Role of Grassroots
Communication
in Livelihood Campaign
Communication for Development
Communication for
development has emerged as an integral part of the development process.
It is about engagement where all the participants are key members in the
development process and not mere spectators. Communication for
development works on two approaches - ‘communication for results’ and
‘communication of results’.
‘Communication for results’ is about designing and implementing
strategies to influence change in a desired direction and for that there
is need to understand the socio-economic and cultural practices of the
communities and also the triggers than can influence behaviour change
and how to use those triggers effectively to bring about change.
‘Communication of result’ approach is used by many organisations to
scale up development initiatives that have proved to be successful using
various communication mediums.
The mediums
used in both cases vary from films to street plays, community radio etc.
Livelihoods
in India
The Indian
economy recorded a fairly high GDP growth rate of 7.2% during 1998-2008.
However, this high rate of GDP growth has not translated into inclusive
livelihood opportunities for the rural poor. Actually, it adversely
impacted the rural poor due to various structural changes in the last
ten years. The share of primary sector in GDP declined from 26% to 17.5%
between 1998 and 2008, even as the share of rural population, which was
dependent on this sector remained the same. This has adversely impacted
the livelihood of 98 million small and marginal farm households1.
It is
important to ensure that those who remain in agriculture are made as
efficient and competitive as possible. It is equally important to
promote occupational mobility of the rural poor, which is dependent on
agriculture and allied activities to attain more gainful non-farm
enterprises or employment. Linking communities with information and
knowledge about the possible diverse economic opportunities is critical
in improving their access to viable sustainable livelihood options.
Development
Alternatives’ Strategy
Over the
last three decades, Development Alternatives has designed and
implemented communication strategies on various issues to bring about
development changes in the communities. The organisation uses both
‘communication for results’ and ‘communication of results’ as part of
it’s strategy.
Livelihood
Campaign
Bundelkhand
region, comprising of 13 districts (7 in Uttar Pradesh and 6 in Madhya
Pradesh) in Central India is one of the most backward regions figuring
low on most development indicators. Mainly dependent on agriculture,
frequent incidence of drought and rising input costs are pushing
agricultural labourers and small farmers out of agriculture. The
majority of rural households in most parts of Bundelkhand rely on income
from annual or seasonal migration for work.
The
communities are poorly linked to other sources of sustainable
livelihoods - both on farm and off farm and enterprise based
livelihoods. Capacity building on livelihood options can play a critical
role in addressing this issue and facilitate linking communities to
viable sustainable livelihood options appropriate for the region.
Grassroots community based organisations could play a critical role in
engaging with communities to understand their issues and challenges and
link them to experts for addressing their concerns.
An approach
of capacity building for effective communication and outreach to local
communities was used to address the above challenges in partnership with
six community based organisations (CBOs) in Bundelkhand. In remote rural
areas, community radio is often the only medium available, which is
listened to by a large population. Thus, community radio was chosen as
the prime tool under the overall communication strategy of the campaign.
A total of
210 communication packages (35 communication packages with each of the
six CBOs) were developed. These included messages about the need to
diversify livelihoods, potential opportunities and also bank linking
process for credit/loans, linkages to government and private training
centres for enrolment under various training schemes etc. available in
the region.
These
communication modules / packages have been disseminated in the five
districts (Ashoknagar, Tikamgarh, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Lalitpur)
reaching a population of approximately 12,00,000 through diverse
outreach tools such as community radio programmes, community melas,
street theatre, folk songs, storytelling and wall paintings. The audio
modules have further been used for direct discussion through narrow
casting of community radio programmes followed by facilitated Focus
Group Discussion sessions between the community and the experts.
The outcome
of this dissemination is now being studied and feedback is being
collected to understand how the community has used the information, what
are the new demands for knowledge and whether the intervention has
catalysed action on new livelihood creation. While some anecdotal
evidence is already available regarding knowledge about credit
facilities, enabling an entrepreneur to seek loan and set up a
donna-pattal (leaf and paper plates) production enterprise; a systematic
feed-back collection is now being initiated.
The current
findings from community feedback indicate an increased interest in
setting up own enterprises. A large number of questions revolve around
government training and support schemes, job fairs and bank linkages.
■
Shivani Sharma
ssharma2@devalt.org
Endnote
1http://www.skillingindia.com/thought-tree/interviews/creating-sustainable-livelihoods-for-the-rural-poor?print=1
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