Scientific animations to complement the dissemination of agricultural technologies, innovations and management practices in the SADC region

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), in partnership with Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO), hosted a regional workshop on innovative dissemination of resilience enhancing agricultural technologies, innovations and management practices in the SADC region. The workshop, which was held from 20 to 24 May 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa was attended by CCARDESA Focal Point Persons responsible for Information, Communication and Knowledge Management (ICKM) in the different SADC Member States.

This workshop was supported by the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP) for Eastern and Southern Africa, an initiative funded by the World Bank. CCARDESA is implementing the regional component of FSRP, which aims at increasing resilience of food systems and preparedness against food insecurity in FSRP participating countries. Among others, CCARDESA is compiling a regional compendium of improved agricultural technologies, innovations and management practices with proper guidance for easy adoption across the region.

“CCARDESA has developed a compendium of Technologies, Innovations and Management Practices (TIMPS), but focusing on those generated by countries implementing programmes/projects that are coordinated by CCARDESA. For example, this was the case with APPSA phase 1 and the current phase 2. However, because of our regional mandate, we ought to focus on the entire region, and not a selected few countries. This workshop is, therefore, the first step towards addressing that anomaly”, emphasized Dr Majola L Mabuza, APPSA_FSRP Regional Coordinator, in his opening remarks, which he made on behalf of the CCARDESA Executive Director, Prof Cliff Dlamini.

The conventional methods of sharing agricultural related TIMPs with farmers such as the traditional extension approach, is often challenged by the overstretched availability of resources including lack of enough extension personnel, despite being the most common approach. With the increasing penetration of digital innovations such as mobile phones, e-extension is consistently becoming indispensable.

In February 2024, CCARDESA signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with SAWBO to fast-track the dissemination of improved technologies across the region based on the long experience of this programme in delivering agricultural research knowledge products to extension personnel and farmers. SAWBO is a global initiative, led by Professors currently based at Purdue University in the United States of America, that produces two to three minutes 2D and 3D animations of peer reviewed scientific content for extension to benefit a wider audience in their own language.

“Although we are based at Purdue University, in the United States, SAWBO is a global community of practice, a system of sharing knowledge. In the past 12 years of this programme, we have worked with numerous scientists around the world amongst which translated our animations into different local languages. Even though I am an academic professionally, I understand the challenges of taking this great scientific knowledge generated by experts, and putting it into appropriate formats so that it can be easily understood by everyone”, remarked Prof Barry Pittendrigh from Purdue University who is also the co-Director of SAWBO.

Dr Barry Pittendrigh, SAWBO Co-Director in his opening remarks

In the workshop, CCARDESA ICKM Focal Point Persons in attendance were given an opportunity to present different TIMPs promoted in their countries. These will form part of the second edition of the Regional Compendium of Agricultural Technologies which is currently being compiled by CCARDESA. It is worth noting that, the first edition was released in 2020 focusing only on technologies generated under APPSA phase 1. This activity was the first step towards developing an encompassing SADC Regional Compendium of Agricultural Technologies which will then be available for use by all Member States and beyond.

The Regional Compendium of Technologies will be the main source of content for future animations for SAWBO, working in collaboration with CCARDESA. Hence, in the workshop, CCARDESA ICKM Focal Point Persons were exposed to concepts of script development and voice-overs to equip them with appropriate techniques to translate animated videos into local languages.