The training aimed to enable project personnel, development workers, representatives of farmer organizations, and community media practitioners to formulate a strategic ComDev plan for a particular development project that they are engaged in. The training also became a venue to generate opportunity to share their experiences and collaboration among the participants.

UPLB-CDC Dean Ma. Theresa H. Velasco together with senior faculty members Cleofe Torres, Ma. Stella Tirol, and Edmund Centeno served as the main resources persons along with the ComDev specialists from FAO-Rome and FAO-RAP.

A total of 18 participants attended this regional training. They have been selected by FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific from different fields such as agricultural innovation, food and nutrition security, family farming, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and poverty reduction management, among others. 

The training was divided into the following sessions:

• Role of ComDev in FAO programs in the Asia-Pacific Region
• ComDev Planning Process
• Strategic Design
• Message and Materials Development
• Management and Implementation of Communication Programs
• Monitoring and Evaluation

Toward the end of the four-day training session, the participants also had a workshop on enhancing regional collaboration thourhg partnerships and networking.

CCComDev serves as a hub for knowledge sharing on communication applied to agriculture and rural development issues such as family farming, climate change, food security, natural resources management, and disaster risk management.

By fostering the exchange of ComDev experiences, methodologies and policy options, we aim to develop communication capacities, build online and offline networks, and strengthen partnerships.

We strive to involve different actors – ranging from farmer, civil society and indigenous people organizations to rural institutions, universities, research and development organizations – to support the creation of a global community of practice able to maximize the potential of communication for sustainable agriculture and rural development.

Our work

We broker information about learning needs and training opportunities in ComDev worldwide. Our ever growing ComDev library includes a wide collection of knowledge resources such as learning tools, technical papers, case studies and briefs, including the Communication for Rural Development Sourcebook. Interesting audio-video materials and presentations are also found in our multimedia gallery.

We regularly share news and updates about ComDev initiatives, events and opportunities, documenting local and international ComDev stories and supporting the systematization of lessons learned.

Our ComDev community is an interactive feature meant to facilitate social networking and stimulate technical debates, policy dialogue, innovative learning modalities and concrete collaboration. This is closely linked to the existing regional ComDev platforms.

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CCComDev aims to create a global community of practice and strengthen partnerships among a variety of rural actors including farmer organizations, community media, rural institutions, universities, research organizations, and development and communication practitioners.

Communication for Rural Development

“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” (WCCD, 2006)

The rural sector is confronted by an increasing demand for information and knowledge to face compelling challenges such as climate change, natural hazards and food shortage. ComDev combines participatory methods and communication tools to facilitate access to information and increase farmers’ participation in rural development initiatives. What makes ComDev unique is the focus on people’s empowerment through dialogue, knowledge sharing and mutual learning rather than on media and technologies.

Strengthening ComDev capacity of rural actors

The World Congress, the UN Roundtables and the FAO Expert Consultation on ComDev have underlined the need for sound communication capacities. In response to this need, FAO ComDev team in collaboration with the College of Development Communication of UPLB launched in 201 the project “Collaborative Change Communication: learning and sharing in communication for rural development”. The project resulted in:

1. Assessment of learning needs and mapping of training opportunities in ComDev;
2. Design and production of a comprehensive Communication for Rural Development Sourcebook; and
3. Establishment of CCComDev as a web-based platform & community for learning and knowledge sharing.

This initiative has led to concrete collaborations in terms of curricula development and training initiatives, also in collaboration with other partner universities and organizations.

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Background

The World Congress on Communication for Development and the 11th UN Roundtable strongly recommended that “ComDev capacity be strengthened within countries and organizations at all levels, including local communities and field practitioners.” More recently the FAO Expert Consultation on Communication for Development recognized how this need for sound capacities becomes even more urgent in the agricultural and rural development sectors: these are currently confronted by an increasing demand for information and knowledge sharing to respond to the new, compelling challenges of climate change, natural disasters and food crises.

As a follow up to these recommendations, FAO Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension (OEK) launched the project “Collaborative Change Communication: learning and sharing in communication for rural development” with the College of Development Communication of UPLB as its partner organization. This effort was carried out in collaboration also with the Communication for Sustainable Development Initiative (CSDI) that aims to promote communication as a key to sustainable natural resource management, climate change adaptation, and food security.

Objectives

The main goal of the Collaborative Change Communication initiative is to strengthen capacities, improve partnerships and facilitate knowledge exchange in communication for development (ComDev), particularly for sustainable rural development in the areas of climate change adaptation, food and nutrition security, and natural resource management, both at national and international level. It entailes three main steps:

a. Assessment of learning needs and global mapping of training opportunities in ComDev
b. Design, production and validation of training modules and multimedia learning materials
c. Establishment of a web-based network for learning and knowledge sharing

The CCComDev platform is intended to support stakeholders learn together and from each other, and work collectively to address ComDev issues. It also aims to establish and strengthen partnerships and collaboration among universities, as well as development and research organizations.

Specifically, CCComDev aims to:

1. Develop capacities and empower practitioners in developing countries to apply new learning and improve their response to the new challenges in ComDev
2. Broker information about learning needs and training opportunities in ComDev worldwide
3. Facilitate sharing of knowledge and practices in ComDev, focusing on rural development, particularly in CCA, NRM and FS
4. Build alliances and linkages between ComDev training providers to promote the pooling of knowledge products and in general increase interaction and cooperation among ComDev stakeholders
5. Disseminate information and build collective knowledge on thematic areas in ComDev, stimulating debate among field practitioners, researchers and experts
6. Provide a house for interactive and innovative learning modalities, including facilitated distance and e-learning