A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Information and communication technology (ICT) projects are being iqcreasingly implemented in most low-income countries. The objectives of the projects are to improve peoples' lives and the chosen strategies differ from one project to another. The projects are usually launched with external funding and in many cases use technologies that are expensive to operate and maintain. The high costs and the inability to address the diverse needs of peoples have brought about sustainability problems. The aim of this study has been to find out, what the information needs of the people in rural Thailand are. The findings indicate that the information needs cover a large variety from agricultural inputs, processes and products to health, education, household, societal and governance related issues. The information needs are associated with peoples' problems and perceived opportunities for improving their lives. The findings also indicate that when planning JCT projects, the cuITent use of information sources needs to be taken into account, because the peoples' choice for information sources shows what is accessible and functional in their living context. The findings indicate that a bottom-up approach could and should be used in JCT related development planning in order to improve the usefulness and sustainability of the project

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2002