Communicating about Community-Based Adaptation at global, regional, national and local levels is the key theme of the 6th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) that will take place from the 16-22 of April, 2012 in Vietnam.

The conference aims to bring stakeholders and practitioners together in order to share and discuss CBA experience in developing countries and capture the latest learning and good practices, particularly from Vietnam. The objective is to integrate lessons learnt into national and international development programmes to enhance the adaptive capacity and improve the livelihoods of the most vulnerable groups in developing countries.

The event includes field visits to see how communities in different ecosystems have adapted to climate change, followed by 3 days of interactive and plenary discussions in Hanoi. The topics addressed will include, among others: communicating about CBA; water resources; biodiversity and forests; food and agriculture; disaster risk reduction/management; gender equality and integration; vulnerable communities and indigenous people; information, knowledge, education and awareness for CBA.

Updates of the conference will be available through blogs, twitter and other social media. More information including registration, conference agenda and highlights from past editions is available on IIED website.

FAO ComDev team and the College of Development Communication (CDC-UPLB) jointly developed a 'Communication for Rural Development Sourcebook'compiling a full set of guidelines, methodologies and tips for applying communication to bring about social change tackling rural development issues.

Who's for

Communication practitioners, development professionals and field workers engaged in FAO projects and other rural development initiatives dealing with natural resource management, food security and nutrition, agricultural innovation, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and management, among others.

In particular ComDev trainers and facilitators will find the sourcebook useful for developing ad hoc training programmes to enhance the communication skills of field workers and rural communities. 

Objectives

The main goal is to enable learners to design and implement locally relevant and sustainable communication strategies combining participatory methods with appropriate communication processes and tools. The sourcebook aims to develop the following capacities:

1. Understanding ComDev as it applies to agriculture and rural development issues.
2. Identifying the phases and steps in communication planning for development.
3. Conducting situational analysis and participatory communication appraisal in the field.
4. Developing a workable communication strategy and plan of action.
5. Facilitating multistakeholder dialogue and collaboration to successfully implement ComDev activities.
6. Designing, pre-testing, producing and using multimedia ComDev materials.
7. Assessing the results of ComDev initiatives and promoting long-term sustainability.

Content overview

The sourcebook consists of 7 modules:

Module 1. introduction to ComDev planning
Module 2. Participatory communication appraisal
Module 3. Designing the ComDev strategy and plan
Module 4. Implementing the ComDev plan
Module 5. Participatory message and materials development
Module 6. Assessing results and fostering sustainability
Module 7. Applying ComDev to rural development challenges

In addition, a practical Guide to ComDev Training contains tips for planning and delivering effective ComDev training using the Sourcebook, including how to tailor-fit the content to stakeholders’ learning needs and practical aspects such as venue, duration, training methods or learning aids.