Study: At Least 77 Million in the Rural Areas of Latin America and the Caribbean Can't Access Minimal Quality Internet Services

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Oct. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The groundbreaking research – "Rural Connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean – a Bridge to Sustainable Development During a Pandemic" - was presented today by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Microsoft. The study, which focused on 24 Latin American and Caribbean countries, indicated that a vast 71% of the urban population in Latin America and the Caribbean have connectivity options, yet only 37% of their counterparts in rural areas are internet-connected. An astounding 32% of the Latin American and Caribbean population, 244 million people, have no internet access. 

Manuel Otero, the Director General of IICA, declared that, "We have set ourselves a very ambitious goal: to reposition rural areas as regions that have tremendous potential to become areas of progress and prosperity, which is something that will necessitate production linkages enabled by access to adequate levels of services, technology and connectivity. As a key institution in the agriculture sector, IICA is working with its partners to join efforts with countries and the private sector. Our goal is to drastically reduce the gaps that are hindering development. The rural-urban connectivity gap is an issue that demands the greatest level of attention."

"The absence of connectivity is not merely a technological barrier. It also represents a barrier to health, education, social services, work and the overall economy," argued Marcelo Carbrol, Social Sector Manager at the IDB. "If we do not bridge this gap, the divide will continue to expand, and we will allow a region that is already the most inequitable in the world to become even more inequitable."

Luciano Braverman, Director of Education at Microsoft Latin America remarked, "At Microsoft, we know that connectivity provides a population with many opportunities to work and generate income, to acquire the knowledge and information that facilitates this work, as well as to access telemedicine health services and online educational content. It is particularly important that we stress the positive and extensive social and production impact that full connectivity will provide to rural areas. For this reason, we are prioritizing our efforts to bring connectivity to rural areas in Latin America and the Caribbean."

IICA, IDB and Microsoft undertook this research because the partner organizations believe that promoting connectivity is essential in fueling agricultural production and economic, social & Community development in rural areas. The research will serve as an appeal for decisive action by governments, the private sector and civil society to quickly remedy the rural connectivity gaps. A full copy of the report can be accessed on IICA's website.

More information:
Institutional Communication Division at IICA
[email protected]
202-458-3767

SOURCE Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture