ComDev Stories

New mobile application launched to combat Fall Armyworm in Africa

The Fall Armyworm Monitoring and Early Warning System (FAMEWS) mobile app has recently been launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to combat Fall Armyworm in Africa. Through the application, farmers, agricultural workers, and other partners can “identify, report the level of infestation, and map the spread of this destructive insect, as well as describe its natural enemies and the measures that are most effective in managing it” (FAO, 2018).  “The

Radio Krishi gets government support for expansion

Krishi Radio, the first government-run community radio in Amtali, Barguna, will soon be housed in its new building, complete with new set of equipment and facilities. This was disclosed by the Agriculture Information Service, the unit in the Department of Agricultural Extension, that directly manages the radio station. By early 2019, a three-storey building will be constructed to replace the old one. It will house the radio station, production rooms,

Unraveling C4D trends in Europe

(Written by Dr. Cleofe S. Torres)So how does C4D as practiced in Europe look like? Dr. Sarah Cardey, associate professor and Director of the Graduate Institute for International Development, Agriculture and Economics at University of Reading in UK, gave an interesting talk on the topic. Cardey tackled the question by focusing on four areas of discussion: EU and its rural development policy, cases of ICTs in rural development, issues, and the

Challenging the Role of Community Radio in Climate Change

“As a mass medium at the local level, community radios can provide the link between community and science.” This was emphasized by Ajaya Dixit, Executive Director of the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET) in Nepal during his discussion on climate change and disaster resilience among community radio broadcasters, community media practitioners, and representatives of farmer organizations from South Asia.   Dixit advised the community radio stations that when they try

Why Capacity Development?

Professor Helen Hambly-Odame and Winifredo B. Dagli of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development of the University of Guelph discuss capacity development and the levels of change at which it operates in their paper titled “Why Capacity Development?”  The authors also feature three case stories on capacity development in rural communication and development. In particular, the article presents the following cases: “Piloting and Up-Scaling Effective Models of Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural

UPLB Devcom students take FAO e-learning course

To further enhance their knowledge and skills in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of distance learning systems for various stakeholders, senior BS Development Communication (BSDC) students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños participated in the FAO e-learning course on Communication for Rural Development. As part of the requirements in their DEVC 145 course (Distance Learning Systems in Development) for Academic Year 2017-2018, BSDC students are expected to

Will Eating Green, Vegetarian and Vegan Really Save the World?

Eating green is one of the most championed ways of saving the planet. After all, if we don’t consume as mauch meat, we all stand to benefit from quite a few upsides and one of those distinct upsides is the fact that food shortage wouldn’t be as much of an issue. We ought to ask ourselves if that’s is true. There are many surveys to suggest that this is true.

ComDev Asia Holds Communication Training on DRM for Resilient Agriculture

The ComDev Asia Initiative organized the training-workshop on communication planning for community radio focusing on disaster risk management (DRM) towards resilient family farming and rural livelihoods.  It was held from November 1-3, 2017 in Kathmandu, Nepal, with 18 participants representing community radio, community media organizations and farmer groups. Participants came from five South Asian countries, namely: Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Nepal.   As participants themselves acknowledged, the event was

LGUs boost Comdev efforts to clean up Manila Bay, Philippines

In a bid to hasten restoring life to Manila Bay, a historic landmark in the Philippines, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) organized four batches of training workshops on ComDev planning last June and July 2017. Through the Manila Bay Clean Up, Rehabilitation and Preservation Program (MBCRPP), 250 staff from Regional Project Management teams, 5 provincial offices, 1 highly urbanized city, and 94 towns and cities in Metro

Sarawak Communication for Development Centre to promote "data-driven thinking"

The Sarawak Development Institute (SDI), in collaboration with the College of Development Communication (CDC), University of the Philippines Los Baños, has set up the Sarawak Communication for Development Centre (SCDCentre). The SCDCentre aims to provide capacity building on strategic communication planning for its stakeholders that include grassroots leaders, civil servants, and members and/or volunteers of community organizations. In addition, the SCDCentre is being positioned to play a significant role in