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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
IPM Enhancement Grants |
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Project Title:
The Food Narrative Project--Southern Region |
Project Directors (PDs):
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Lead State: NC Lead Organization: North Carolina State University |
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Cooperating State(s):
District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin |
| Undesignated Funding: $29,761 |
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Start Date: Mar-01-2018 End Date: Feb-28-2019 |
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Area of Emphasis: IPM communications |
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Summary:
This Working Group is a unique collaboration among the social scientists at FrameWorks Institute and the leaders and participants in the Food Narrative Project, which includes many IPM scientists, as well as NGOs such as IPM Voice and Red Tomato. Through the use of evidence-based framing strategies – the Project will create a re-framed food and farming narrative, which incorporates IPM as an important element, that can be utilized by a diverse group of people and organizations.
The general public does not have a good understanding of farming practices or the benefits of Integrated Pest Management. IPM scientists and educators have been trying to explain IPM to policymakers and the public for fifty years, yet IPM is often missing from the public narrative about good farming practices and sustainable agriculture. IPM is a set of principles, practices and tools. It’s hard to turn IPM into a sound byte, and it is often misunderstood or invisible. To reach more people, more effectively, IPM practitioners and organizations need a sophisticated approach to communications, one that applies the lessons of psychology, cognition science, linguistics and framing to food and agriculture. There is an opportunity to reframe the food and farming narrative that guides public thinking about how to move toward a sustainable farming system that includes IPM as a natural and necessary component, a system that can provide healthy, safe, affordable food for all its citizens, while improving its soils, protecting the environment, and enabling profitable farms, small, medium and large. This working group, which is currently in its second year, oversees the development of The Food Narrative Project, a framing narrative that advances public understanding of IPM and other sustainable farming practices. The Food Narrative Project—Southern Region is part of this national effort. It engages Communication Partners who will advise the project and use the results in their own work and communities. The focus of this proposal is to engage significant participation of scientists, farm and food leaders from the Southern region, and for their participation to grow over the life of the project. In this project we develop Cultural Models that show how average citizens currently think about – how they frame -- good farming practices, to the extent they understand them at all. This analysis will be based on in-depth interviews done by staff at FrameWorks. It is part of a multi-year science translation process that lies at the core of Food Narrative Project. Objectives: 1. Strategic Framing Research 1A. Output: Presentation of the Expert Perspective Analysis (completed Oct 2016), the first “product” of the Food Narrative Project. This report outlines basic farming practices as described by agro-science experts and enables the research to advance to phase II. 1A. Outcome: Working Group members share and understand analysis of the way experts describe basic farming practices, including IPM; commitment to and confidence in the project increases. 1B. Output: Cultural Models Interviews: designed to look for the patterns that are shared widely, across groups. Will generate 600-1000 pages of interview transcripts. 1B. Outcome: Raw data from the field is compiled and made usable for the Working Group and researchers. 1C. Output: Cultural Models cognitive analysis of interview results, which examines how people think about a topic, patterns of reasoning, connections made to other issues, etc. 1C. Outcome: Researchers identify the scope and character of the gap between the expert perspective and the citizen perspective. 1D. Output: The Map the Gaps written report comparing and contrasting the expert perspective and the ordinary citizen perspective. 1D. Outcome: All working group members (Core Team, IPM Voice board, and Communication Partners) see the scope and nature of the gap, and better understand the public perspective. 1E. Output: Map the Gaps presented at meeting of Working Group and Communication Partners, walking stakeholders through the fine points of the analysis and conclusions. 1E. Outcome: Participants understand the results from the researchers, and have the opportunity for questions and discussion with the large group. Trust in and understanding of the results is heightened, and perspectives of the WG inform the next phase: reframing. 2. Working Group Activity 2A. Output: Monthly Core Team phone meetings. 2A. Outcome: The Core Team stays abreast of all project activity, has influence over project decisions, and actively recruits communication partners. 2B. Output: Monthly IPM Voice board phone meetings. 2B. Outcome: Board members stay abreast of all project activity, influence the project direction, and play a role in naming and recruiting communication partners. 2C. Output: Identify and invite participation of potential Communication Partners from the Southern region. 2C. Outcome: Communication Partners representing a broad scope of food and farming advocates and stakeholders in the Southern Region become engaged with, give input to, and commit to implementing the ultimate Narrative framing and lead to ongoing outreach to potential partners. 2D. Output: Outreach and orientation webinars target potential Southern Region Communication Partners. 2D. Outcome: Southern region Communication Partners become engaged, familiar with the project purpose and outputs; participate in discussions and in-person meeting; and join Working Group. 2E. Output: In-person meeting in Wash. D.C. April 2018 for all Working Group members and potential members. 2E. Outcome: Deeper personal connections and trust among participants leading to more effective process and leads to ongoing engagement in development of new narrative in future; |
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Final Report: |
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Outputs The outputs accomplished during this one year phase of a 5-year project are: Research Objective One: * Cultural Models interviews and analysis completed * Cultural Models and Mapping the Gaps draft report completed and reviewed. * Presentation of draft report to Southern region and national Communication partners meetings Working Group Objective Two: * One introductory webinar to orient potential partners, conducted by Co-leader Rozyne and Core Team member Rangarajan. * One regional meeting of stakeholders and potential partners from the Southern region to present research, garner input on the project, its use by Southern region partners, and feedback to improve the quality and usefulness of the research. Attended by 9 researchers, communication specialists, farmers and agricultural specialists. * National meeting of Communication Partners and Core Team members for presentation and discussion of research report and planning for next phase of project, attended by 38, including 4 representing the Southern region. |
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Outcomes * 100% of Working Group members and over 40 Communication Partners have read and reviewed the draft research report and committed to participate in the next phase of the project. * Southern Region is strongly represented in the overall project group and participation has influenced and informed the process and results, and is incorporated into plans for next stages of the larger project * Working Group Core Team and majority of partners have committed to ongoing involvement with the project. |
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