A 2013 study conducted in Vietnam’s Northwest Highlands highlights the importance of holistic impact assessment for connecting agricultural research to development outcomes. This approach is facilitated by participatory development communication, which empowers farmers as information sharers and co-researchers, rather than mere information providers and field workers.

In the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, impact assessments for agricultural research follow a standard top down oriented communication approach. Most research projects prioritize the goals and interests of donor institutions or the government rather than that of the communities. As a result, the farmers are not involved.

Applying Participatory Development Communication theory to impact assessment fosters active community involvement and empowerment. Shifting from top-down to bottom-up approaches, where local communities design and assess indicators using their local resources, skills, and knowledge, is vital for sustainable development. This enables them to drive decision making and effect change.

A participatory impact assessment framework promotes stakeholder collaboration, enhances community engagement, and ensures high validity and reliability of findings. Moreover, it empowers local communities.

As suggested by the authors, a holistic framework including sustainable livelihood approaches, participatory impact assessment theories, and participatory development communication techniques can assess agricultural research’s impact on sustainable social change in diverse cultural contexts in Vietnam.

References

Nguyen, H.N., Nicetic, O., Hinthorne, L., & van de Fliert, E. (2013). Assessing the contribution of participatory approaches to sustainable impacts of agricultural research  for development in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam. Development Bulletin. (75). 89-91. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Huu_Nhuan_Nguyen/publication/266396086_Assessing_the_contribution_of_participatory_approaches_to_sustainable_impacts_of_agricultural_research_for_development_in_the_Northwest_Highlands_of_Vietnam/links/57c7e1bc08ae28c01d4f9481/Assessing-the-contribution-of-participatory-approaches-to-sustainable-impacts-of-agricultural-research-for-development-in-the-Northwest-Highlands-of-Vietnam.pdf 

Article contributed by Naomi Ida Marie C. De los Reyes, ComdevAsia/CCComdev intern