Global Interdependence in Agriculture

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Global Interdependence in Agriculture

• Communicating Effectively

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Global Interdependence in Agriculture

• GOAL
• To enhance the capacity of university faculty and
  staff to communicate effectively about global
  interdependence, cooperation, and development.
• .

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• National Advisory Committee
• Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
• Florida AM University
• Michigan State University
• Pennsylvania State University
• University of Florida
• University of Minnesota
• Washington State University
• The Aspen Institute
• USDA

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Global Interdependence Initiative

• What does this mean for the university community?
  
• Extension -- Teaching -- Research
• How can the findings of the GII project be
  adapted to meet the needs of our institutions
  and clientele?

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Process

• Reviewed the GII findings and the Toolkit
  developed by the FrameWorks Institute
• Developed a new tool
• Global Interdependence in Agriculture A Users
  Guide for Effective Communication
• Sharing and testing this tool

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Communicating effectively...

• articles
• speeches
• reports
• presentations
• program planning
• partnerships
• community outreach

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We want to use frames that...

• Convey a sense of respect for all peoples
• and cultures
• Promote cooperation
• Motivate people to get involved
• Dispel common myths
• --the U.S. does it all
• --Americans are smarter
• --its global mayhem out there
• --U.S. aid is wasted
• --aid only helps our competitors

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Talking Agriculture...Exploring Frames

• Moral Norms
• Solving world hunger is the right thing to do
• Making the world a better place for future
  generations
• Environment
• Agriculture and the environment are linked
• Preserving the natural resource base for food
  production (soil, water, plant and animal
  species)
• Preserving the environment for future generations
• Adapted from Frameworks

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• Mentoring for Autonomy (not teachers)
• Americans as mentors
• Farmer to farmer
• Utilizing U.S. expertise to solve global problems
• Teamwork/Partnership
• Working together to ensure global food security
• Partnerships between universities and
  agricultural and community groups
• Common Groups
• Farmers, agriculturists, rural, mountain, ethnic
  links
• Adapted from FrameWorks

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A new frame .

• Mutual Benefits
• Solving world hunger is a win-win scenario
• International cooperation benefits developing
  countries AND the U.S.

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• Association for International Agriculture and
  Rural Development
• 50 case studies
• mutual benefits
• www.aiard.org

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Why this frame might work...

• Describes the benefits in general terms -- not
  narrow self-interest
• Can be used with moral norms frame
• Its okay to reap benefits as long as youre
  doing the right thing too.
• Fits well with other positive frames --
  environment, partnership, mentoring
• Dispels myth that aid only helps competitors
• Emphasizes global interconnections

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Metaphors are an important part of frames --

• Part of our everyday communications
• Packed with meaning and connections
• Some frames are essentially defined by metaphors
  --
• Countries as neighbors in the world
  community.

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Neighbors.

• What does this metaphor tell us?
• Nobody likes a nosy neighbor
• Good fences make good neighbors
• Neighbors help in times of crisis
• To mobilize support in a crisis situation, the
  neighbor metaphor could be effective, but it does
  not elicit support for long-term engagement.
• Adapted from FrameWorks

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METAPHOR FAMILIES

• Identified by Cognitive Linguist, Pamela Morgan
• Competition
• Cooperation
• Interconnection

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Competition Metaphors

• Two or more competitors reaching for the same
  goal only one can win
• races, combat, war, team sports, winners and
  losers, predators and prey.
• dont promote cooperative or global systems
  thinking promote self-interest frame
• A senior U.S. diplomat resigning his post due to
  opposition to war with Iraq
• My faith in my country and its values was the
  most powerful weapon in my diplomatic arsenal.

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Cooperation Metaphors

• Involve two or more entities that choose to work
  together to attain the desired goal
• family, friends, team players, partnerships,
  community groups
• promotes cooperative thinking
• consider the implications of each metaphor
• Its time for a global barn-raising

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Interconnection Metaphors

• All parts are equally important and necessary to
  the whole
• people, animals, plants, environment, machines,
  buildings, fabrics, webs, networks
• Leads to systems thinking -- global connections
• --

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Interconnection Metaphors

• Sowing the seeds of promise
• Harvesting the fruits of our labors
• Planting, growing, cultivating, etc.
• Weaving fabric of a global society
• Pieces of a quilt
• Building a strong foundation
• Web of life
• Circles, wheels, networks

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MESSAGE CHECKLIST

• Begin with words or visuals that highlight the
  global environment and get people thinking about
  interconnected systems. Segue into your specific
  topic.

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Message Checklist

• Appeal to moral values and the desire to make the
  world a better place now and for future
  generations. This is a powerful frame that can
  set the stage for the discussion of specific
  issues.

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Message Checklist

• Try out the mutual benefits frame.
• Explore the benefits to all parties and draw
  connections between them.

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Message Checklist

• Pay attention to your metaphors - use cooperation
  and interconnection metaphors rather than
  competition metaphors.
• Agriculture as a global system
• planting, seeds, growing, cultivating,
  harvesting, fertilizing (interconnection, living
  system metaphors)

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Message Checklist

• Define the situation
• Clearly state the problem
• Show the big picture
• Identify a solution or opportunities to improve
  the situation
• Identify host country problem-solvers
• Clarify who is responsible for fixing the
  situation

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Message Checklist

• Focus on your role as a partner or mentor. Avoid
  reinforcing the idea that the U.S. does it all.
• Highlight the good work of host country
  communities and work groups.

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• The
• story
• of
• Jennie

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The listener hears...

• Whew -- the problem is solved,
• end of story
• Individual problem requiring an individual
  response
• Incompetent/uneducated mother
• American saves the day

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What the listener did not hear...

• The big picture -- the large issue
• scope of problem --how widespread?
• lack of basic health services
• education issues
• lack of opportunities for young women
• access to clean water
• impact of marketing infant formula in poor
  countries
• Solutions -- what could be done on a community
  level to solve the problem?
• Local people helping to solve problems

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Message Checklist

• Talk about global rather than foreign issues,
  emphasizing connections rather than differences.
  Use caution with the term globalization -- a
  very charged term.
• Emphasize similarities -- avoid dwelling on the
  exotic.

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Message Checklist

• Replace the unwanted frame --
• dont deny it.
• When you counter a perception or frame, present
  your case without restating (and reinforcing) the
  false perception or unwanted frame.

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• It is a common perception that helping farmers
  in poor countries grow soybeans or vegetables,
  results in increased competition for American
  farmers, but that isnt necessarily true
• Watching the nightly news, one gets the
  impression that the world is just one big
  dangerous and chaotic place, and there is little
  we can do to make it better. This just isnt
  true

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Message Checklist

• Make sure visuals, titles, announcements
• reinforce positive frames.

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Message Checklist

• Explain numbers in terms that the audience will
  understand and can relate to situations in their
  everyday lives.
• For approximately 7 billion we could make basic
  education accessible to every child in the world
  
• OR.

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• For less than the price of what Americans spend
  each year on cosmetics, we could make basic
  education accessible to every child in the world.
  (FrameWorks)
• Nearly half of the worlds population lives on
  less than 2.00/day -- the price of your morning
  coffee and donut.
• A 4.00 mosquito net can prevent millions of
  people from contracting malaria. Yet, that 4.00
  is out of reach for most of those who need it. To
  us it is a meal at McDonalds to them it is two
  full days wages. (FrameWorks)

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Message Checklist

• Tell people how they can get involved or get more
  information about a particular project,
  university efforts, or global issues in general.
• Global Interdependence in Agriculture
• http//www.aspeninstitute.org/gii/index.html