Participatory video - an effective evaluation tool

Trainees appraise the P3DM process using "PV"

SCARBOROUGH, 14 October 2012  The volume of information to be collected from informants on their natural resources, climate change impacts and the measures they use to cope or adapt to these impacts, is best dealt with using a video camera, said Kathrina Collins, President of the Union Island Environmental Attackers from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Trainees appraise the P3DM process using "PV"

Katrina recalled that learning how to use the video camera supplied by CANARI for the participatory video (PV) exercise was a lot of fun, but she was more comfortable while working on the participatory 3D model of Tobago.  Katrina was one of the regional trainees who participated in the 14-day workshop which led to the manufacture of the first participatory 3D model (P3DM) to be created in the Caribbean.

Damika Marshall, Environmental Officer from the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) who was another trainee, said that PV was used to highlight the lessons learnt from the P3DM process and ways to make it better.  She agreed that learning to use the video equipment was enjoyable and added another dimension to the workshop.

Similar sentiments were shared by their counterparts who were divided into groups to work on the video project.  Their task was to evaluate the P3DM process using video.

The team captured footage highlighting Tobago’s natural resources, peoples’ dependence and relation to the resource base, the process of making the 3D model, and the views and opinions of stakeholders involved in the process.

Desiree Sampson, a professional videographer, briefed the trainees on the concept of "five W’s and one H" otherwise known as “the six helpers”.  Each letter representing a question that has to be answered for the story to be considered complete: who, what, where, when, why and how.  This approach is used as the basis for gathering information when doing research and gathering news.
The trainees interviewed stakeholders to find out their experiences on climate change impacts, exploring exactly what happened, when it happened, where it took place and why it happened.  They also conducted interviews among the group of trainees to capture their feedback on the model building process.

Katrina Collins, Candice Ramkissoon, and
Shawnaly Pascal download and view
footage collected during the workshop

The trainees were also shown how to develop and use a storyboard to guide production.  A storyboard is a set of graphic images laid out in particular sequence to tell a story.  Each participant contributed ideas to create the storyboard.

As with each activity at the workshop, there was a daily review of the daily achievements.  Damika said that every evening the footage shot during the day was viewed by the trainees and facilitators.  The team assessed its visual quality and content value for selection and incorporation in the final video production.  In some cases, the team decided that some interviews had to be redone and footage captured again to improve the quality.

Lessons learnt

All the trainees said that using the video equipment to capture the stories was a great idea.  Damika felt that using a video to tell a story is quite an effective way for sharing ideas and experiences with the community since “not everyone can read or understand a lengthy written report or has the time or inclination to do so”.  She however added that policy makers would need more than a video to make decisions regarding climate change and to understand the ramifications of their policies.

Kemba Jaramogi captures footage of an informant adding
details to the model, while Kenn Mondiai, P3DM expert
looks on.

Kemba Jaramogi from Trinidad said the video cameras used were small and as a result, not intimidating to interviewees.  She also said that the equipment was relatively inexpensive.

Kemba however noted that cost should not be the only consideration before purchasing this type of equipment.  “The quality [of footage] it produces is an important factor”, she said.

In summary, the trainees from across the Caribbean found the PV activity quite interesting.  They said that the production of a video for evaluation purposes was an interesting learning experience and at the same time, videography was an effective way for capturing and documenting the impact of climate change on communities through the eyes of the grassroots.

Related posts: 

• First Participatory 3D Model built in the Caribbean: Nationals from the region now ready and eager to introduce P3DM in their countries
• Tobagonians hand over the Participatory 3D model to the Tobago House of Assembly 
• Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) activities in Tobago featured on National Television
• Knowledge holders add value to the 3D model of Tobago
• Participatory 3D model of Tobago seen as time capsule
• Blank 3D model of Tobago accommodates first set of community inputs
• Tobago P3DM - The missing islet
• P3DM blank model of Tobago ready for accommodating community’s knowledge
• Participatory 3D Modelling in Tobago - key venues
• Caribbean nationals eager to develop P3DM in their countries: "P3DM a unique, totally new experience" 
• Participatory 3D Modelling exercise kicks off with much gusto in Tobago 
• ICTs for Climate Change Adaptation: Introduction of innovative technologies in the Caribbean 
• Tobagonians will build a participatory 3D model of Tobago to plan for impacts of climate change and extreme climatic events 
• Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM): five years after receiving the World Summit Award

Tobagonians build participatory 3D model of Tobago to plan for the impacts of extreme climatic events

The Caribbean Natural Resource Institute (CANARI) has partnered with the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-UE (CTA) and the University of the West Indies among other groups, to build a 3 dimensional model of Tobago, with the aim of advising persons of being proactive regarding climate change.

Participatory 3D Modelling in Tobago - key venues

The workshop on Participatory 3D Modelling and Participatory Video organised by CANARI and the UWI in Tobago with assistance provided by CTA and UNDP GEF-SGP will come to an end on October 11. the venue is the Blenheim Sheep Multiplication & Research Center (yellow placemarker). The presentation of the outputs by representatives of participating communities will take place on October 12 in the morning at the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute - Tobago campus (green placemarker)


View P3DM and PV Training in Tobago in a larger map

If you are interested in attending the closing ceremony on October 12, please get in touch with Neila Bobb-Prescott, Senior Technical Officer, The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI).

Related posts: 

• Caribbean nationals eager to develop P3DM in their countries: "P3DM a unique, totally new experience" 
• Participatory 3D Modelling exercise kicks off with much gusto in Tobago 
• ICTs for Climate Change Adaptation: Introduction of innovative technologies in the Caribbean 
• Tobagonians will build a participatory 3D model of Tobago to plan for impacts of climate change and extreme climatic events 
• Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM): five years after receiving the World Summit Award 

Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM): five years after receiving the World Summit Award

In collaboration with national and regional partner organisations, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation EU-ACP (CTA) is supporting the dissemination and adoption of P3DM practice in ACP countries. The practice is now well established in Africa and the Pacific. Its introduction to the Caribbean  is planned for October 2012 via a partnership with CANARI and the University of the West Indies.

Since 2007 WSA award winning Participatory 3D Modelling P3DM (P3DM) in Fiji, the P3DM practice has been adopted in many parts of the world including Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, East Timor, Ecuador, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, India, Italy, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Thailand, Vietnam, and many other countries.

In Kenya, Indigenous Peoples employed the practice to document their biophysical and cultural landscapes, enhance inter-generational knowledge exchange.  They also found it to add value and authority to local knowledge, improve communication with mainstream society, improve spatial planning and address territorial disputes.




In Ethiopia P3DM has been taken up by farmers to plan out community-based land reclamation and sustainable management of resources.



The Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC), a pan-African network, has been spearheading the adoption of P3DM in the continent to improve awareness at policy-making level on the relevance of location-specific knowledge in climate change adaptation processes. As an example, the use of P3DM by pygmies in Gabon allowed them to gain visibility and establish peer-to-peer exchanges with local government institutions.



In 2012 Pastoralist Mbororo People in Chad practiced P3DM to manage spatial conflicts with farming communities.

In Solomon Islands coastal communities benefitted from P3DM to analyse issues related to climate change and identified ways to adapt to it.


UNESCO, IFAD and other development agencies have created resource materials (publications) making specific reference to the method.

In collaboration with IFAD, CTA has developed a training kit http://pgis-tk.cta.int supporting the spread of good practice in generating, managing, analysing and communicating spatial information. The kit includes a module on P3DM.

A Participatory Video made by Chivoko Village, Solomon Islands

Conservation Story Blong Chivoko" was made by the men and women of the remote coastal village of Chivoko, accessible only by sea on the north-west tip of Choiseul Island, one of the Solomon Islands. Chivoko's tribal land is one of the last remaining intact and unlogged forests in the Solomon islands. Their reefs are important spawning sites for the grouper fish which come to lay their eggs every year for 2 months around May. Their story is an insight into the problems they are facing with increased pressure from logging companies, increasing population, declining forest and marine resources, and ensuing climate change. They provide solutions which may help other Solomon Island and other communities around the world, to also safeguard the abundance of resources for future generations to come ...

More information on a Participatory 3D Model done in Chivoko village in 2009 is available here.

Linking and geotagging pastoralist and mobile production systems

Both shifting cultivation and pastoralism are essential production systems because they are a living reservoir of adaptive genes. For many traditional populations devoted to such livelihoods, mobility is still perceived as a prerequisite for conserving agrobiodiversity and animals breeds. On the other hand, governments, as well as some conservation organizations alike, tend to associate mobility with uncertainty, poverty, lack of technical skill and, overall, with a precarious life-style: “an endlessly roaming around in search of food”.

As a result, in many southern countries, resettlement schemes are implemented as adjoining strategies to poverty eradication. Moreover, large-scale mining, commercial logging, biofuel and oil-palm plantations further contribute to forcefully sedentarize mobile communities, displacing them from their ancestral territories. Starting from 2009, through a Christensen Fund (TCF) grant to the Centre for Biocultural Diversity (CBCD) of the University of Kent, an attempt has been made to foster communication amongst indigenous communities across regions on perceived common themes.  To pursue this objective, Dr. Dario Novellino (principal investigator of the CBCD project) has worked in close collaboration with other volunteers and researchers, such as Dr. Valentina de Marchi.

One of the key project’s objectives includes the building of solidarity and audiovisual exchanges between representatives of mobile indigenous communities on issues related to the maintenance of agro-biodiversity, hunting/gathering and pastoralists traditions, with a special focus on traditional varieties of crops and animal breeds. More importantly, such exchanges promote the sharing of experiences as a way of 1) fostering reflections and joint actions through the establishment of strategic alliances against extractive-industries; and 2) addressing common problems regarding indigenous links, rights and claims over ancestral homelands and cultural landscapes. The envisaged goal is to enable the production of jointly produced video-materials to be used for exerting pressure at the national and international policy level. Moreover, the project also aims at determining the exact location of bio-cultural diversity hotspots through geotagging and participatory mapping. In a photographic context, geotagging is the process of associating photos with specific geographic locations using GPS coordinates.

One of the ongoing inter-communities exchanges includes the shepherds of the Aurunci Mountains (Central Italy), those of Northern-Italy (Triveneto) and the pastoralists of the Kyrgyz Republic. At the starting, the initiative promoted informal shepherds gatherings in the communities of Maranola (Aurunci) and those of Triveneto, in order to inform local shepherds on Kyrgyz pastoralists’ livelihood and culture (this initial step was carried out through the use of videos and photographs).  Thus, Italian shepherds were informed on the situation faced by traditional stewards in Kyrgyzstan, and about the impact that the political transition from the Soviet Union to an independent republic has had on the local pastoralists’ way of life. In response to the information received, the Italian shepherds decided the topics of the messages they wanted to convey to their Kyrgyz counterpart, in addition to a selection of participatory shootings portraying their everyday practices. A compilation of these participatory audiovisual messages and shootings was edited and saved on DVDs.

Between June and September 2010, such DVDs have been shown amongst Kyrgyz pastoralists in the course of Dr. Valentina De Marchi’s mission in Kyrgyzstan.  As of now, this grass-root audio-visual exchange has proven to be important in terms of strengthening international solidarity amongst stewards of biocultural diversity. More importantly, it has provided marginalized and isolated communities with useful information on what goes on around the world and on the different strategies employed by various communities to protect their land, resources and cultural integrity. The replies from the Kyrgyz pastoralists to the Italian shepherds, have now been taken back to the Aurunci (Italy), and will be shared with the shepherds on the month of May.

During the fieldwork in Kyrgyzstan, participatory films on Aurunci and Triveneto shepherds have been screened several times by local pastoralists, especially in Chon-Kemin and At-Bashe valleys. Most of these audio-visual projections took place in individual yurts (tents) or in the course of social gathering (scerinè). The key content of these films, with subtitles and voice-overs in Kyrgyz language, portrays modes of production and grazing systems of Italian shepherds, their livestock, cheese making processes, local criteria for breed selection, perspectives on land and resources management, with particular reference to the conflicts occurring in the context of National Parks and protected areas.  On the whole, shootings on Italian shepherds were very well received by the Kyrgyz counterpart. Specifically, after watching the films, Kyrgyz pastoralists were considerable surprised in discovering that in industrialized countries, such as Italy, pastoralist modes of productions are still thriving, in spite of all challenges. Furthermore, they were surprised in learning that, in a country like Italy (idealized by Kyrgyz pastoralists as a ‘problems free’ Nation), shepherds livelihood and traditions are being threatened due to the implementation of culturally insensitive environmental laws. Overall, video-showing on Italian shepherds did raise, amongst Kyrgyz pastoralists, a number of crucial questions referring to gender issues, loss, transmission/revitalization of traditional knowledge, identity and ethnicity, global policies, forms of governance in different nations, etc.

For instance the film on Italian cheese making fostered a lively discussion on the recovering/revitalization of an old Kyrgyz cheese recipe (egighei) that – at the present - has almost disappeared. This prompted Dr. Valentina De Marchi to support Kyrgyz pastoralists in the documentation of their old egighei recipe. Finally, an initial documentation on the history of egighei was made and the video was shown in front of a diversified audience leading to important reflections on knowledge transmission and revitalization.

In the project’s second phase (Spring/Summer 2011), additional steps will be made in the planning of future exchanges amongst different Kyrgyz communities, which have been separated by international boundaries over long periods of time. Each of them, in their respective host nations, has developed its own counter-strategies for preserving mobility and pastoralist traditions. Our preliminary findings indicate that different Kyrgyz communities are now found in China (Xinjiang, Wuquia, Akqi, Akto, Tekes, Zhaosu, Beicheng, Wushi regions), Tajikistan (Pamir), Turkey (Van e Kars province), Afghanistan (Pamir and Badakhshan) and Altai region (in Russia and Kazak countries). To begin with, the project aims at establishing audio-visual exchanges between those pastoralist communities found in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Northeast Turkey. Such exchanges will focus on issues that will be regarded as relevant by the traditional custodians themselves, such as breeding and livestock knowledge, cultural loss, innovation and adaptation processes.  Some of these activities will be carried out in partnership with other TCF grantees such as the Rural Development Fund (RDF).

by Dario Novellino and Valentina De Marchi

Photo credits: Valentina De Marchi and Dario Novellino

The ALDAW Save Palawan Campaign: using web 2.0 for policy Advocacy on indigenous peoples

In March 2006, former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called for a revitalization of mining nation-wide. Open-pit and strip mining for nickel results in the flattening of mountain tops, in the plundering of forest and in the production of vast amounts of tailings that contaminate freshwater sources and the sea. Palawan, the richest Philippines’ province in terms of biocultural diversity, and a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve, is threatened as ever before.

ALDAW (Ancestral Land/Domain Watch), a local advocacy network decided to take immediate action, in the attempt of bringing the plight of Palawan indigenous peoples to international attention. In 2009, ALDAW in collaboration with the Centre for Biocultural Diversity (CBCD) of the University of Kent, began to produce participatory videos amongst indigenous communities. The primary aim was to provide communities with more information on the ecological and social impact of mining, in order to allow people to make informed decisions while confronting mining corporations. ALDAW began its journey amongst those communities who had already experienced the effects of mining. The recorded testimonials from community representatives (both indigenous and migrant farmers) were shared with other communities who were still in the process of confronting mining companies, and were unsure about the way in which they should approach these enterprises. These videos have had a tremendous impact in terms of bringing local grass-root voices to policymakers and to the global level. 

Dedicated ALDAW channels on YouTube and a page on Vimeo were established. For the residents of Palawan, these platforms have become an essential channel for presenting their claims and aspirations, as well as for entering into a dialogue with other indigenous communities from around the globe. ALDAW fieldwork also included the production of geo-tagged images aimed at documenting the overlapping between mining concessions, fragile environments and the ancestral territory of indigenous communities. Geo-tagged photos were loaded into a geo-aware application, displayed on satellite Google map and posted on the ALDAW Facebook Page. ALDAW also posted an Online Petition that, as of the present, has been signed by almost 4,900 people, while ad additional 20,000 signatures were collected through the assistance of Rainforest Rescue. 

Networking and the wide dissemination of information on the Palawan case encouraged other organizations - such as Survival International - to support the ALDAW campaign. As of now, a number of advocacy organizations and research institutions provided added channels for ALDAW to disseminate information including video documentaries (vlogging) and updates from the field. See, for instance, Intercontinental Cry, PPgis.Net Blog , Plant Talk of the Eden Project, Community Solidarity Response Toronto, CEESP, the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, PipLinks (Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links). 

Rainforest Rescue also decided to support ALDAW struggle, by petitioning the UNESCO for taking no action to protect its declared Palawan Man & Biosphere Reserve. As a result of this action, ALDAW has been approached by the UNESCO and preliminary negotiations are ongoing. 

Just when the Palawan campaign almost appeared to have reached its peak, a tragic and unexpected event took place in Palawan on 24 January 2011, Gerry Ortega, an environmental advocate and broadcast journalist, was killed by a gunman after finishing his daily radio program on DWAR Palawan, which had been very critical of mining interests. Right after this, the ABS-CBN Foundation of the Philippine decided to fully support anti-mining efforts in Palawan, through the lunch of a 10 Million Signatures “No to Mining in Palawan” online petition. 

Recently, in response to the mounting outcry from both International and National communities, Pres. Benigno Aquino III announced that the government will cancel more than 300 pending mining applications in Palawan. ALDAW and the NGO community have welcomed the President’s decision, but they also warned that this will have little impact on the ecological integrity of Palawan because it would not stop the destruction and degradation being done by those mining projects that are already operating on the island.

People interested in the topics can join this GoogleGroup.

Impact on policy making:

Here are some articles appeared in the press:

• Phl suspends issuance of new mining permits (philstar.com) February 18, 2011
• Paje to MGB: Stop accepting new mining applications The Philippine Star, 02/19/2011
• Philippines suspends issuance of new mining permits (Xinhua, 2011-02-18)
• Uphill battle vs mining in Palawan begins ABS-CBN News, 02/23/2011

Comments are reflections

The short article summarizes the experience and methodologies of the ALDAW Network in bringing the voices of mining affected communities on Palawan Island (the Philippines) to national and international attention.  The overall ALDAW campaign strategy combines community grounded work with several WEB 2.0 tools/platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Blogs, Vlogs, Facebook, Geotagging, GoogleGroups, e-networking, and other tools for monitoring the occurrence of selected topics on the net, etc.

Some of the key lessons learned which ALDAW could share with other indigenous/farmers groups, as well with NGOs and People’s Organizations from different countries include the following:

1. How to use participatory videos to fostering reflection and joint actions while establishing strategic grass-root alliances against extractive-industries;
2. How to produce and circulate participatory videos to be used for exerting pressure at the national and international policy level.

This entails producing advocacy tools that are not only addressed to policy makers, conservation and development organizations, but that equally generate intra or inter-community solidarity across regions, as well as common grounds for cross-cultural discussions and analysis.

Ten step process for producing a Participatory Video. The Telecho Experience

This video was shot during the making of a participatory video in Telecho village, Highlands Ethiopia. It is meant to show in 10 easy steps the process used during this participatory video training. Fernanda Baumhardt and Patricia Santos trained 14 youth age 14- 16 that have no access to electricity and TV to hold a camera, speak on a microphone and do interviews, making their own film.

This Video has been produced in the framework of the project: "Promotion of Collaborative Spatial Information Management and Communication in East and Southern Africa", Telecho, Ethiopia

Project coordination and funding: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) and MELCA - Ethiopia