Asian Transformations in Action - Api-fellowships.org

192 COLLAGES OF BETTERMENTPublic discoursesSEARICE collaborates and shares information onfarmers’ rights issues with NGOs, academics andother civic groups at the local, national, regional andinternational levels. It also campaigns on the discourse offarmers’ rights to biodiversity resources with the publicthrough public forums, platforms for the discussion ofrelevant issues, and websites. There are many signs andslogans referring to the farmers’ rights discourse suchas, “Make organic food as your medicine.” Althoughthis slogan does not directly refer to farmers’ rightsand biodiversity, “organic food” refers to farmers andbiodiversity, while “your medicine” reflects the valueof plant varieties which farmers give to consumers.Therefore, the farmers’ rights discourse is legitimized byfarmer practice and consumer acceptance. This is oneexample of various slogans through which SEARICEtries to communicate the meaning of farmers’ rights tobiodiversity resources with the general public.However, both SEARICE’s collaborations and itscampaigns are limited to people associated with itsprogram partners and do not include the general public.SEARICE rarely releases its issues to the mass media orforms links with other networks around different issues.Thus, it does not widen public discourse on farmers’rights as it lacks a diversity of networks to support itscampaigns.Persuasive communicationPersuasive communication refers to specificcommunication with target groups in order to changetheir actions through slogans, exhibitions, and farmerfield schools. One of the slogans that SEARICEcommunicates with farmers is, “The seed of rice isthe seed of life.” This slogan aims to redefine “rice” as“life.” It means that farmers’ right to their life cannot beseparated from farmers’ right to their rice.SEARICE has succeeded in convincing its target groupfarmers to develop their own rice varieties. The persuasivecommunication of SEARICE is a crucial process, notonly for local practice, but also for policy participation.However, it cannot continue to develop this processand to make the farmer network push forward its ownpolicy at the national level by creating signs, slogans andother symbolic actions to present the specific meaningof farmers’ rights to each crucial group.Consciousness-raising during episodes of collective actionCommunity participation in activities aimed atdeveloping seed varieties is used to construct themeaning of farmers’ rights and to raise farmers’consciousness. SEARICE has used personal media, adialogue process, focus groups, trainings, and farmerfield schools to develop the skills and analyticalpotential of farmers. The signs or slogans about farmers’rights always emphasize the importance of empoweringfarmers’ confidence, potential and rights to developbiodiversity resources, such as, “You can develop yourown varieties.” or “Farmers are breeders.”The findings also show that the direct communityparticipation process is effective but it is not enough towiden the initiative. SEARICE should collaborate withthe local mass media, such as local radio, as a channelfor broader social mobilization by employing a learningprocess and giving useful information about farmers’rights to biodiversity resources. Whenever farmers openmore learning spaces by themselves, they can developtheir own meaning and progressively practice theirrights.Conditions for communication successInitiatives require an enabling environment to registersuccess. The success of the CBDC Bohol Projectcan be traced to a conscious identification of projectcomponents, selection of farmer-partners, enhancementof their status, establishment of an administrativestructure and the development of support networks.Appropriate components of the CBDC Bohol ProjectThe identification of target audiences is necessary forthe selection of appropriate communication methodsand message and is vital for successful communication.SEARICE clarifies its target groups at the communityand mainstream levels. Then it plans to use theappropriate channels with each target audience. Everyactivity is also based on participation and the exchangeof ideas.“…all activities which we have implemented in theproject are a campaign. At the local level, our style ofcampaign is to work with farmers through farmer fieldschools (FFS), among others, so that farmer partnerscan observe actual examples, adapt knowledge andknow how to implement techniques on their farm.We also conducted FFS, seminars and conferenceworkshops with municipal agricultural officers. Atthe regional level, we organized consultations andworkshops to build networks. Since ten years ago,we already worked and campaigned together withsome groups of farmers, NGOs and local governmentAsian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows