Survey Affirms the Value of Farmer Videos

Two dozen grantees responded to an online survey—administered by CCRP grantee Access Agriculture—about informational farmer videos produced by the CCRP. Fourteen respondents were from the Andes, eight from the East & Southern Africa regional community of practice (CoP), and two from the West Africa CoP, together representing roughly 25 percent of projects. Most respondents (80 percent) found the farmer videos useful or very useful; the rest had yet to watch them. Viewers shared the videos with more than 3,000 farmers and 150 institutions, and they reported watching the videos zero to 50 times. The survey results indicated that the most useful video topics were climate and weather; crop health; aflatoxin management and post-harvest; soil and water management; farmer associations and finances; livestock; and urban agriculture. Farmer motivation was the biggest takeaway after viewing, they said. Responding grantees reported appreciation for the way the videos explain research and share background information with communities. One in three said the videos give farmers useful new ideas for experiments.

Farmers in Chigani Alto, La Paz, Bolivia, watch a video screening hosted by Prosuco. (The window behind the audience shows a reflection of the image cast by the smart projector.)