OECD Environmental Outlook for the Chemicals Industry doc

Major Findings on Environmental Communication Environmental Communication Com is the planned and strategic use Env-of communication processes andmedia products to support effectivepolicy

E n v i r o n m e n t a l

C o m m u n i c a t i o n

Applying Communication Tools

Towards Sustainable Development

1999

Working Paper

of the Working Party on Development Cooperation and Environment

© OECD 1999

Permission to reproduce a portion of this

work for non-commercial purposes

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All other applications for permission to

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5 Checklist for Environmental 39Communication in Projects

4 Annotated Internet Bibliography 41

4 Case Study Literature References 46

2

1

3 4

5 6

Contents

This paper was developed as a result

of several rounds of peer reviews of

specialists associated with the

Environmental Program – UNEP,

• Belgian Administration for

who, among others, were members

of the Interest Group on

Environmen-tal Communication of the

OECD-DAC Working Party on Development

Cooperation and Environment

5

Environmental Communication is theplanned and strategic use of commu-nication processes to support effec-tive policy-making and project imple-mentation geared towards environ-mental sustainability Despite its ac-knowledged impact, EnvironmentalCommunication is rarely integrated indevelopment cooperation programs

as a strategic tool For this reason, theDevelopment Assistance Commit-tee’s Working Party on DevelopmentCooperation and Environment estab-lished an Interest Group on Environ-mental Communication in 1997 towork on these issues The InterestGroup, with Germany in the lead,consisted of Canada, Belgium, Swe-den, UNEP, and IUCN

This working paper presents the finalresults of the Interest Group’s work.The document is envisioned as a toolfor policy-makers and planners toobtain an overview of the issues in-volved The hope of the InterestGroup is that this tool will quickly andconvincingly show how Environmen-tal Communication can become anintegrated component of policies andprojects, and thereby help ensure thatadequate human and financial re-sources are allocated to this end

Introduction

Executive Summary

Background

On the basis of Agenda 21, the DAChas declared environmental sustain-ability as one of its strategic goals in

‘Shaping the 21st Century: The ribution of Develoment Cooperation’

Con-Capacity development in ment (CDE) increasingly emerges as

environ-a key environ-approenviron-ach to this end, involvingmulti-faceted communication pro-cesses in inter-institutional coopera-tion, and interaction and consensusbuilding between a wide range ofactors However, many implement-ing agencies realize that environmen-tal projects and action plans oftenhave limited success because the in-novations and solutions they offer arenot fully ‘owned’ by the people con-cerned

Reasons for this limited success mayinclude basic constraints resultingfrom the way people think or behave:

• Assumptions on the part of ronmentalists believing thatscientific facts and ecologicalconcerns are convincing andcompelling on their own Howev-

envi-er, what affected people perceive

is influenced by emotions andsocialization, as well as by reasonand knowledge

• Inflated expectations that the

‘cognitive power’ of the word andthe image alone will solve a givenproblem By taking a shortcut from

‘Said’ to ‘Done!’, communicationbarriers are often disregarded

• Conflicts of interest which arefought by stakeholders, notnegotiated by ‘shareholders’

Confrontational approaches lead toone-way information disseminationdisregarding understanding, instead

Also, practical limitations arising fromthe absence of a communication strat-egy lead to shortcomings For exam-ple:

• A systematic and holistic nication strategy that takes intoaccount people’s perceptions andalso saves funds is rarely consid-ered - but it could determine thesuccess or failure of a project

commu-• Communication activities areoften conducted on an ad-hocand sporadic basis, mainly usingtop-down mass media whileneglecting public participation incommunity media

• Many decision-makers do notknow how to incorporate acommunication strategy in theirenvironmental project life cyclesand, hence, are not willing toinvest in this

Major Findings

on Environmental Communication

Environmental Communication Com) is the planned and strategic use

(Env-of communication processes andmedia products to support effectivepolicy making, public participationand project implementation gearedtowards environmental sustainability

Embedded in a well-defined nication strategy, EnvCom makes ef-ficient use of methods, instrumentsand techniques which are well estab-lished in development communica-tion, adult education, social market-ing, agricultural extension, public re-lations, non-formal training and oth-

1 - Executive Summary

A successful EnvComstrategy makes use ofStep-By-Step PlanningStage 1 AssessmentStage 2 PlanningStage 3 ProductionStage 4 Action &Reflection

EnvCom transforms the power

gen-erated by project managers and the

people concerned into action It

pro-vides the missing link between the

subject matter of environmental

is-sues and the related socio-political

processes of policy making and

pub-lic participation EnvCom is

intricate-ly related to education and training

activities, bridging ‘hard’ technical

know-how and ‘soft’ action-oriented

behavioral change

Communication will play a crucial role

throughout the policy and program life

cycle of recognizing - gaining control

over - solving - and maintaining

con-trol over an environmental problem

It is vital that policy-makers or

plan-ners realize that different actors are

involved at each stage, and that each

actor has different perceptions,

inter-ests and ‘hidden agendas’

Under-standing where the project is in its

progression from identification,

for-mulation, implementation and

man-agement is an essential basis for

de-termining which communication

in-struments should be used

Many planners tend to think that

pro-ducing posters and video films or

launching a mass media ‘campaign‘

is a solution to problems rooted in

environmentally unsustainable

prac-tices However, isolated products of

this type only have a chance of

suc-cess if they are integrated into a

com-prehensive communication strategy

which defines up-front for what

pur-pose and for whom information is

meant and how beneficiaries are

sup-posed to translate it into

communi-cation and action This can be

achieved by means of the systematic

‘10 Steps towards an Effective

Envi-ronmental Communication Strategy’

Knowing ‘what’ should be changedhas to be combined with ‘how’

change should be brought about

Lessons Learned from the Field

Empirical evidence from manyprojects around the world indicatethat environmental practitionersshould

• define EnvCom as an output

(supporting the goal of a project,e.g ”Information on EIA law

disseminated”) or an activity

(supporting the output of aproject, e.g ”Communicationstrategy on recycling developedwith relevant actors”),

• plan the communication strategyahead, taking research, continu-ous monitoring and evaluation,process documentation and anexit strategy seriously right fromthe beginning in project planning,

• start locally at a modest level, andlink issues raised, problemsaddressed and solutions proposed

to existing trends, services andpotentials, if possible by ‘piggy-backing’ on existing communica-tion channels (see p.35),

• make use of up-stream

compati-bility of media, e.g from theater

to video and from there to TV,

• diversify the operational levels,

e.g local theater, city per, and national radion and TV

newspa-(see p.31),

• use participatory approaches inmedia production, management,training etc to increase localownership and credibility and,hence, program effectiveness,significance and sustainability

What Environmental Communication is all about

Environmental Communication Com) is the planned and strategic use

(Env-of communication processes and dia products to support effective pol-icy making, public participation andproject implementation geared to-wards environmental sustainability It

me-is a two-way social interaction cess enabling the people concerned

pro-to understand key environmental tors and their interdependencies and

fac-to repond fac-to problems in a tent way EnvCom aims not so much

compe-at informcompe-ation dissemincompe-ation as compe-at ashared vision of a sustainable futureand at capacity building in socialgroups to solve or prevent environ-mental problems Embedded in awell-defined communication strate-

gy, EnvCom makes efficient use ofmethods, instruments and techniqueswhich are well established in devel-opment communication, adult edu-cation, social marketing, agriculturalextension, public relations, non-for-mal training, etc

EnvCom is closely related to mal environmental education (NFEE),i.e learning processes encompassingknowledge, values, socio-economicand technical skills related to proce-dures that facilitate the change ofnorms and practices towards sustain-able development through problem-solving action From a long-term per-spective both, EnvCom and NFEEbuild on the factual knowledge offormal education regarding complexecological systems and their intercon-nection with human interventions onthe local, regional and global level

non-for-Pre-service and in-service vocational

training on sustainable developmentfosters the improvement and consol-idation of related curricula in all pro-fessions

In the current debate on sustainabledevelopment, communication andeducation as the driving forces of en-vironmental learning processes have

an impact on at least two levels:

1 perceptions of the environmentare to a large extent determined

by cultural contexts, visions, styles and value judgementswhich are acquired throughcommunication

life-2 criteria and options for decisionsregarding sustainable practices are

a result of public discourse andtransparently communicatedalternatives

Ultimately, sustainable developmentcannot be based on behavioral ma-nipulation alone but relies on a sharedvision which will help civil society todevelop adequate skills to manage itsenvironment

Environmental Communication

is the planned and strategic use ofcommunication processes and media products to

support effective policy-making, public

participation and project implementation

geared towards environmental sustainability

2

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sensitization

Environmental

Action Treerelating communication to

formal + non-formal education,

2 - What Environmental

Communication is all

about

EnvCom deals with science,

economics, law, business

man-agement, politics and human

behavior, and their many

tradeoffs and interactions in a

holistic way

• Comprehension Gap

What the lay public knows and

understands about the technical

dimensions of the environment

differs widely from the knowledge

of experts

• Personal Impacts

As ‘nature’ is often associated

with traditional beliefs and

socio-cultural norms, EnvCom triggers

reactions in non-rational (e.g

emotional and spiritual)

dimen-sions of human behavior and

practices

• Risk Element

Risks are a frequent factor in

EnvCom, especially as distinctions

between passive/uncontrollable

or active/voluntary actions are

concerned

• Large-scale Intervenions

Environmental interventions, e.g

in watershed management, often

require coordinated action by

large populations which, in

communication terms, cannot be

be applied: the yield is related to theone indispensable nutrient (light, wa-ter, fertilizers etc.) which is mostscarce In other words – if your flow-

er doesn‘t see the light, you maywater it as much as you want, it won‘tgrow Applying this law to the growth

of an environment or developmentprogram, even the most sophisticat-

ed communication strategy will notsolve a problem if there is not a min-imum level of economic resources,social organization and political bar-gaining power in place This is why aproject should define up front forwhat purpose and for whom infor-mation is meant and how beneficia-ries are supposed to translate it intocommunication and action Also, this

is why EnvCom as a management toolshould be combined with other - e.g

market-based, legal, financial - ments for best effects (see Part 3)

instru-Environmental Communication

in Project Management

EnvCom bridges the subject matter

of environmental issues and the lated sociopolitical processes of poli-cy-making and public participation Itworks best in combination with oth-

re-er instruments like economic tives, laws and regulations or sectoralplanning Most of all, EnvCom is veryintricately related to education andtraining activities It bridges ‘hard’

incen-technical know-how and ‘soft’ oriented behavioral change, i.e sci-entific agreement and social agree-ment on any given environmental is-sue Its high public participation po-tential is indispensable for the accep-tance, credibility and sustainability ofenvironmental programs

action-In a project life cycle as outlined low, EnvCom plays a crucial role atall stages Problem identification,agenda setting, policy formulation,implementation, evaluation, manage-ment and control, etc cannot dowithout properly defined communi-cation support Concepts, technolo-gies and skills related to environmen-tal sustainability need to be commu-

be-nicated to policy-makers, opinionleaders, strategic groups or the pub-lic at large Breaking down complexinformation into understandable ele-ments and putting those on the agen-

da in a socio-culturally relevant andeconomically feasible way to differ-ent audiences is a prerequisite forconsensus building and change

Communication plays a crucial rolethroughout the project life cycle It

is imperative that project planners alize that different actors are involved

re-at each stage, and thre-at each actor hasdifferent perceptions and interests

The potential contributions of munication are related to the variousstages of the project life cycle Dur-ing the recognition phase, the role ofthe policy-maker increases, reaching

com-a pecom-ak when the problem com-at hcom-andgets under control Public awareness

of the problem decreases when lutions are offered but still needs to

so-be maintained During all these

stag-es, communication plays a ous, yet different role - as indicatedbelow

continu-Phases in the Project Life Cycle

Recognizing

A problem is identified and lobbied

for by social groups, and a public

discussion starts

Gaining ControlPolicies are formulated, research

commissioned, and options forimprovements are intensely

deliberated

SolvingPolicies, programs and projects are

implemented The debate slows down

while the people affected remain

informed

Maintaining ControlThe emphasis is on routine surveys

Decentralization and public-private

partnerships may be considered for

sustainability

EnvCom is a management tool,

like the chain on a bicycle The bike

won’t move without it but the chain

cannot move on its own Similarly,

EnvCom transforms the power

generated by the people concerned

Understanding where the project is

in its progression from identification,

formulation, implementation and

management is an essential basis for

determining which communication

instruments should be used

Recognizing

Regular opinion/attitude surveys

• media content analysis •

continu-ous networking with NGOs, e.g

con-sumer groups • regular meetings with

in the mix of policy instruments

• design of communication strategy

• communication with those involved

report-attitude surveys

Case Study

The above can be illustrated by the role of various communication instruments in the different phases

of Protected Area System Planning for a marine conservation program

Phase in Park Methods of Communication

Management

1 - Preparation • Personal visits to the park with stakeholders to qualitatively assess

the extent of the problem for the people affected

• Qualitative knowledge/attitude/practice (,KAP’) surveys

• Contact with non-governmental or community-based organizationswhich will implement the EnvCom strategy

• Basic information material on the park environment and the necessity

of conserving the area to be distributed to relevant groups

• Regular briefings, interviews and meetings with interest groups inorder to give updates on the conservation process

2 – Composition • Quantitative KAP surveys

• Integrating communication in the mix of policy instruments

• Design of communication strategy

• Extension to and communication with intended stakeholdersand beneficiaries

3 - Implementation • Communication to raise awareness of conservation issues

among key groups of the local population

• Inform groups on the use of other management instruments(new legislation, subsidies, alternative technology)

4 - Maintenance • M&E through qualitative research

• Continued public information

• Regular opinion/attitude surveys

10 Steps towards an Effective Communication Strategy

13

Lessons Learned

”If I had one hour to solve a problem

I’d use 45 minutes to think about it,

10 minutes to investigate potential solutions

and 5 minutes to implement the solution”

(Albert Einstein)

Isolated ad-hoc initiatives that are notintegrated into a comprehensive com-munication strategy may cause inflat-

ed expectations in rational appealsand the cognitive dimension of mes-sages

This is why a project should define

up front for what purpose and forwhom information is meant, and howbeneficiaries are supposed to trans-late it into communication and ac-tion This is best achieved in a sys-tematic and comprehensive EnvComstrategy which is always an integralpart of a larger project or program:

06 Media selection and mix

Stage 3 Production

07 Message design

08 Media production and testing

pre-Stage 4 Action and Reflection

09 Media performances & fieldimplementation

10 Process documentation andMonitoring and

Evaluation (M&E)

Lessons Learned

plan the communication strategyahead, taking research, continuousM&E, process documentation and anexit strategy seriously

start locally at a modest level, andlink issues raised, problems addressedand solutions proposed to existingtrends, services and potentialsmake use of upstream compatibil-ity of media, e.g theater - video -TV

diversify the operational levels, e.g

local theater, city newspaper, and national TV or radio

use participatory approaches inmedia production, management,training, etc to increase local own-ership and credibility and, hence, pro-gram effectiveness, significance andsustainability

The 10 Steps will be outlined below in

great-er detail For illustration, case studies, amples of tools and instruments will be re-ferred to A case study from Thailand willserve as a ‘red thread’ throughout most ofthe steps Its general objective was to pro-mote the appropriate application of a pestsurveillance and management systemamong rice farmers (12,000), school chil-dren (5,000) and teachers (400) in 116 vil-lages

ex-g Case Study

Pest Management Campaign in Thailand

(FAO, 1984)

Environmental Communicationmakes use of step-by-step strategicplanning as part of a project cycle

4

4 - Ten steps towards an

Effective Communication

Strategy

10 Steps

There are many ways to conduct asituation analysis and problem iden-tification - PRA is one of the mostparticipatory methods It can easily

be combined with an analysis ofKnowledge-Attitudes-Practices (KAP)

of the actors or groups concerned(Step 2) and the formulation of situa-tion-specific communication objec-tives (Step 3)

In order to enhance the degree ofparticipation and validity of Participa-tory Rapid Appraisal (PRA), it is rec-ommended that a 1 or 2 week train-ing event be held in which the staff

of the implementing agencies, mediaries (e.g NGOs, media) andthe stakeholders or actors concernedjointly participate Once a mode ofcooperation is established betweenthose groups, they will interact andshare experiences in other stages ofthe communication strategy as well,e.g in pretesting media and messag-

inter-es, in utilising traditional and nity as well as modern mass media

commu-or in evaluating the success of ties

activi-PRA is structured by ‘triangles’

• teams - comprising men and

women, old and young, disciplinary orientations, insidersand outsiders,

multi-• sources of information - events

and processes, people, places,

• tools and techniques -

observa-tions, diagrams, interviews anddiscussions

The overruling principle of these

tri-angles is participation

• from co-option and co-operation

• via consultation and collaboration

• to co-learning and collectiveaction

PRA is processed in stages and by

means of participatory tools

• rural protocol • transect walk •mapping of observations • seasonalcalendar • problem ranking by indi-viduals and groups • pairing of prob-lems related to potential projects orinterventions • data analysis • de-signing a development plan • tack-ling constraints

PRA has been adapted to

environ-ment-related and other methods,

such as:

• Rapid Environmental Appraisal REA • Participatory Urban Environ-mental Appraisal - PUEA • Com-munity Self-survey - CSS • SocialImpact Assessment - SIA

-PRA tools answer the What? - Who? - Where? - When? - Trends? questions of a situation

analysis

Participatory RapidAppraisal (PRA)enables people to share, present

and analyze facts that concern

their life and development

PRA

• Is flexible and informal

• Is applied in the community

by on-the-spot analysis

• Works by ‘fuzzy logic’

• Avoids biases by being self-critical

Step 1 - Situation Analysisand Problem Identification

Transect Mapand other PRA tools(see for example Chambers 1992,Schönhuth 1994, IIED 1995)

Participatory Rapid Appraisal - Mapping a Transect Walk

Transect from Kiboum, Cameroon showing natural resources and land use pattern

Identified Problems of Pest Surveillance System

based on a farmers’ KAP Survey in Chainat Province, Thailand (see FAO 1994)

IDENTIFIED PROBLEM PROBLEM RELATED TO

1 - Little knowledge on pest identification and Economic Threshold Level KNOWLEDGE

2 - Lack of sufficient knowledge on the importance and KNOWLEDGE

potential benefits of using pests’ natural enemies

3 - Lack of sufficient knowledge on the importance and KNOWLEDGE

benefits of resistant rice varieties

4 - Lack of awareness of Surveillance and Early Warning System (SEWS) KNOWLEDGE/ PRACTICE

programme, and of ability in using Pest Surveillance form

5 - Farmers prefer broad-spectrum pesticides and blanket spraying ATTITUDE

6 - Farmers do not believe in the effectiveness of natural enemies ATTITUDE

7 - Farmers go to the edge of the field, but NOT into the field to check ATTITUDE

for pests according to the recommended procedure and frequency

8 - Farmers spray pesticides on sight of pests based on ATTITUDE

their ”natural instinct”

9 - Farmers are aware of pesticide hazards, but DO NOT apply safety PRACTICE

precautions in pesticide handling, application and disposal

10 Steps

Tool Box

(see for example FAO 1994,

Adhikarya et al 1987, IIED 1995)

STEP 2

• especially those later addressed

as beneficiaries (or target

groups), i.e those addressed by

the communication strategy andfrom whom a change in practice

is expected,

• and the key intermediaries, i.e.

individuals, groups or institutionswho can assist in reaching thetarget groups, often formal oropinion leaders, youth or wom-en’s organizations, NGOs whichmay lobby for public support, etc

Audience Segmentation

For the communication strategy as awhole, audience segmentation is veryimportant Relevant actors, beneficia-ries and intermediaries are clusteredinto groups according to socioeco-nomic and other characteristics theyhave in common In later stages, com-munication objectives, message ap-peals or participation options are an-

alyzed and designed for each group.

In audience segmentation, genderand age awareness play a crucial role

Instruments and techniques useful for tifying actors and relating them to eachother include,

iden-• direct observation

• interviews with individuals

• focus group discussions or interviews

• sociograms

• resource users analysis

Step 2 - Actors andKnowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) -

Awareness •Interest •Trial •Adoption •

Within a project life cycle

of an innovation fromawareness to adoption,communicators distinguish:

early innovators (10%)early majority (30%)

Awareness is not enough

The lessons learned from ment communication and agricultur-

develop-al extension teach us that if you askpeople to change their practices –e.g by recycling household waste orsaving water – instructive informationand raising awareness is not enough

The diffusion of an innovation requires

• basic information about the newidea and how others use it,

• the innovation to be applied topersonal values and life style,

• preliminary attempts to practisethe innovation and evaluate itsusefulness and impact,

• acceptance and commitment tothe change in practice

Especially in environmental nication – where complex changes

commu-in attitudes and practices are at stake– this sequence is closely related tothe potential barriers of communica-tion which were mentioned earlier

in the ”Said – Done” paraphrase

That is to say – if communicators not motivate and mobilize their au-diences to take action and committhemselves to the new, environmen-tally friendly practices, raising aware-ness or creating interest indeed willnot be enough This process from

can-awareness to adoption works best

if the social groups concerned are tively involved and supported in apartnership based on trust

ac-Therefore, it is crucial to identify andanalyze carefully

• the stakeholders and other

actors, i.e individuals, groups or

institutions who have an interest

Said is not heardHeard is not understoodUnderstood is not acceptedAnd accepted is not yet Done

Actors and Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) - Analyses

Tool BoxSWOT Window (see for example GFA 1994)

Actors and Interests

When actors have been identified and

seg-mented in relation with the environmental

problem at hand, it is necessary to

under-stand their interests because this will help

to communicate with them more

successful-ly

If a simple matrix of actors and their

sub-groups is not differentiated enough, the

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportuni-ties and Threats) window is a useful

tech-nique to go into details as is illustrated in

the example below about strategic groups

involved in a recycling program The

fol-lowing chart – from the context of an

Indo-nesian Recycling Project outlined in this

sec-tion – shows how the ‘Opportunities’ and

‘Threats’ are fed into the communication

strategy as benefits and costs of an

intend-ed change which determine the selectintend-ed

entry points of greatest impact First, the

SWOT of the new practice, namely recycling,

are analyzed per strategic group An

op-portunity (or benefit) for households, for

example, may be additional income from

recovered goods while a threat (or price)

to them may be the extra costs and efforts

put into separating waste The selected

en-try point of greatest impact may, therefore,

be to start with separating the more

profit-able and easy-to-handle goods such as

pa-per, bottles or plastic and to link this

sepa-ration of waste to the (informal) recycling

• the impact or importance of aparticular form of behavior to theproblem,

• the feasibility of changing ormaintaining the behavior,

• whether the ideal behavior, orsimilar forms, already exist in thecommunity concerned

• The practices which meet thesecriteria can be called critical

behavior In order to screen

behavior that influences naturalresources and environmentalconcerns it is useful

• to focus on specific types ofbehaviors rather than generalcategories,

• to emphasize the positive inexisting practices,

• to classify behavior based onimpacts it has on sustainability,

• to understand the feasibility ofinfluencing relevant behavior,

• to understand behavioralflexibility

Tools to screen critical behavior are

• historical (trend) matrices of (specific)resources and land use,

• ranking and prioritization techniques,

of behavioral threats to sustainability,

• resource management decision charts,

• matrices comparing the frequency of aspecific behavior in various sub-

Key Factors

Understanding the key factors, vational forces and influences relat-

moti-ed to critical behavior is the next step

In most cases, these include social,cultural, economic and ecological de-terminants: Potentially crucial factorsare

• history of disturbances

• competition, etc

BenefitsWhat is motivating, desirable, con-venient or pleasant about a practicedbehavior or what the actors think theygain when changing their behavior

CostsWhat is difficult, unpleasant or un-desirable about adopting a differentpractice

Actors and Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) - Analyses

Tool Box(see for example Chambers 1992,

IIED 1995, IUCN 1997)

Tools that are useful in identifying key

fac-tors among the many others that may be

relevant to a given environmental

prob-lem are, in general,

• checklists of potentially important

factors from: focus groups, community

gathering, decision trees, pair-wise

ranking, resource use trends, etc.,

• techniques for identifying perceived

benefits and prices: surveys, focus

groups, comparisons of adopters and

non-adopters,

• data acquisition on educational

background, economic situation,

gender, media access and other

characteristics of the intended

beneficiaries,

cost-benefit-compari-sons, etc.,

• causal webs and wiring diagrams:

Venn diagram, social network maps,

relationship wiring, etc.,

• systems analysis (such as SINFONIE):

influence matrix, effects and axis

diagram, force field analysis, etc

KAP Surveys

Beneficiaries need to be consulted

in the process of identifying problemsand/or needs regarding their require-ments or acceptability of a given in-novation, i.e a change in practice Asuggested procedure for conducting

a participatory assessment of lems and needs is through a baselinesurvey on beneficiaries’ Knowledge,Attitude, and Practice (KAP) with re-spect to specific and critical forms ofbehaviors and key factors KAP sur-veys are problem-solving oriented andoperate at a micro-level, with a fo-cus on determining at least three con-ceptual categories :

prob-• Knowledge, attitude and practice(KAP) levels of audiences vis-à-visthe critical elements of a givenrecommended or intendedinnovation

• The KAP survey seeks qualitativeinformation from respondents,e.g through focus group inter-views, such as on the reasons forcauses of their negative attitudesand non-adoption or inappropriatepractice with regard to theenvironmental problem

• Information provided by KAPsurveys is useful for campaignobjectives or goals formulationand strategy developmentKAP survey results can also be uti-lized for audience analysis and seg-mentation purposes, to determinewho needs which types of informa-tion/messages through what combi-nation of multi-media materials andchannels In addition relevant find-ings from surveys on media consump-tion patterns and habits, media avail-ability and reach, and other socio-psy-chological and anthropological re-search studies are useful inputs

Tool Box(see e.g IIED 1995,IUCN 1997, vol 2, denkmodell n.d.)

A tool for participatorystrategic planning and evaluation(see for example Adhikarya et al

1987, FAO 1994)

10 Steps

STEP 2 Actors and Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) - Analyses

Results from KAP surveys, here from a pestmanagement project in Thailand, convinc-ingly show that communication can have

Tool Box(see for example FAO 1994)

KAP - Pest Management (FAO) Evaluation Results (see FAO 1994)

A B C - Model

Six Steps to Applied Behavioral Change

In a nutshell, the various steps in situation, actor and KAP analyses can also be summarized in anApplied Behavioral Change model which is often used in the context of social marketing approachesintegrated in the environmental communication strategy The most crucial steps are outlined below

1 - Observe Behavior Identify what people like and don’t like about a

certain behavior that is to be changed Don’tjust ask questions Look, count, record behav-ior Arrange for a few people to do what youwould like the whole community to do Watchtheir problems

2 - Listen to People Ask what matters to them, talk about how your

target behavior fits into their daily life Lookfor what they get out of behavior as ‘gain’ orbenefit and who matters to them

3 - Decide What Matters Compare people who show the desired

behav-ior with people who don’t What are they like,where do they live, how do they act out thebehavior you care about? Segmentize your au-diences because they will have to be communi-cated with differently

4 - Generalize Facts Summarize critical environmental practices, key

factors influencing behavior and other pointssuch as benefits people care about, messagespreferred, opinion leaders people trust Testyour assumptions with a representative survey

5 - Deliver Benefits Deliver benefits people want, not just

informa-tion Solve barriers the people face, don’t just

‘educate’ them This means that service ery and communication inputs have to be syn-chronized

deliv-6 - Monitor Effects Find and fix mistakes Selectively monitor

cru-cial program elements by means of simple andmanageable indicators for the behavior you wish

to change

The 4Ps of Social Marketing

Product Behavior or service promotedPlace Access to service systemPrice Costs, often barriers to changePromotion Public relations and communication

In a Waste Picker-related Poverty

Allevia-tion and Recycling Program in Indonesia,

an integrated communication strategy was

used The pickers’ social and legal status is

low despite their contributions to the

envi-ronment and their self-employment in the

informal sector An NGO trained them in

street theater which they performed in their

neighborhoods in order to rally for

recog-nition and support Their research for the

plays made them discover their own

micro-cosm in a more analytical way Breaking

the ‘culture of silence’ through theater, they

organized better, and articulated their needs

and aspirations with greater

self-confi-dence Performances were recorded on

vid-eo by the same NGO, and later broadcast

on TV for environmental education

Expo-sure workshops for journalists, local

author-ities and the private sector and a recycling

education component for schools were also

part of the integrated strategy As a result of

the program and the use of media, the

pub-lic image of the pickers was improved City

planners now consider their integration into

solid waste management schemes at the

municipal level (see Oepen 1992)

Case Study g

Integrated Communication Strategyfor Waste Pickers and Recycling

in Indonesia

10 Steps

The descriptions of both, project andcommunication objectives should bemade more comprehensive and spe-cific and reflect the actual scope ofthe program

In the case of an irrigation program,examples of communication objec-tives which would support theachievement of general extensionprogram goals could be:

• to inform at least 65 percent ofthe small farmers in X, Y and Zdistricts about the procedures andbenefits of an irrigation systemusing ring and tube wells withinone year,

• to reduce the proportion of smallfarmers in districts X, Y and Zwho have misunderstandings andmisconceptions about the costand technical requirements ofdrilling and building ring or tubewells, from the present 54 to 20percent in one year,

• to increase the proportion ofsmall farmers in districts X, Y and

Z who have positive attitudestowards the practical and simpleuse of the irrigation system towater their farmland, from thepresent 32 to 50 percent withintwo years,

• to persuade small farmers indistricts X, Y and Z to use waterfrom the wells to irrigate theirfarmland, and to increase thispractice from the present 20 to

35 percent in two years

STEP 3

Inadequate

”To provide irrigation

for rural people”

”To drill 4,000 ring wells

and 2,000 tube wells

by August 1994”

Comprehensive

”To increase the number of

small farmers in districts X, Y and Z

using water from the wells to

irrigate their farmland from

the present 100,000 to 175,000

small farmers within two years”

Step 3 - CommunicationObjectives

Communication Objectives

should be very specific and aimed

at increasing knowledge,influencing attitudes, and changing

practices of intended beneficiaries

with regard to a particular action

A communication objectivedescribes an intended result of

the environmental communication

activity rather than the process of

communication itself

Once the problems have been tified and the stakeholders analyzed,the communication objectives should

iden-be defined It should iden-be pointed out,however, that communication objec-

tives are usually not the same as the

project or program goals which areexpected to be the ultimate results

of the whole communication

strate-gy plus plus plus other supporting outputs The

achievement of the communicationobjectives is a necessary, but not asufficient condition for achieving theproject or program goals Hence,communication objectives should

• reflect the environmental policy,project or program goals,

• respond to the needs of theprogram and its target audience

• and help solve the problemsencountered in achieving suchgoals

Communication objectives shouldspecify some important elements orcharacteristics of the policy, project

or program activities which could help

to provide a clear operational tion, and facilitate a meaningful eval-uation Some of those elements are:

direc-• the target beneficiariesand their location,

• the outcome or behavior to

be observed or measured,

• the type and amount/percentage

of change from a given baselinefigure expected from thebeneficiaries,

KAP - Pest Management Objectives

Defining clear-cut campaign objectives for

a ‘Pest Management’ project in Thailandlinks the previous KAP survey to later stag-

es of the campaign strategy, e.g messagedesign

Tool Box(see for example FAO 1994)

EXTENSION CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES

To increase the percentage of farmers who have knowledge regarding:

a Pest identification from 41% to 65% and,

b Necessary action for pest control from 15.1% to 40%

To increase the percentage of farmers who know the identity of natural enemies (good bugs) from 11.4% to 35%

To increase the percentage of farmers who have knowledge regarding the recognition and importance of resistant rice varieties from 35.8% to 50%

To create awareness by increasing the percentage of farmers having knowledge on SEWS from 13.2% to 50% and to increase the percentage of farmers skilled in the use of Pest Surveillance (PS) form from 10.1% to 30%

To reduce the percentage of farmers using broad-spectrum pesticides by:

a Increasing the percentage of farmers who know how to choose right chemicals from 5% to 16%

b Decreasing the percentage of farmers who prefer spectrum pesticides from 65% to 50%

broad-To reduce the percentage of farmers who do not believe that conservation of natural enemies can suppress pest population from 36.5% to 25%

To increase the percentage of farmers who check their fields according to the recommended procedure from 17% to 35%

To reduce the percentage of farmers who believe in the need for spraying pesticides as soon as pests are observed in the field, without checking the field properly, from 69.8% to 55%

To increase the number of farmers observing adequate safety measures in using pesticides by increasing the percentage of farmers practising correct disposal of left-over pesticide from 10.7% to 25%

Specific and Measurable Campaign Objectives

Based on the Problems Identified by the KAP Survey for the

Strategic Extension Campaign (SEC) on Pest Surveillance System in Chainat Province, Thailand

IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS

1 Low knowledge on pest identification and

nec-essary action for pest control

2 Lack of sufficient knowledge on the importance

and benefits of natural enemies

3 Lack of sufficient knowledge on the importance

and benefits of resistant rice varieties

4 Lack of awareness on Surveillance and Early

Warning System (SEWS) programme and Pest Surveillance (PS) form

5 Farmers prefer broad-spectrum pesticides and

blanket spraying

6 Farmers do not believe in the effectiveness of

natural enemies

7 Farmers go to the edge of the field, but NOT into

the field to check for pests according to the recommended precedure and frequency

8 Farmers spray pesticides on sight of pests based on

their “natural instinct”

9 Farmers are aware of pesticide hazards, but DO

NOT apply safety precautions in pesticide handling, application and disposal