As mentioned in the post KM Impact Challenge: Some examples for research communications, InsightShare and IIED worked together recently in an action research project called CBAA: Community-Based Adaptation in Africa. As a way to support internal learning, inform the action research, pilot projects and amplify the community voices in relation to adaptation to climate change, the programme incorporated the use of participatory video for monitoring and evaluation – M&E.

Participatory Video is a set of techniques to involve a group or community in shaping and creating their own film. The idea behind this is that making a video is easy and accessible, and is a great way of bringing people together to explore issues. Participatory Video is a tool that has the power to mobilize a community whilst simultaneously documenting the dynamic process of community research, analysis and change. The videos themselves provide a channel through which local knowledge and experience can be shared with diverse stakeholders.

CBAA decided to use participatory video for M&E to enable the communities to record the impacts of climate change and the local adaptation knowledge using their own words and voices. In addition to amplifying community voices, enhancing accountability and providing the programme with rich qualitative information, it strengthened communication between researchers, NGOs, communities, and policy makers at national and international levels.

The films allowed the NGOs and researchers to share lessons on community-based adaptation to a wide audience. The films from Kenya and Zimbabwe were screened in Copenhagen for COP15 where representatives of those NGO’s were present and taking part in the wider conference. This helped them showcase their adaptation activities and share the climate related issues to an international audience. On a national level, the films were used with decision makers to draw their attention to the importance of climate adaptation.

Here you can access more information on the case study.

By Soledad Muniz