"FAO and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Territory have agreed to a joint initiative named Communication for Sustainable Development Initiative (CSDI) to strengthen national efforts in the applications of ComDev approaches and strategies to sustainable development policies and programmes, as
...
well as to food security and rural livelihoods. Special attention is given to the application of ComDev activities and initiatives to climate change adaptation in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors and in sustainable natural resources management. Within this framework, CSDI fielded two missions in Bangladesh to support FAO Livelihood Adaptation to Climate Change (LACC) project, which is currently in its second phase. Particularly, two consultants in Communication and in ICT for Development and Environment visited LACC stakeholders at both national and local levels. This was done to systematize lessons learned on the role of communication within project activities as well as to design a proposal for an ad hoc ComDev and ICT component for the next phase of the Project." (Introduction, page 1)
more
"This evaluation of Andrew Lees Trust’s Projet Radio (ALT/PR) in Southern Madagascar examines the impact of radio broadcasts on audience knowledge and attitudes relating to certain MDGs. It finds that the project is achieving some notable success in changing and enhancing knowledge and attitudes o
...
n topics including HIV/AIDS, family planning, mother and child health, environmental issues, social and administrative issues and gender inequality. Radio is also having a positive impact on uptake of health services, enrolment in literacy classes, construction of environmentally-friendly woodstoves, tree-planting, agricultural yields, and awareness of strategies for poverty reduction through incomegeneration and community associations. This evaluation looks at ALT/PR’s methods and organisation and finds many advantages to its particular three-way process of working. This involves radio stations, communities and local service-providers in a mutually advantageous partnership for the production, distribution and broadcasting of radio programmes. The provision of radio-sets to listening groups appears to be a very successful strategy, and our surveys show a high level of commitment and enthusiasm on the part of listeners, especially women. The ability of radio to scale-up and extend the on-the-ground work of local service-providers emerges quite clearly. Our study also looks at challenges that ALT/PR has tackled and, in some cases, is still facing. These are challenges involving management and networking in what is a particularly poor and disadvantaged area. The project still faces issues relating to ensuring its radio programmes are consistently and truly participative. Demand for its services is high and there is a risk of staff becoming over-stretched, particularly for senior management. ALT/PR is demonstrably cost effective and has a good local reputation, but fundraising continues to be a time-consuming preoccupation. ALT/PR is already tackling the major long-term challenge of sustaining the networking mechanism it has set up, and we highlight some encouraging signs of sustainability." (Abstract)
more