Communication for Development: A Personal Experience with Implications for Development Policy

Purpose: Communication for Development (C4D) is a new academic discipline and profession for addressing human dimension concerns in development, such as local participation, integration and capacity building, which are the main issues limiting aid effectiveness. However, my experience in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa and where a multitude of international development experts attempt to bring about change have, perhaps, never heard about C4D. When the concept was explained, these officials felt C4D was precisely what Malawi and developing countries, need. It left me feeling that the success rate of poverty-reduction programming could be greater if C4D education was provided for development decision-makers and field staff, especially agricultural extension workers. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is a critical review of the literature on the role of agricultural extension education in development, focusing on how C4D can strengthen extension performance. Findings: The study found that development policymakers in Malawi, governmental, nongovernmental, bilateral and multilateral, support the C4D idea once they become knowledgeable about it. Practical implications: Therefore, the practical implication is that educating policymakers about C4D will increase donor investments in pilot C4D projects, a strengthening of agricultural extension systems, and success of poverty-reduction programs. Originality/value: It is hoped that readers will find the C4D strategy stimulating, the author's experience enlightening, and the C4D proposal an innovative way of improving aid effectiveness.