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Subdirección de Investigación y Extensión Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

Communication

for Rural Development

(ComDev)

Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy – OCP

FAO

Rome, 2013

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

Outline

What is ComDev? • Key principles & role

• Methodologies and media

ComDev in the UN • UN Roundtables

• World Congress

• ComDev in FAO

ComDev in action • Field projects

• Partnerships and platforms

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy 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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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

Key ComDev Principles

Fostering dialogue

and mediation

Strengthening local knowledge

and communication processes

Convergence and

local appropriation

of technologies

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

ComDev Role

Facilitate access to knowledge and information

Promote peoples’ participation and collaborative action

Strengthen peoples’ capability to share knowledge and manage horizontal communication processes

Enhance mutual learning co-creation of knowledge

Improve linkages and strengthen dialogue between policy makers, institutions and small farmers / local communities

Bridge the gap between global information and local knowledge

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

ComDev Methodologies

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

Steps in ComDev Planning

Piotrow, et al. 1997. Health Communication: Lessons from Family Planning and Reproductive Health.

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SS

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

ComDev Media

Community Rural Radio

Audiovisual Pedagogy and

Participatory Video

Local appropriation of ICTs

(Information and Communication

Technologies)

Traditional and Local Media

Face to face meetings

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

Communication Pathways

Communication is a strategic asset for the development and the empowerment of rural communities

Many institutions and community-based organizations use ComDev

ComDev experiences Communication pathways

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

UN Roundtables on ComDev

In 1996, the UN General Assembly Resolution A/Res/50/130 acknowledged

“the pivotal role of communication in the successful implementation of

development programs and the improvement of the interaction among

actors in development, namely the agencies, organizations, funds and

programs of the UN system, Governments and NGOs”.

UN Roundtables are biannual inter-agency meetings on ComDev reporting to

the UN General Assembly

A forum for exchanging ideas, experiences and strategies on harnessing

communication to achieve more equitable and sustainable development

FAO hosted the 3rd (1991) and 9th (2004) and will host the next in 2014

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

World Congress on ComDev

Organized by FAO, World Bank and Communication Initiative - Rome, 2006

Large scale event gathering 900 participants from all over the world

E-conferences, regional studies and consultations leading to the congress

THEMATIC STRANDS

1. Health

2. Governance

3. Sustainable Development

4. Communication Labs

Main Goals

discuss how to increase the impact of development programs through a

widespread use of communication

position and promote ComDev in the international cooperation agenda

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

The Rome Consensus/1

Communication is essential to human, social and economic development.

At the heart of ComDev is participation and ownership by communities

and individuals most affected by poverty and other development issues.

Recommendations

1. Overall national development policies should include specific ComDev

components.

2. Development organizations should include ComDev as a central element at

the inception of programs.

3. Strengthen the ComDev capacity within countries and organizations at all

levels. This includes communities, ComDev specialists and other staff, and

the further development of training courses and academic programs.

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

The Rome Consensus/2

4. Expand the level of financial investment to ensure adequate, coordinated

financing of the core elements of ComDev

5. Adopt and implement policies and legislation that provide an enabling

environment for ComDev – including free and pluralistic media, the right to

information and to communicate.

6. Development communication programs should identify and include

appropriate M&E indicators and methodologies throughout the process

7. Strengthen partnerships and networks at international, national and local

levels to advance ComDev and improve development outcomes

8. Move towards a rights based approach to communication for

development

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

ComDev in FAO

1. Natural Resources Management, Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction

2. Food and Nutrition Security

3. Agricultural Innovation

Mandate

• Policy Advice

• Technical Assistance

• Capacity Development

• Knowledge Sharing

• Advocacy

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

ComDev in Action: Community Rural Radio in Bangladesh

Set-up of Krishi Radio FM 98.8 My Radio, My Voice

Daily programming in local languages on agriculture, livestock, fisheries,

science, women, children, youth, indigenous communities

500 RCS-CRR posters and leaflets, folk song, station call sign, promo

jingle, program signature music, etc.

5 training workshops with CRR staff

and 20 volunteers (300 applicants)

Hundreds of local farmers regularly tune in

and participate in live discussions

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

National ComDev Plan (MDRT-INIAF)

Objectives

Design, validate and implement

ComDev strategies and services

Strengthen ComDev capacities

at local and national level

Info and knowledge management

for agricultural innovation -TECA

Local Level

Participatory appraisal of communication needs and local knowledge

PLICs: local communication plans for agricultural innovation

Audiovisual Pedagogy: 500 producers, 52 organizations, 160 facilitators

ComDev in Action: Local Communication Plans in Bolivia

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

ComDev in Action: Food Security Programme 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

Support knowledge and information sharing

on new practices, technologies, lessons learned

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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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

ComDev in action: Rural Communication Network in Egypt

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

50 resource-poor communities, 96 extension centers,

52 research institutes and 5 faculties of agriculture covered

115 facilitators trained to engage local communities in

generating and sharing knowledge through the system

online and offline support provided to facilitators by a

network of mentors and subject matter experts www.radcon.sci.eg

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

Partnerships and Platforms

Collaborative Change Communication

Learning and sharing in communication for rural

development

Onda Rural

Promoting the use of community

rural radio in Latin America

ComDev Asia

Documenting good ComDev

practices in Asia Pacific

ComDev Africa

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

Links and Contacts

• FAO ComDev www.fao.org/oek/communication-for-development/en

• CCComDev Learning Platform www.cccomdev.org

• CSDI project www.csdinitiative.org

• Onda Rural www.onda-rural.net

• ComDev Asia asia.cccomdev.org

MAIL: comdev@fao.org

Mario Acunzo

FAO Communication for Development Officer mario.acunzo@fao.org

Marzia Pafumi

FAO Communication for Development Consultant

marzia.pafumi@fao.org

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Office for Communication, Partnerships and Advocacy Food and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations

Thank you!