Transcript What is ComDev? - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United

and Extension Branch
Subdirección de Investigación yResearch
Extensión
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Communication for
Development
Riccardo del Castello
Communication for Development Officer
FAO, Rome
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Outline
 What is ComDev?
• Key principles & functions
 Historical background
 Definitions and approaches
 Video “Sharing Knowledge”
 ComDev media and tools
• Rural radio
• Participatory video
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
What is ComDev?
“Communication for Development (ComDev) is a
social process based on dialogue using a broad range of
tools and methods. ComDev is about seeking change at
different levels including listening, establishing trust,
sharing knowledge and skills, building policies, debating
and learning for sustained and meaningful change”.
World Congress on Communication for Development, Rome 2006
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
What is ComDev?
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Not a simple top-down flow of information to “passive” audiences
- goes beyond information dissemination
Involves participatory methods and tools (traditional & local
media, rural radio, ICTs)
Facilitates active participation and stakeholder dialogue
Special attention to media convergence and the
enhancement of local capacities for planning and implementing
communication processes
A process which recognizes audiences as discerning groups with
differing needs and perspectives
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Origins of Communication for
Development
ComDev as a research and practice field, has closely followed the
evolution of Third World development paradigms (from top-down,
western oriented theories about the causes of and solutions to
“underdevelopment”, to the recognition of community participation as
a key to sustainability.
Non- linear evolution - different theories, concepts and practices
that originated under different paradigms have continued to coexist
and span the continuum from the diffusion/persuasion model to the
participatory empowerment model.
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Origins of Communication for
Development
Modernisation
“Visualizes development in terms of a progressive movement towards
technologically more complex and integrated forms of modern
society.”
Information moves out in a linear
fashion from senders to receivers
with relatively limited participation
of the receiver.
Change in ideas = Behavior change
Rogers (1962), Schramm (1964) and Lerner (1958)
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Origins of Communication for
Development
Alternative models
Criticism from Latin American researchers (Freire, Beltran, Gumucio)
- top-down methods tend to locate the problem in the underdeveloped
nation rather than its unequal relations with powerful economies.
• Assumption that Western models are appropriate for all parts of the world.
• Development communication failed to address the real underlying problems
in poor countries such as lack of access to land, agricultural credits and fair
market prices for products
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Origins of Communication for
Development
Development programmes of the 1960s have failed due to…
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Lack of information about the strategies being developed
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Lack of trust and confidence about the process
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No effort to promote continued engagement and regular
feedback from stakeholders/partner
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So-called participatory exercises too often mere public
information campaigns
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Participation in decision making
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Passive Participation: Be told and follow.
Participation in Information Giving: answering questions.
Participation by Consultation: conclusions may be modified in the
light of people's responses.
Participation for Material Incentive: Participate by providing
resources, for example labour, in return for food.
Functional Participation: Participate by forming groups to meet
predetermined objectives.
Interactive Participation: for joint analysis, leading to action plans.
Groups take control over decisions.
Self-Mobilization: Participate by taking initiative independent of
external institution to change systems.
(Jules Pretty, 1995)
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
In development…
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Advocacy
Dialogue
ICTs for development
Stakeholder engagement
Involvement and participation
Development Communication
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Defining communication for development
A multitude of terminologies
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development support communication
development communication
participatory development communication
information-education-communication (IEC)
communication for social change
information, communication for development (ICD)
project support communication
rural communication
social marketing
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Most common approaches
Social marketing - the systematic application of marketing to achieve
specific behavioral goals for a social good (immunization campaigns,
sanitation, …)
Advocacy – To promote a specific issue or agenda, generally at a
national level. It is often directed at changing policies or supporting
policy-making changes.
Information dissemination and campaigns - The dissemination of
information to fill specific knowledge gaps through media campaigns,
often using a mix of different media.
Information, education, and communication (IEC) - a broader set of
tactical approaches aimed at disseminating information and
educating large audiences. It is based on the linear transmission
model where information is disseminated through a number of media.
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Most common approaches
Education and training - applied in programs requiring instructional
design, usually based on an interactive modality, often at an
interpersonal level. Educational approaches are generally aimed at
increasing knowledge and comprehension, while training
approaches are usually focused on improving professional skills.
Institutional strengthening is directed at strengthening the internal
capacities of an institution and eventually also at positioning and
improving its image with external audiences.
Social mobilization - a systematic effort to involve the community to
take active part in the resolution of specific issues related to their
well-being.
(groups designated to participate in the decision-making process
and to follow up on specific issues, such as monitoring the activities
indicated by a project work plan).
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Key ComDev Principles
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Inform populations on new ideas and new
techniques
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Assess the needs of the beneficiaries
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Adapt the message to the needs
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Adapt the message, and the media to the targeted
groups
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Multimedia approach
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Key ComDev Principles
Convergence and
local appropriation
of technologies
Fostering dialogue
and mediation
Strengthening local knowledge
and communication processes
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
ComDev Functions
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Social – promote participation and collaborative action, dialogue and
consensus building, facilitate situation analysis, decision making,
planning and management, enhance local knowledge and culture,
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Educational – provide training support in decision making, technical
issues and knowledge exchange, enhance mutual learning.
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Institutional - Improve linkages and strengthen dialogue between
policy makers, institutions and small farmers / local communities,
International organizations.
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Video Documentary
Sharing Knowledge
FAO , 1996
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
ComDev Methodologies
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Interpersonal / group communication
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Traditional communication means
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Mass media
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Face to face meetings
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Demonstrations
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
ComDev Methodologies
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Factors influencing communication
outcomes:
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Power and control – Knowing how influence is distributed in a
group
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Ownership of the process – local customs, structures and
systems should be consulted or referenced
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Participation as an accepted cultural process – inclusion (or
exclusion from a process) is dependent on cultural and social
norms, beliefs and practices
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Factors influencing communication
outcomes:
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Stakeholder involvement – international, regional national, local.
(i.e. indigenous communication systems and mixed-media
approach)
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Uptake by individuals (and communities) – Each group takes up
ideas and change differently: innovators, early adopters, early
majority, late majority, lagers. Communication efforts should take
into account their characteristics and timing.
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Communication costs and benefits – processes require analysis
from social, temporal and monetary perspectives, (i.e. selecting the
most appropriate approaches for that specific context and objective)
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
ComDev Media
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Community Rural Radio
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Audiovisual Pedagogy and
Participatory Video
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Local appropriation of ICTs
(Information and Communication
Technologies)
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Traditional and Local Media
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Rural Radio
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Rural Community Radio
 Radio for the rural areas - broadcasting
agricultural topics to a specific audience
 Community Radio - differs from the other two
predominant communication models: public and
commercial
 Rural radio and Community radio
 FM radio stations established to broadcast to a
local and predominantly rural audience
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Characteristics of Rural, Community
Radio
 Access, public participation in production and decision
making, audience support and financing.
 The management of the station is in the hands of those who
use it and listen to it
 Structure facilitates participation (volunteer work, targeted
topics, opportunity for training, audience feedback)
 It has a local focus
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Long standing commitment to the development of rural radio
• 1966 -1988
radio clubs and support to rural radios in Africa
(Congo, Mauritania, Guinea, Chad)
• 1993
Re-launching rural radio activities in Mali
• 1994-1995
Rural radio methodology in Niger and Guinea Bissau
• 1996
International meetings on rural radio in 27 countries of Africa
Development of participatory interactive methodology
• 1997-2001
4 local community radios in Southern Mali
• 1997-2002
Assessment of ICTs potential to strengthen Rural Radio
• 2000
Methodology for monitoring, evaluation and content
analysis
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Rural Radio
 Management
Steering committee – made up of
community representatives
 Staff
Director, secretary, 2-3 technicians,
producers, “animators”
 On-air time
10/12 hours/day
 Programming
Agricultural topics, local and national
news, culture, entertainment,
personal announcements
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Rural Radio Methodology
 Integration: Rural radio stations
must integrate a large number of
concerns and themes related to
rural development.
 Interdisciplinarity: Rural radio
production teams must represent
and engage a range of topics
and approaches
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Rural Radio Methodology
 Interactivity: Programming is
based on the concerns of the rural
world and is developed in the form
of an ongoing dialogue with the
community.
 Sustainability: Appropriate and
effective legal, institutional and
administrative framework are
required for the proper management
of the rural radio stations.
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Impact
Outreach: Increased participation of
community members to radio activities and
programming.
Content : Programming more responsive to
audience needs.
Awareness: “HIV-AIDS, hunting licenses,
fuelwood regulations, gender issues…”
Capacity building: Technical, radio station
management, social analysis
Sustainability: Institutional framework and
direct contribution of community. Ownership
and partnerships
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Video Documentary
L’albero che parla
La Radio Rurale in Mali
FAO/Tipota movie company
2008
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Participatory Video
• A set of techniques to involve a group or
community in creating their own film to
explore issues and voice concerns.
• The process is more important than the
product itself.
• It makes issues visible by enabling a or
community to take action to solve their own
problems and to communicate their needs
and ideas to decision-makers/ other groups
• A highly effective tool to engage and
mobilise people, and to help them shape
their own forms of sustainable development
based on local needs.
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Participatory Video
Steps in PV
• Participants rapidly learn video skills
through games & exercises.
• Facilitators help groups identify & analyze
their important issues
• Short videos & messages are directed &
filmed by participants.
• Footage is shared with the wider
community at daily screenings.
• A dynamic process of community-led
learning & exchange is set in motion.
• Communities always have full editorial
control.
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Video Documentary
Participatory Video
In Gambia and
Sierra Leone
Nov. 2011
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
ComDev in FAO - OEKR
 Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension (OEK)
Focal point providing normative / technical advice in ComDev to FAO units
and member countries
OEKR Mission
To contribute to the strengthening of inclusive agriculture innovation systems
that respond to the needs of small producers by:
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providing policy advice to member countries and donors;
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promoting partnerships at all levels;
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supporting capacity development for rural knowledge institutions and decision
makers.
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
ComDev in FAO – Priority Areas
1. Natural Resources
Management, Climate
Change Adaptation and
Disaster Risk Reduction
2. Food and Nutrition Security
3. Agricultural Innovation
Crosscutting issues:
• Capacity Development
• Knowledge Sharing
• Gender & Equity Issues
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Rural and Agricultural
ComDev Network (RADCON)
Objective
Strengthen communication links among rural actors,
to benefit farmers and agribusinesses at village level
Internet-based, community-oriented agricultural
knowledge system active in Egypt since 2004
Results
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50 resource-poor communities, 96 extension centers,
52 research institutes and 5 faculties of agriculture covered
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115 facilitators trained to engage local communities in
generating and sharing knowledge through the system
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online and offline support provided to facilitators by a
network of mentors and subject matter experts
www.radcon.sci.eg
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Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Research and Extension Branch
Food Security Programme
(FSCA/PISA) in West Africa
Overall objective
Build capacity among farmers organizations to increase sustainable production and
food security, mainly through improving agricultural processes and marketing
7 countries: The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau,
Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone
FSCA/PISA ComDev component
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Support knowledge and information sharing
on new practices, technologies, lessons learned
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Enable farmers to articulate their needs in the
context of local community development
[rural radio, participatory video, village gatherings]
www.fcsa-pisa.org
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Research and Extension Branch
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the
United Nations
Thank you!
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