The study examines gender perspectives on the use of mobile phones by the rural poor by identifying their information needs using gender disaggregated statistics gathered from developing economies in South and South East Asia. It suggests that there needs to be a more country specific policy with regards to reducing (and ultimately eradicating) the digital gender divide.

This document explores how communication for development (ComDev) approaches and community media can be successfully applied to support family farming. Prepared as an input for the Forum on Communication and Community Media for Family Farming (FCCM), it includes an analysis of examples of Communication for Development approaches applied to smallholder farming and rural development and the issues that they encompass: food security, natural resource management, rural livelihoods, agricultural innovation, and capacity development.

ICT, when embedded in broader stakeholder systems, can bring economic development and growth as it can help bridge critical knowledge gaps. In particular African agriculture – which is predominantly rain-fed and has low-yielding production – lacks access to critical information, market facilitation, and financial services. The report assesses the strategic importance of ICT in agriculture to five main stakeholder groups: businesses; farmers; researchers; government; and citizens. 

By exploring a range of local approaches and advances in the legal recognition of community broadcasters, the report hopes to encourage partnerships and innovative measures that will facilitate the future sustainability of community media. It underlines international standards that need to be considered by legislative and regulatory frameworks to foster rather than inhibit the development of the community broadcasting sector.

This publication illustrates how United Nations agencies, programmes and funds such as FAO, ILO, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO, integrate and promote Communication for Development through their work. It calls for the further incorporation of ComDev approaches into programme-planning instruments as well as the allocation of resources to strengthen communication and information as an essential tool for making development ‘people-centric.’

[2010] This document was prepared in the context of theCommunication for Sustainable Development Initiative (CSDI), an FAO programme supported by the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory that promotes the use of communication methods and tools to meet today’s rural development challenges.

It provides a conceptual framework to participatory communication applied to climate change adaptation and food security. According to CSDI, the integration of ComDev into community-based adaptation approaches will provide the most vulnerable groups a chance to generate their own coping strategies, thanks to an equitable access to knowledge and information and enhanced local decision making. ComDev methods and tools are also instrumental to improve rural institution capacities to support climate change adaptation at the community level.

The document is also available in French and Spanish.

The CSDI programme gives special attention to vulnerable populations and indigenous communities, focusing on ComDev application to sustainable natural resources management and climate change adaptation. ComDev efforts can help facilitating equitable access to knowledge and information, promoting dialogue and participation, and managing communication processes for a self-determined development.

The document presents the results of a series of initiatives implemented by indigenous peoples’ organizations with FAO and UNPFII support, to promote ComDev as a key element for social change and a guarantee for a full achievement of their rights.

In 1971 it was tentatively defined as the art and science of human communication applied to the speedy transformation of a country and the mass  of its people from poverty to a dynamic state of  economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger fulfilment of the human potential.

The overall aim of the workshop was to identify key issues in research-extension linkages and explore communication approaches and tools that can provide effective linkage mechanisms in line with the Millennium Development Goals.

The document explores six critical success factors that are necessary to ensure effective design and implementation of rural development projects: policy, capacity development, monitoring and evaluation, farmers and other rural organizations, participatory methods and media strategy.

UN agencies recognize ComDev as a central tool in supporting development, and in particular the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As a consequence, much work has been carried out to understand and embed the principles of ComDev within the UN structure. However, despite an emphasis on results-based management within the UN, there are currently no commonly-agreed tools for assessing the impact of ComDev programmes.

This paper explores the key issues surrounding ComDev, considering case studies and best practice methodology in order to identify key questions and indicators to assess and demonstrate its impact.