ComDev Stories

Communication for Development (ComDev) is essential to inclusive and sustainable change. By fostering dialogue, sharing knowledge, and amplifying community voices, ComDev helps bridge gaps between local realities and policy decisions. It enables farmers, fisherfolk, and rural stakeholders to access information, participate in decision-making, and co-create solutions that improve livelihoods. As the world faces climate challenges, food insecurity, and social inequality, ComDev offers a pathway for people-centered development where communication is

Maize is a staple crop in Uganda and one of the major source of livelihood for small-scale farmers in the country, but climate change has become more and more of a threat in the field. With over 85% of Uganda’s farmers relying on rainfall to water their crops, unpredictable weather patterns and dry spells are causing crop losses of up to 40%. Traditional irrigation systems have proven to be inefficient

Family farmers are essential to sustainable agriculture and food production in many rural regions of the world.  However, they frequently do not have access to timely, accurate, and localized information, even though they play a crucial role in feeding communities.  Their capacity to enhance livelihoods, adjust to climate change, and engage in policymaking is hampered by this communication gap.  Addressing this, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Due to heavy reliance on traditional methods and limited access to weather information or extension services, smallholder livestock farmers in South Africa are some of the most susceptible to the impacts of climate change. In the Municipality of Raymond Mhlaba in the Eastern Cape, rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and erratic rainfall have made raising animals increasingly difficult.  To help address this challenge, researchers from the University of Fort Hare and

The agricultural sector maintains its central position as the main rural income source for India, yet farmers encounter problems obtaining up-to-date precise information for responding to crop threats. The Karnataka region faces frequent climate and pest threats which traditional Rural Communication Services (RCS) struggles to address. Mobile phone adoption brings new opportunities to provide essential farming advice during critical moments. Dr. Arjunan Subramanian from the Adam Smith Business School at

Applying Participatory Development Communication theory to impact assessment fosters active community involvement and empowerment. Shifting from top-down to bottom-up approaches, where local communities design and assess indicators using their local resources, skills, and knowledge, is vital for sustainable development. This enables them to drive decision making and effect change. This was recommended by a paper by Nguyen and colleagues, published in the Australian National University’s (AUN) The Development Bulletin. The

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is utilizing drones to revolutionize rice farming in countries in the Asia-Pacific region like India and the Philippines, reports ComDev Asia. In recent years, drone technology has garnered significant attention in the agriculture sector due to its potential to boost efficiency and productivity amidst growing challenges and threats. Drones are now being used for various critical farming tasks, including automated seeding, real-time crop health

In Upper West Ghana, Africa, farmer social groups play a crucial role in fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among local farmers. A 2024 paper by Kwapong and colleagues highlighted how these groups, coupled with participatory video (PV), serve as effective agents for raising awareness, facilitating learning, and promoting the adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices. By integrating farmers’ perspectives on CSA innovations through PV and collective knowledge-sharing, the

Participatory research approaches typically foster intrinsic motivation, but in four Tanzanian villages, innovative methods and facilitator reflexivity did not immediately yield active engagement. A study by Richardson and colleagues revealed that four years of transactional relations, where villagers were paid to participate in agricultural research for development (AR4D) projects, had created a deep-seated, problematic pattern. This pattern emerged from a setup where gatekeepers, often government workers, invited select villagers, offering

Climate change has directly affected traditional farming practices around the world. Historical rain patterns have become irregular, which has impacted planting and harvesting decisions. These complexities caused by climate change have led rural farmers in Senegal to adopt digital technologies.  In 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a project called Agricultural Services and Digital Inclusion in Africa (ASDIA). Funded through Flexible Voluntary Contribution, ASDIA