As a communicator for development (ComDev) in the broad science of Agriculture and related fields, differently I am celebrating May as The Month for Farmers & Fishers. As my photograph above indicates, we must collectively work towards farmers & fishers having happy children, not necessarily feeling rich but feeling happy!
I am celebrating by way of this acronym:
Appropriate ways & means.
Greens.
Research continuing.
Information from practices.
Cooperative.
Unselfish & unsung.
Learning for everyone.
Technical knowledge.
Understanding needs.
Relationships cultivated.
Ecology & economics.
A.G.R.I.C.U.L.T.U.R.E. – 11 letters taken not as separate parts but a whole-in-one, the components making a complete package.
Appropriate ways & means.
Methods or manners must be shown to be technologically feasible as well as economically viable as well as environmentally sound as well as socially acceptable. Climate-smart as well as client-smart. Organic farmingis one such complete package. Some tools and techniques fail to satisfy those 4 requirements that must always come together. There are many breakthroughs but only few great-throughs.
Greens.
Appropriate food crops for humans and animals. They must be grown in environment-friendly ways, not contributing to the pollution of bodies. Organic agriculture is black, but I see it as the one to grow the greens.
Research continuing.
For new or improved ways & means. But in the end, any of those new or improved ways or means must prove to be Appropriate (see above).
Information from practices. Feedback from the field is important, nay necessary.
Cooperative spirit. As we are witnessing today, cooperative agriculture is the Name of the Game where everyone wins! In a cooperative, you compete for people, not against.
Unselfish & unsung. No, the medium is not the message. Yes, the medium and message in one is what is important, not the messenger.
Learning for everyone. There is always room for improvement or advancement in whatever one is doing.
Technical knowledge. What research brings out is technical in language. So that a 3rd year high schooler can understand and explain to the father farmer who happens to be illiterate, the need for science to be translated into popular language cannot be over-emphasized.
Understanding needs. Everyone concerned must be aware and take to heart Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs.”
Relationships cultivated. Progress is best achieved when people and positions come together for one common goal. The title of my new blog tells us with whatand how to do – Towards Organic Cooperative Agriculture.
Economics: In the end, it must redound to the good of everyone in society. In agriculture, that especially concerns the poor farmers and fishers whom we must assist to rise from poverty and stay up there!
Yes, ComDev (communication for development) is my extension model, not DevCom (development communication). With acronym sharply contrasting, in 1980 I invented ComDev as a contradistinctive choice for encouraging people to adopt new or improved technologies or systems – while DevCom is content with one or two stories related, ComDev is a series of related stories cultivating belief and acceptance – such as via this blog.
Campaigning for A.G.R.I.C.U.L.T.U.R.E., give me ComDev anytime!@517
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