Written by: Anastasia Zammit, FAO
The Forum on Communication for Development and Community Media for Family Farming (FCCM) is set to take place over a two day period (October 23-24) at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, welcoming participants from farmer organizations, rural institutions, development agencies and civil society, amongst many others. With a great variety of rural stakeholders coming together, the Forum promises to be interactive, engaging and dynamic.
The numerous sessions will take a participatory approach, as welcoming speeches, presentations and closing remarks are scheduled from a variety of peers in the communication and rural development sectors. Day 1 will focus on ComDev practices and experiences, while Day 2 will focus more heavily on ComDev policy frameworks.
The FCCM aims to showcase the role of Communication for development (ComDev) methods and tools as a driver for innovation and family farmers’ participation in rural development strategies, to raise awareness about the potential of communication in agriculture and to identify opportunities, policy options and strategic initiatives to promote ComDev policies and services in support of family farming and rural development.
Please find the event agenda here below:
DAY 1- Thursday, October 23, 2014
ComDev for Family Farming: Contributions, Evidences and Perspectives
- Session 1- The Contribution of Communication for Development to Family Farming and Rural Development (Panel discussions; Farming for the future: rural communication services for family farming; Regional perspectives on ComDev, community media and ICTs for family farming: results of the consultative process; closing remarks)
- Session 2- The appropriation of communication by rural actors: experiences and evidences (Interactive showcase of ComDev experiences by different rural actors; Communication as an asset for agriculture and rural development; Community media and farmer-led communication; Institutional ComDev efforts; Investing in Rural Communication Services)
- Session 3- Reconciling the priorities: the need for communication policies to advance family farming (Panel discussions; Trends and issues in rural communication policies; Policy perspectives of different rural actors)
DAY 2- Friday, October 24, 2014
Towards Inclusive Rural Communication Services
- Session 4- Challenges, opportunities and options for rural communication services (Thematic presentations and facilitated discussion on Enabling policy/ institutional frameworks for rural communication services; Funding mechanisms, investment and public-private partnerships, Enhancing local capacities for inclusive demand-driven rural communication services)
- Session 5- Strategic initiatives for promoting rural communication services (Presentation of proposals for strategic initiatives and group discussion with reporting plenary)
The FCCM is expected to aid in reconciling the priorities of different stakeholders and to agree on priority follow-up actions and strategic initiatives for promoting rural communication services.
A detailed agenda of the event can be found in the FCCM Docs section of this page. Moreover, through webcast and @FAOComdev Twitter, the wider audience will be able to follow these discussions and contribute their inputs. To follow the event and share your views, don’t forget to use the hashtag #FCCM!