[2017] Published by FAO, this book documents evidence-based evaluation approaches for Rural Communication Services (RCS). It analyzes the methodologies used for assessing and documenting RCS as part of agricultural and rural development policies and programs in various parts of the world. Data were drawn from a compilation of 19 cases in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Carribean.

[2011] Sustainable agricultural innovation is a social learning process: it requires collective decisions and adaptive interactions, which gradually lead to change. Into an Agricultural Innovation System (AIS), based on dynamic networks and knowledge flows, communication plays a central role in facilitating stakeholders’ participation, negotiating between national priorities and local demands, enhancing institutional coordination and strengthening agricultural service provision.

This study was carried out in the framework of the CSDI initiative and examines the Bolivian AIS, its institutional and policy framework, and the demand–supply dynamics of agricultural information services in the country. The author assesses the methods and approaches currently used, and looks at opportunities and constraints for the development of demand-driven and participatory agricultural advisory services, based on the adoption of ComDev methods and tools.

[2014] This report reviews and highlights some key issues in the current debate on development communication. To do so it draws on experiences and inputs from members of the  Informal Network of Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Development Communicators (DevCom). DevCom is a global network of directors of public affairs and senior communication staff of foreign/development ministries and official agencies, multilateral institutions, and regional development banks.

[2015] A scoping study to assess demand, opportunities and potential for the use of interactive radio to deliver climate services at scale for farmers and pastoralists was conducted by CCAFS in partnership with Farm Radio International in Tanzania, and Farm Radio Trust in Malawi in late 2014. 

The study reveals that for both Malawi and Tanzania, there is clear demand for climate information services via radio and mobile phone. Both radio and mobile phones are in common use, and are rated by farmers and pastoralists to have great potential as effective and trusted channels where they can access various climate information services.

[2009] This booklet aims to illustrate Communication for Development in practice across UNDP through selected case studies drawn from country and regional offices as well as headquarters. Often ComDev elements are integrated within or underpin UNDP supported projects without a ComDev approach being specifically acknowledged as part of the project strategy.

These components strengthen projects primarily through enhanced participation of local people, accountability and transparency on the part of national and local government and improved delivery of public services. In the area of conflict prevention and recovery, strategic use of communication mechanisms is vital in bringing together fractured communities and former combatants to discuss differences and to seek solutions.

[2010] Participatory communication in development aims to facilitate the integration of interpersonal communication methods with conventional and new media channels, with the focus on encouraging all stakeholders to participate in the process. The growth of internet-based technologies has created new opportunities for facilitating participation and enhancing the ability of resource-poor communities to access information and support and to share experiences and knowledge.

Drawing on the principles of participatory communication and harnessing the potential of new ICTs to strengthen communication among the stakeholders in agricultural and rural development, the Rural and Agricultural Development Communication Network (RADCON) was launched in Egypt in 2004. It built on the experience of the Virtual Extension and Research Communication Network (VERCON), initiated in 2000 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Resources in Egypt in collaboration with FAO.

[2010] Ce document a été produit dans le cadre du Projet Initiative de communication pour le développement durable (ICDD), un effort conjoint du Ministère italien de l'environnement et du territoire et de la FAO pour promouvoir la communication en tant qu’élément clé de la gestion durable des ressources naturelles, d'adaptation au changement climatique et de sécurité alimentaire.

Le but de ce document est de présenter le travail fait in Congo par l’ICDD-CSDI en support au projet REAFOR. Le plan d’action en communication élabore est le résulte de l’enquête diagnostic menée dans deux territoires du District des Cataractes, à savoir Mbanza-Ngungu et Luozi, dans la province du Bas-Congo, RDC. Cette enquête a permis de faire l’état des lieux de la filière manioc et de l’agroforesterie dans cette zone et les méthodologie implique pendant l’enquête ont été expliquer dans ce document.

[2011] This publication aims at systematizing and disseminating the activities undertaken by the Communication for Sustainable Development Initiative (CSDI) in the department of Yapacaní, Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Yapacani was the first pilot area where the Bolivian component of the CSDI began its activities at the local level. At an exploratory stage, a participatory assessment of communication needs and opportunities for innovation and rural development was conducted. Subsequently the project designed a Local Program in Innovation and Communication, based on the assessment’s results and with the involvement of multiple local stakeholders. The result has been the identification of a number of key issues for the communities that will be implemented through Local Plans for Innovation and Communication (PLICS).

The document is available only in Spanish.

[2010] The main objective of this booklet is to provide an overview of current initiatives and projects focusing on Communication for Development applied to natural resources management and agriculture in the region, assess the main challenges, and identify links and opportunities to strengthen their collaboration and further advance Communication for Development in the region.

The study highlights three main areas that need to be addressed to improve and increase ComDev initiatives and ensure that they become embedded in development interventions in the region: institutional support, national reviews and capacity building. By raising issues and making suggestions for the way forward, the booklet aims to trigger more in-depth analyses and encourage more documentation and sharing of experiences, to strengthen Communication for Development in the region.

[2010] This study was carried out in the framework of the CSDI initiative in support of the FAO's Livelihood Adaptation to Climate Change (LACC) project, which supports climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and capacity strengthening for sustainable livelihoods in the rural areas of the drought-prone and coastal regions of Bangladesh.

Two CSDI consultants visited LACC pilot sites to identify needs and lessons on the role of communication for livelihood adaptation and designed a ComDev strategy for the next phase of the project. Their assessment used a participatory approach, including interviews with project staff and focus group discussions with rural communities. The ComDev strategy proposed aims to facilitate adaptation building on knowledge: ComDev activities will enhance collective learning and generate a more informed decision-making on climate and production issues. Furthermore the use of ICTs can improve learning experiences and help to record and store local knowledge.