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> you are here: In the Field | Notes to accompany series | |||||
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In the Field is a collaboration between the BBC World Service and the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich, supported by the Rural Livelihoods Department of the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID) The programmes were first broadcast between 3rd January and 21st March 2001.
Introduction The aim of `In the Field' is to bring to life and showcase innovative approaches to improving poor people's livelihoods, drawing on projects which have successfully tackled problems which are both locally and globally relevant. Almost all of the projects drawn on are funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), mainly through the Renewable Natural Resources Research Programme. In all but one of the projects, the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich is a research partner. NRI collaboration on the series, and these notes, have been made possible through funding from DFID's Rural Livelihoods Department. Each radio programme has at its core interviews with local people who tell us about how a particular livelihood problem has affected them and how it has been tackled. These interviews were mostly carried out by NRI staff, who, after basic training at the BBC, went out into the field as `barefoot reporters' armed with Sony Walkman Professional tape recorders. It is through the ready co-operation of NRI staff and their in-country collaborators that it has been possible to make most of the programmes in the radio series and to put together these notes. In addition to sections on each of the programme, these notes contain two sections which focus on issues basic to the holistic Sustainable Livelihoods approach to development which has been adopted by DFID in recent years - Access to Livelihood Assets and Vulnerability, Complexity and Diversification. These sections link closely to the sections on the programmes themselves, showing how the case studies looked at in the programmes exemplify the issues discussed. A printed copy of these notes, in a form of an attractive booklet, is available free of
charge - please click the link above to request this. It is envisaged that together, the
radio programmes and the notes may be useful in teaching at various levels. With this in
mind, recordings of the programmes as well as the notes will be made available to
institutions and organisations which intend to use the material in teaching or training.
The programmes will also be made available by the BBC for rebroadcasting. Up In The Airwaves, Down on The Ground This collaboration with NRI was an example of how we are trying to make programming more relevant, with its feet firmly placed "on the ground" - or in this case, In the Field. First, by working in partnership with an educational institution such as NRI we hope the radio series will have practical educational applications, and will be used by teachers and professionals around the world. Second, by pooling resources with NRI and DFID we have been able to offer In the Field in various forms - radio, online, and through this booklet. Third, we hope we are beginning to offer our audiences a little bit more of a "learning journey" - the opportunity not just to hear the series, but to find out more about issues of the land and sustainable livelihoods, to take this interest further through educational institutions, and perhaps to take initiatives at a local level. We are excited about the possibility of developing more partnerships of this kind, and
welcome your comments and ideas about this approach. The series "In the Field" has given researchers from NRI and our partners in developing countries the opportunity to share with a world-wide audience the lessons arising from our work in some of the poorest communities of the world. People's participation is an underlying principle in NRI's approach,and each programme shares experiences of working together with local people to find sustainable ways to improve the contribution made by natural resources to their livelihoods. The programmes show the important synergy between local experience and specialist knowledge. Local people tell their own stories, illustrating the many complex ways in which they combine limited assets to make a living, adapt to changes in their environment, cope with crises and take advantage of new opportunities. Examples are given of ways in which the results of research and development work on natural resource related problems have helped to sustain agricultural production and the environment, reduce poor people's vulnerability, and improve health, income and well being. In other cases, research has helped to clarify complex policy issues, concerning access to resources, opportunities for diversification and fair returns for products. It is hoped that the series will, through promoting greater awareness and learning,
encourage individuals, communities, local leaders and policymakers alike to reflect,
debate and act upon the issues raised, for the benefit of poor people. Communication and access to knowledge are important issues for poor people. If they are to improve their livelihoods, the world's poor will need to build on their strengths and take advantage of opportunities in new and often innovative ways. Developing a shared understanding of specific issues facing individuals and how, when combined with pro-poor policy, processes and institutions, research and technology can improve livelihoods, is vital. Poor, illiterate communities often rely on broadcasting to stimulate their awareness of good practice and change. DFID therefore welcomes and supports this BBC World Service/Natural Resources Institute initiative and acknowledges the huge scope for many to learn that is offered by the widespread reach of the World Service. We hope that the livelihoods principles used to guide development of DFID activities,
such as those presented by this series, will help make a positive difference to poor
people and will play an important part in achieving the International Development Targets,
particularly that of halving by 2015 the proportion of the world's poor living in absolute
poverty.
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