ComDev library

Final Report- Virtual Consultation on Communication for Development, Community Media and ICTs for Family Farming and Rural Development in Asia-Pacific
Brief and reports

From August 25th to September 12th, the Food and Agriculture Organization, in collaboration with the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) hosted a regional virtual consultation on Communication for Development, community media and ICTs for family farming and rural development in Asia.    Participants were invited to share their ideas and opinions and most of all, to help in forging the way forward for Communication for rural development in the region.  This is the consultation

Application of ICTs for Climate Adaptation in the Water Sector: Developing Country Experiences
Case studies

[2012] Adaptation to contexts of water stress is often a mix of climate-consequential responses and responses to social, economic, political and cultural fluxes. Information and communications technologies (ICTs) have proven useful in tailoring responses to situations arising out of the climate-water nexus in the developing world. ICTs are increasingly being adopted as key tools for data collection, decision support and improved communication networks. This publication brought out by the International

Comunicación para el Desarrollo. Experiencias y Enfoques en Uruguay
Case studies

[2011] This publication summarizes the unique experience of the community listeners’ clubs set up in Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo by FAO-Dimitra, a participatory information and communication project which contributes to improving the visibility of rural populations, women in particular. The first chapter offers a brief overview of the community listeners’ clubs, their goals and internal functioning and the results achieved. The second chapter tells the story of

Comunicación para el Desarrollo ante los Desafíos del Cambio Climático, Manejo de Recursos Naturales, Gestión del Riesgo y Seguridad Alimentaria
Brief and reports

[2009] This report synthesizes the experiences shared by over 150 participants in a virtual consultation on the potential and role of communication applied to issues such as climate change, natural resource management, risk reduction and food security, with a special focus on the Latin American context. The virtual consultation, held in June-July 2008, was organised by the FAO Communication for Sustainable Development Initiative (CSDI), in collaboration with Onda Rural, the

Advancing Adaptation through Communication for Development
Brief and reports

[2010] This document contains the proceedings of a technical session on Communication held at the Third International Workshop on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) to Climate Change (February 2009 Dhaka, Bangladesh). The main purpose of the session was to assess and fully illustrate the role of ComDev in expanding the scope for stakeholders’ participation, dialogue, and decision making. CSDI specialists shared their field experiences and discussed findings on good practices in the

World Congress on Communication for Development. Lessons, Challenges and the Way Forward
Brief and reports

[2006] The first World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD) took place in Rome, Italy, on October 25–27, 2006 and was organized by FAO, the World Bank, and The Communication Initiative. It was an unprecedented opportunity to gather three types of stakeholders who rarely interact: academics, practitioners, and policy and decision makers. The interaction and exchange of perspectives among these three groups served to enhance the overall understanding of the

At the Heart of Change. The Role of Communication in Sustainable Develompent
Brief and reports

[2007] In this publication, Panos London sets out its view on the role of communication in long-term, sustainable development. It argues that a holistic approach would facilitate the formation of open societies where information and communication processes are ‘public goods’ that benefit all citizens and maximise the impact of development. The paper explores the roles that information and communication processes play in all of the key elements that foster development:

FAO Expert Consultation on ComDev: Meeting Today's Agriculture and Rural Development Challenges
Brief and reports

[2012] The Expert Consultation on ‘Communication for Development: meeting today’s agricultural and rural development challenges’ took place in September 2011 at FAO headquarters. It brought together 32 international ComDev experts, scholars and representatives from rural development agencies, NGOs, national institutions and donors to assess the role of ComDev in relation to emerging challenges, and to identify priorities and strategic initiatives for contributing to agricultural and sustainable development.  Throughout the three-day

The New Age of Radio. How ICTs are Changing Rural Radio in Africa
Case studies

[2011] Despite rapid gains in information and communications technology (ICT) worldwide, radio stations in Africa have largely not had access to integrated mobile phone technology, desktop editing, portable recording, computers, or access to the internet. As part of a 42-month action research program called The African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI), Farm Radio International (FRI) partnered with 25 radio stations in five African countries to implement a series of ICT

Sustainable Development Content for Community Radio Stations in Africa
Case studies

[2004] Community radio is based on the principles of community development and community participation. Therefore the main commitment and mandate for community radio stations is to actively involve community members and ensure programming on themes that will contribute to the development of the communities they serve. This report, published by AMARC and Panos, is an account of data/information collected from community radio stations in Africa to assess their experiences with