There is no doubt that a lot of amazing, life changing work goes on at the Biosciences eastern and central Africa – International Livestock Research Institute Hub (BecA-ILRI Hub). However, not too many people know about it. The team at BecA-ILRI Hub, under the leadership of Dr. Appolinaire Djikeng, want to change this.
In a bid to improve their communication skills and explore different ways of engaging with the general public and policy makers, BecA scientists underwent an intensive two day science communication training. The training, that took place on June 28 and 29, was held at ILRI Campus, and conducted by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA AfriCenter).
In his opening remarks, Dr. Djikeng acknowledged that researchers hold onto a lot of information that the world needs to hear about. He challenged scientists at BecA to ensure that their work gets to the end user. “We have a lot of knowledge in the labs but we don’t get it out for people to appreciate and accept” he said. Dr. Djikeng also added that ineffective outreach could be the reason why researchers are not attracting funding from national budgets because “we have not made the case for policy makers to appreciate that what we are doing is useful to them.”
In her remarks, Dr. Margaret Karembu, Director ISAAA AfriCenter, thanked the researchers for availing time out of their busy schedules to attend the training, stating that it was a testament to their commitment. She recognized their passion for seeking solutions to help African farmers and encouraged them to ensure that their “work was well communicated so that it impacts the very people they work hard for.”
Hannington Obiero, the Field Implementing Coordinator for the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa project (VIRCA), gave an overview of the project and acknowledged that “effective communication is key to its success.” He thanked ISAAA for spearheading the project’s communication and urged the team to acquire the communication skills needed “to complement VIRCA’s work so that it can be adopted by the end-user.”
The two day course was structured to equip participants with the necessary skills to effectively communicate about their research. It familiarized them with various strategies used to engage policy makers, the media and public at large. At the end of the training, participants had learnt about how to identify their audiences and what it takes to develop messages that address their concerns. They also built an appreciation for using social media for science communication through a practical session, and took part in mock media interviews that sharpened their skills on how to handle media interviews. Dr. Roger Pelle, a Principal Scientist at the BecA-Hub said that the course was a “good exercise for all scientists” and lauded its participatory aspect as crucial to its success.
When asked what he liked most about the workshop, Paul Kuria, a Scientist with the VIRCA project, said “the need to integrate science communication and social media.” The BecA team was joined by researchers from the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) under the VIRCA project. Dr. Djikeng emphasized the importance of such collaborations stating that “the work we do at BecA cannot have any impact if we don’t partner with national research organizations.”