Subject: Renewable energy applications in sustainable agriculture

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 15:13:39 -0700

May 9, 1996

Dear Friends,

Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) is seeking expert advice about
renewable energy/energy efficiency applications in sustainable agriculture.
More specifically, VITA is exploring the feasibility of creating an
electronic knowledge network for the benefit of NGOs in developing
countries.  As a pilot project, they hope to create a network for South
Africa and the Philippines to link NGOs to the Internet (VITA already has a
satellite gateway to Internet in these two countries).

Your input and responses to the following questionnaire is critically
important to the potential success of this pilot project.  All of your
ideas are welcome!

I will gladly send you a summary of our findings following the completion
of this survey in about 6 weeks.  For more information about VITA, please
see VITA BACKGROUND INFORMATION at the end of this message or visit their
web site at http://www.vita.org.

Thank you for your time and effort!  Please do not hesitate to contact me
if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Nathan Boone
[email-masked]

                VITA QUESTIONNAIRE
**********************************************************
*   Please return at your earliest convenience to:       *
*   Nathan Boone          Email:  [email-masked]     *
*   Tel: 916-756-7177     Fax:  916-756-7188             *
**********************************************************

1.  Does it make sense to develop a special catagory of information that
focuses only on the use of renewable energy/energy efficiency technologies
in agriculture for developing countries?  We don't need yet another data
base, archive or list, or do we?

2.  Where are such databases, archives or lists?  Who manages them?

3.  What's missing in the available information--where are the gaps?

4.  Is there sufficient need to warrant such a specialized database,
archive or list? (Always keeping in mind that we don't want to aggregate
data or create a new "repository," we just want to people to be able to
access information via internet so that users can choose from a special
menu.)

5.  Is the information high quality, or just information that someone
offers? How is high quality assured?

6.  Is the information in a useful format for use by non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and others in developing countries?

7.  Is the information used? (Not just "viewed" or even "downloaded?" Is it
redistributed and applied?  Is there anyway to get this kind of feedback?

8.  Is someone already working on this?

9.  How do people access this information now?  Who accesses it (is there a
profile anywhere)?  How extensively is Internet used to obtain this type of
information?

10.  How do people in developing countries access this information?

11.  Who can answer these questions?

   Thank you for your feedback!  Please return to: [email-masked]

***************************************************************************

VITA BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) has been providing technical
information and technical assistance to developing countries since 1959.

Since 1984, VITA has been promoting the use of digital radio technologies
to improve communications for development.  These technologies include
VITAsat, a low earth orbiting satellite.  In mid-1996, VITA will launch a
new satellite from Russia, whose network will include special gateways to
the Internet in Norway, South Africa, Chile, and Australia. This will make
e-mail through internet possible on a global basis - and make it possible
for NGOs in developing countries to access the information they need to
improve their lives.

For more information about VITA, visit our web site at http://www.vita.org