Rural families in remote communities whether they are in the rainfed areas or dryland areas should be able to access up-to-date and relevant information if they are to be empowered and participate actively in the development processes. With this in mind, the principles of social inclusion, gender equity, reaching to remote areas (last mile and last person connectivity) and remedying regional imbalances were built into the concept of the village knowledge centres (VKCs) of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). To do this, the promotion of functional literacy among adults without formal education to learn and enjoy the benefits of interactive pedagogic methodologies was another major consideration in setting up the VKCs.

The ‘Hub and Spokes’ model for information/knowledge transfer was adopted by the MSSRF in Tamil Nadu, India initially through its Information Village Project in Puducherry. In this project, the village resource centre (VRC) is the hub that processes and responds to the community’s information requirements and connects to several VKCs which are the spokes.

This paper presents the processes and requirements in establishing, operating and managing the VKC based on the MSSRF experience.