Over the last 7 years, the AIMTech Research Group in the University of Leeds has used cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to inform a range of research activities in the fields of information behavior and information systems. In this article, we identify certain openings and theoretical challenges in the field of information behavior, which sparked our initial interest in CHAT: context, technology, and the link between practice and policy. We demonstrate the relevance of CHAT in studying information behavior and addressing the identified openings and argue that by providing a framework and hierarchy of activity-action-operation and semantic tools, CHAT is able to overcome many of the uncertainties concerning information behavior research. In particular, CHAT provides researchers a theoretical lens to account for context and activity mediation and, by doing so, can increase the significance of information behavior research to practice. In undertaking this endeavour, we have relied on literature from the fields of information science and others where CHAT is employed. We provide a detailed description of how CHAT may be applied to information behavior and account for the concepts we see as relevant to its study. Information BehaviorIn 2002, the AIMTech research group in University of Leeds was formed with the broad aims of focusing on the interaction among information behavior, technology, organizational adaptation, and change. Although projects were undertaken in a variety of contexts and environments (from offshore oil rigs to women's refuges), a common strand, which unified research and practice within the group, was the use of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) as a theoretical lens. In this article, we outline our motivation for using activity theory and the potential utility of the theory for understanding information behavior.The term "information behavior" was coined by Wilson to cover all aspects of information-related activity, which was originally referred to in the ARIST literature (1966)(1967)(1968)(1969)(1970)(1971)(1972)(1973)(1974)(1975)(1976)(1977)(1978)(1979)(1980) as "user needs" or "information needs" research, until Wilson (1981) suggested the term "information-seeking behavior." Later, Wilson argued that "information behavior" would be more appropriate as a broader term. Wilson's (2000) widely accepted definition describes information behavior as "the totality of human behavior in relation to sources and channels of information, including both active and passive information seeking, and information use" (p. 46). Pettigrew, Fidel, and Bruce's (2001, p. 44) definition, "the study of how people need, seek, give and use information in different contexts, including the workplace and everyday living" is approximately consistent with this. These generalized definitions encompass the active seeking and purposeful retrieval of information, as well as the passive exposure or chance encountering of information. They include an array of interactions with formal sources of information su...

In this paper, we describe how changes in the availability of information artifactsin particular, information and communication technologies (ICTs)-among smallholder farmers in Ghana, led to a process of hybridization of information practices, and how this process could be linked to underlying institutional change. We use the notions of institutional carriers and activity systems to study the evolution of the prevailing "smallholder" institutional logic of Ghanaian agriculture toward an incoming "value-chain" institutional logic concerned with linking farmers to output markets, improving the knowledge base in agriculture, and increasing its information intensity. We draw on a mixed-methods approach, including in-depth qualitative interviews, focus groups, observations, and detailed secondary quantitative data. We cultivate activity theory as a practice-based lens for structuring inquiry into institutional change. We find that information artifacts served to link the activities of farmers that were embedded in the smallholder logic with those of agriculturaldevelopment actors that promoted the value-chain logic. Hybridization occurred through the use of artifacts with different interaction modalities. In terms of conceptualizing change, our findings suggest that hybridization of the two logics may be an intermediary point in the long transition from the smallholder toward the valuechain logic.

By synthesizing urbanization challenges and current trends in Africa, this dialogue piece captures the broader transformative processes taking place on the continent. We develop a vision of the African cities of the future and show the alignment of key aspects of the 'smart city' concept with the African Union's Agenda 2063. Looking at the approximately 50-year time horizon of Agenda 2063 (at the time of writing, 2016), we chart the strategy space for African megacities, medium cities, as well as small cities and new developments. Strategic insights are captured in summary and conclusions.

This paper examines how development actors within the Ghanaian agricultural sector enact information and communication technology (ICT) in their day‐to‐day outreach practices with smallholder farmers. We draw on an in‐depth qualitative case study, informed by the theoretical perspective of “strategy‐as‐practice” to answer the research question: “what ICT‐mediated strategic practices are used by development actors in the Ghanaian agriculture sector?” The research findings reveal that (1) the activities of development actors are meshed within a network of interdependencies; (2) the enacted strategic practices reflect the trade‐off between novelty of content and novelty of the technologies used to deliver it; and lastly, (3) the praxis of development actors for doing ICT for development consists of hybrid strategies, combining bottom‐up approaches consistent with farmers' indigenous smallholder logic, with top‐down imperatives framing agriculture “as a business” and nurturing value‐chain integration. Consequently, our research points to the impact of ICT initiatives as step‐wise and attained over the long term, rather than disruptive and attained in the immediate term.

In the context of the Ghanaian government's objective of structural transformation with an emphasis on manufacturing, this paper provides a case study of economic transformation in Ghana, exploring patterns of growth, sector transformation, and agglomeration. We document and examine why, despite impressive growth and poverty reduction figures, Ghana's economy has exhibited less transformation than might be expected for a country that has recently achieved middle-income status. Ghana's reduced share of agriculture in the economy, unlike many successfully transformed countries in Asia and Latin America, has been filled by services, while manufacturing has stagnated and even declined. Likely causes include weak transformation of the agricultural sector and therefore little development of agro-processing, the emergence of “consumption cities” and consumption-driven growth, upward pressure on the exchange rate, weak production linkages, and a poor environment for private-sector-led manufacturing.

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This chapter presents the case of how information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly mobile phones, impact agricultural development by facilitating step-wise changes in smallholder farmers' information and agriculture practices in rural Ghana. The study shows how mobile phones introduced among smallholder farmers create 'hybrid' information practices that are consistent with both existing cultural-historical norms around farming and ICT use (a smallholder logic) and with policy imperatives aimed at re-casting farming 'as a business' and promoting value-chain integration through ICT (a value chain logic). Additionally, the study observes how actors in rural agriculture and agriculture partners are able to leverage 'hybrid' practices in advancing their value chain agenda. In designing interventions, these actors put forward 'hybrid' approaches, combining technologies, which align with the rural oral tradition with ones that correspond to contemporary business norms (e.g., mobile phones).

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