Infomediaries as complementary knowledge channels of climate-smart agriculture in the Philippines

Four key findings can be drawn from this scoping study: (1) all sites are situated in agricultural communities where rice is widely grown along with other crops; (2) almost all (99%) of the students surveyed are aware of climate change and its possible impacts on rice; (3) schools are rated as primary sources of information on CSA (Sig 2-tailed t=0.05) with the teachers as champions; and (4) instances of adoption of CSA practices have been documented. As regards the first finding, this means that this project, being focused on CSA, is rightly located. This is an important point as location specificity and relevance are among the key considerations for climate change adaptation initiatives to be successful. The second point takes this initiative to the next level as it informs that the direction must shift to how to translate awareness to tangible actions as stand-alone climate change awareness campaigns are inadequate to move people to action. The key, therefore, is to reflect on how platforms for youth engagement to serve as infomediaries on CSA can be optimized to yield the best results. The third finding establishes that efforts to engage the schools, with the teachers as champions, are leading to the right direction. Hence, the discourse should move to how the teachers can best be capacitated so they can address the “adaptation deficit” on CSA. The fourth finding is among the raison d ‘etre of this initiative. Albeit on a small scale, instances of adoption of some CSA practices have taken place. Hence, this initiative must now focus on investigating, which prompted the adoption so this can be massively replicated in other sites where these technologies seem fit

Mobilizing young people as climate-smart agriculture infomediaries: What do we know?

While efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change have generally increased, the impression is that there is a negligible effort to include the vulnerable areas on the agenda. This paper seeks to fill in the gap by presenting an agricultural extension mechanism to tap high school students as information providers of climate-smart rice agriculture information in their rice-farming communities. This paper looks at the characteristics of the high school students who served as infomediaries as well as their information sources and perceptions on climate change; the best teaching media that can be used; and the infomediation pathways that can be drawn from this initiative. Two survey rounds, 2014 (n=) and 2015(n=), were used as data sources. Focus group discussions and interviews were also conducted. Chi-square tests were also employed. Data show that females are more likely to be infomediaries than males. Schools serve as the primary sources of information on climate change, and students generally equate climate change to extreme weather events such as drought. Various teaching media explored seem to be useful in various development contexts. Teachers are seen as the champions of this initiative. Hence, this initiative rests heavily on the extent of capacity enhancement that can be extended to the teachers so they are in a better position to train their students in the future