In the 1960s the Green Revolution took high-yield hybrid strains of wheat produced by new gene transfer technology and planted them in the poorest farms with the lowest yield. The experiment paid off. While wheat production had reached 7 million tonnes at the end of colonial rule in 1947, production based on the new strains rose from 10 to 17 million tonnes between 1964 and 1968. And from 1998 to 1999, wheat production in India exceeded 70 million tonnes, a ten-fold increase in 50 years. The idea of the project is to bring knowledge on demand to meet local needs.
Project volunteers first poll villagers to find out what knowledge they want.
High on the list are women's health information, advice on growing local crops and protecting them from diseases, the daily market prices for these crops, local weather forecasts and clear information about the welfare programmes the Indian government provides to aid poor families. This information, together with targeted dietary information, based on an analysis of local nutrition deficiencies, is then entered into databases in a dedicated World Wide Web site. Most important, the information is presented in local languages. Telephones are rare in these rural areas, so access to the Web site is community-based. And where a village is not connected to the electricity grid, renewable energies can be used to power the project computer.