Agricultural research institutions must improve how they communicate the benefits of agricultural science investment. This was the thinking driving the recent WorldFish sponsorship of two institutions to attend a recent Crawford Fund communications master class.
WorldFish sponsored two senior science managers from Philippines-based partner organizations to attend the Crawford Fund's "Communicating Research to Stakeholders" 6-day course in Thailand:
• Dr. Della Grace Galope-Bacaltos from the Southern Philippines Agri-business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST)
• Dr. Alice Joan de la Gente Ferrer from the Integrated Coastal Management Program Division of Social Sciences at University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV).
The courses aim to help science and research staff communicate their findings more effectively. Content includes both practical and theoretical instruction on: developing a suitable communication plan; key communication tools; and how to work with journalists, including interview and presentation skills.
"The training was awesome! I really learned a lot. The communication planning and the effective ways to express and organize the research results and implications in fact sheets, media releases and policy briefs were the most useful aspects for me”. (Dr. Della Grace Galope-Bacaltos.)
“It brought home the point that there is more to publishing than getting research results into journals, They must be communicated to the users of the information to make them useful. University of the Phillippines Visayas does not have an office tasked to communicate research to stakeholders, and it is left to us personally to make it happen. The training certainly enhanced my capability to communicate my research to stakeholders”. (Dr. Alice Joan de la Gente Ferrer.)
The Crawford Fund is a non-profit nongovernmental organization that works to raise awareness of the benefits to Australia and developing countries from international agricultural research, commissions studies on research policy and practice, and arranges specialist training activities for developing country scientists.
For further information about Crawford Fund master classes, check www.crawfordfund.org/training/master-classes
About WorldFish
WorldFish, a member of the CGIAR Consortium, is an international, nonprofit research organization committed to reducing poverty and hunger through fisheries and aquaculture.
About CGIAR
CGIAR is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by the 15 research centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations.
For more information or request for interview:
CGIAR/WorldFish
Contact: Toby Johnson, Senior Media Relations Manager
Mobile tel: +60 175 124 606
Email: t.johnson@cgiar.org
Web: worldfishcenter.org
Photography: flickr.com/photos/theworldfishcenter/