Institutional communication
Working for a government gives you an entirely new perspective on a lot of things. I was lucky to join a team of incredible people – agronomists, biologists, veterinaries and sociologists – in a governmental agency called Centre for Agroecology (CPRA).
Our mission was to provide technical support to a network of smallholder farmers in remote areas of Brazil. Many of them needed help in the direction of implementing agroecological practices as a strategy to address the overuse of synthetic pesticides. If you live in more privileged parts of the world, you probably have no idea how complex this topic can be. It relates to major environmental and public health issues in rural areas, especially in developing nations. At CPRA, our projects were inserted within the UN's Sustainable Development Goals framework.
From a science communication point of view, I had two main challenges:
Producing digital content that could be easily accessible by a target audience that (a) had limited formal education; and (b) inhabited very remote areas, sometimes with limited access to the internet. Here's an example of a communication piece intended for that group.
Making sure that our technical work could be easily understood by policy-makers and politicians, so as to ensure long-term financial sustainability. Here's an example of a communication piece designed for that specific target audience.
I'm happy to see that our projects made a huge difference in the lives of at least 32 families. Healthier crops, increased soil fertility, access to new markets and higher income – and, ultimately, better life quality for farmers, their families and their communities.