Association (MCPA) are currently wracking their brains over.

Founded in 1998, the dedicated group of computer professionals, technicians, students and enthusiasts is seeking to join hands with state authorities, non-government organisations and end users to revolutionise the lives of farming families little touched by technological advances.

Using low-cost renewable energy and interest-free loans, the “One Village, One Computer and One Internet Connection Line” project aims to help raise rural incomes, give village teachers access to international classroom aids and help keep families in touch as migration towards the cities and further abroad throws up barriers to communication.

“The ultimate goal is to establish internet centres in all villages to provide telephone and internet access to their residents,” said U Zaw Naing, a spokesman for the MCPA and supervisor of the project.

A member of the Myanmar Computer Professionals Association (bottom left) shows students in Kyaik Hto how to use the internet, during a visit to the Mon State town in January. Pic: MCPA

“We can’t predict how long it will take to achieve this,” he added cautiously. “It has to be allowed an unlimited timeframe, and it needs the cooperation of all concerned bodies – government, NGOs and private companies.”

With 70,000 villages in Myanmar making up more than 70pc of the country’s population, the project is mammoth. And, to be sure, it is still in its early stages of planning.

But organisers are drawing hope from a similar effort in India; the “e-choupal” initiative launched in 2000 to help alleviate poverty among farmers on the subcontinent by placing computers with internet access in rural villages. The e-choupals serve as both a social gathering place for exchange of information (“choupal” means gathering place in Hindi) and an e-commerce hub.

Under the MCPA’s plan, which will soon be submitted to the government for approval, provision of secondhand laptops and satellite internet access through the state-run Myanma Post and Telecommunications enterprise will be key determinants, alongside availability of electricity.

“The fundamental requirements for a village internet centre are computers, internet connectivity and electricity supply,” said U Zaw Naing from his office in Yangon, where he makes a living as general manager of Myanmar Credent Technology, a software importing firm.

“In the plan, we propose a power generating system suitable for all villages. It includes a battery, a charger, a generator and a bicycle from which the over 500 watts of electricity can be generated through peddling.”

A PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange) telephone connection is also needed, he added.

“The projected total cost to set up a village internet centre is about K8 million. But it could vary from K7 million to K10 million depending on the number of computers, the type of internet connection and the system used to generate power,” U Zaw Naing said.

It is in funding that the MCPA is likely to face its most immediate challenge.
Assistance is being sought through donations from non-government organisations as well as loans from the government. However, a crucial portion of the start-up cost might have to be provided by villagers themselves.

“In a village with 2000 households, an K8-million internet centre could be established by collecting K4000 from each household,” said U Zaw Naing.
Alternatively, “if the government loaned K8 million to that village to set up an internet centre, each household could repay K400 per month and the loan would be fully paid off after 10 months” so long as the loan was interest free, he said.

“Then, that money could be used to fund another village. If the government set aside a fund of K800 million, it could help establish internet centres for 100 villages within a year.”

India’s e-choupal scheme was seen as a way to increase wealth in villages by delivering critical market information which empowered farmers, giving them the choice of when and where to sell their crops. While a similar approach may work in Myanmar if market information is posted online, the MCPA must still face the likelihood that not all village households will be willing to contribute to a local internet centre.

Those in smaller villages will also need to pay more.
“The contribution of each household would have to be increased for the less-populated villages,” admitted U Zaw Naing.

“It is hoped there will be assistance from NGOs and aid from the private sector for small and isolated villages,” he said, explaining that day-to-day running of the centres would be handled by local authorities or entrepreneurs, who could profit out of the arrangement.

“Charges for telephone and internet services will surpass maintenance costs,” he said.

NGOs contacted by The Myanmar Times welcomed the initiative, though none had yet committed to providing support.

A spokesperson for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said internet connectivity would be sure to enhance rural development but the agency’s involvement remained uncertain until the government signalled support for the plan as they were bound to only assist government-approved projects.

The United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) Yangon office, meanwhile, ruled out involvement in the project, saying it does not provide assistance for information technology development.

The MCPA’s best chance so far seems to be support from the Myanma Awba Group, a fertiliser distribution company involved in rural development.

“Installing internet facilities in villages is a great leap forward for rural development. Farmers will be able to get real-time information on weather patterns, crop prices and other market information. They will be in touch with the market directly. It will change their daily life and work style,” said the group’s manager, U Than Tint.

“We are willing to cooperate and sponsor the project.”

But to gain local acceptance of the plan and enable people to make the most of the service, raising internet literacy levels will be critical.

“While there are many internet centres in the country, a cyber literacy campaign would need to be launched on a national scale,” said U Zaw Naing.

“Concerned groups would organise volunteers to teach people in rural areas how to use computers and the internet.
“Meanwhile, more websites with rural development themes would flourish in both the government and private sectors.”

In a particularly optimistic vein, U Zaw Naing said there were upwards of half a million computer- and internet-literate urban dwellers who could be called upon to volunteer as tutors in the countryside.

He expected the Union of Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) would be the sole organiser of volunteers, while the MCPA would provide technological aids for instruction.

Much of the project hinges on a willingness to set aside immediate gains for long-term benefits.

Proponents of the “e-choupal” scheme in India have long argued that empowering rural farmers is an important part of national development.
Access to information can lead to enhanced competitiveness and trigger a “virtuous cycle of higher productivity, higher incomes, enlarged capacity for farmer risk management, larger investments and higher quality crops”, according to Indian private-sector giant ITC, which created the e-choupal program.

Growth in rural incomes will also unleash the latent demand for industrial goods and thereby help propel urban development also, says ITC.

It is this argument MCPA members hope will best convince the government of the project’s importance for, at this stage, state support is the crux of the mission.