In a move to provide timely assistance in ComDev to FAO country and regional programs, the Partnerships, Advocacy and Capacity Development Division (OPC) of FAO, Rome partners with academia members of the Global Research Initiative for Rural Communication (GRI-RC) in pushing for the placement of young Comdev specialists to serve as interns or volunteers.   

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Centre for High-level Studies on Communication in Latin America (CIESPAL) co-organized a special session during the IAMCR Conference in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, focusing on experience sharing and learning opportunities in the field of rural Communication for Development (ComDev).

A book documenting evidence-based evaluation approaches for Rural Communication Services (RCS) has been published recently by FAO. Entitled “Inclusive Rural Communication Services: Building Evidence, Informing Policy”, the book analyzes the methodologies used for assessing and documenting RCS as part of agricultural and rural development policies and programs in various parts of the world. Data were drawn from a compilation of 19 cases in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Carribean.