Web2.0 supported rural communities: a case study from Portugal

Authors

  • Josien Kapma

Keywords:

knowledge stewardship, technology stewardship, community of practice

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, the dairy sector in the south of Portugal has been given a new impetus, driven partly by Dutch emigrants who have moved their dairy farms to this rural and underdeveloped region. Since the summer of 2005, web 2.0 tools have been taken up by community of dairy famers, resulting in two networks: the local Women?s group and a Milk Network. Both groups are autonomous, self-organized by people living and working in rural areas; both use e-mail groups and meet face to face to share knowledge and interact. This case study describes the experiences from the perspective of a community leader, stewarding technology to foster knowledge sharing and participatory approaches among the community members. The case illustrates how web 2.0 tools enabled the formation of the groups, and defines interaction and organization in a geographically remote and dispersed region. It explores how different organization models contribute to collaborative interaction, and identifies the drawbacks of the ?ultra-light? and the externally supported community model. Web 2.0 supported communities have the potential to support social organization for development, linking different actors to local development, but to promote autonomy, sustainability and replicability of communities, further thinking is required.

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Published

2007-07-30