View source for 32 Agricultural Extension Methods and Communication

== Communication aimed at organisations ==
Communication methods and means were also employed to communicate with stakeholder agencies and beneficiary organisations. Communication aimed at beneficiaries – described above – had from the onset an explicit focus on the transformation of agriculture and water management. Communication aimed at organisations had a less focussed aim. From 2018 onwards, however, communication aimed at sector agencies was systematically aimed at reinvigorating water sector governance in Bangladesh with lessons from Participatory Water Management.

* '''Barta''' – The Bangla newsletter ''‘Barta’'', which is primarily aimed at WMOs but which is shared within the sector as well, had an intended quarterly frequency and has been published 16 times (refer [[:Category:Newsletter|File Library <nowiki>''</nowiki>newsletter"]]) with a wide circulation among WMGs and WMAs, and a limited circulation to local organisations (UP, Upazila offices, local NGO, Community clinic, college, FFS/MFS group, DAE, and BWDB offices) and national pa[[:File:BARTA 16 final pdf version 11sep 19.pdf|''<nowiki/>'']]<nowiki/>rtner agencies. The [[:File:BARTA 16 final pdf version 11sep 19.pdf|final issue of ''<nowiki/>'Barta''']] was published in September 2019. With the growing number of beneficiaries, the total circulation was increased to 7,000 issues:
** Barta provided four pages in colour on (i) recent main events within the BGP program (e.g. DAE mela, agreement signing ceremonies, crop cut festivals, etc.); (ii) noteworthy WMG activities, like khal cleaning; (ii) success stories of WMGs, WMAs and / or individual beneficiaries; (iv) technical information on agriculture and livestock production. In each issue, one particular polder was basic progress data on BGP were included, like number of WMO formed, FFS, MFS, enrolment in WMOs, civil work progress, etc.
** Initially, preparation of Barta was outsourced but the quality did not justify the high cost of doing so and subsequently an internal editorial board was formed, including BWDB and DAE representatives, the three zonal coordinators and two TA team members. Contributions were mainly solicited from the staff, with a careful review of contents, length and regional balance. Both encouraging staff to contribute as well as editing their contributions proved to be time consuming.
** A major lesson is that strong discipline is needed to ensure timely and regular publication. Timeliness is especially important given the seasonality of agriculture and water management.
** The impact of WMGs or farmers seeing their own story in print is substantial; while success stories also inspire the readers to follow the set example.

*'''Trend Watcher''' – As a result of a recommendation of the Aide Memoire of the Annual Review Mission 2016, the Blue Gold Trend Watcher. was issued as an English-language bulletin the timing of whose publication was loosely aimed to review the performance of the preceding season. It aimed at summarizing and sharing updates on project interventions and achievements as well as on stakeholder participation in water management and economic activities. Monitoring results at both output level and outcome level, success stories of WMOs or WMG members, innovative initiatives of BGP or WMOs, challenges and limitations in implementing BGP interventions were among the major topics of the bulletin. While ''Barta'', the Bangla newsletter, was aimed at the WMGs and WMAs, the 'Trend Watcher' targeted management representatives of project partners, partner agencies/donors and allied organizations. In total, six issues of the 'Trend Watcher' were published between [[:File:TW01 Trend Watcher Issue 1 Dec 2016.pdf|December 2016]] and [[:File:TW06 17dec 19 Trends Watcher 6 Final.pdf|December 2019]].
* '''Publications''' – Blue Gold received some coverage in magazines and newspapers. An extensive article by BWDB's Program Coordinating Director and published in a national English-language newspaper in 2019, explicitly pursued the broader adoption of integrated water management in the coastal zone (See: Box 30.1)<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Blue Gold Program: A way forward for coastal Polder Water Management|last=Hossain|first=Md. Amirul|date=2019-10-22|access-date=|url-status=live|work=New Nation}}</ref>.

{| class="wikitable"
|+Box 32.1: Blue Gold Program: A way forward for coastal Polder Water Management by Eng. Md. Amirul Hossain
|“It may be concluded that, drainage during monsoon and availability of usable water round the year has been ensured through repair/re-sectioning of embankment, re-excavation of interior channels/Khals, repair/reconstruction, timely operation of water management infrastructures and active participation of local stakeholders of Polder area. Increased agricultural production as well as improvement of natural environment has become possible by protecting saline water intrusion through water control structures inside Polder area and storing/preserving rain water in re-excavated khal/channels and other water bodies. Natural resource based agricultural production, job opportunity and livelihood development have been accelerated. Improved livelihood of local people has become possible due to integrated and synchronous activities of water management, agricultural production and community involvement/participation. Production of crops and fishes in the water bodies inside Polder area has been increased due to proper drainage and availability of saline free useable water. Huge change is being observed in improvement of environment as well as in livelihood. Sustainable development has also become possible for these program activities. BGP has been playing an important role in poverty reduction and to achieve food security in14 upazilas of four districts through integrated participatory water management. This may be considered as a way forward for improvement of coastal polder water management”.
|}

*'''Advisory group meetings''' – Realising that written publications only go so far in influencing organisational actions, Blue Gold used advisory group meetings to encourage cross-sectoral dialogue on participatory water management. These informal meetings were intended to allow senior representatives of BWDB, DAE and LGRDC to discuss the strategy of the project and the policy environment. Attendees included EKN, DG BWDB, PCD BWDB, PD DAE, a representative of LGRDC and TA team. In most cases, a presentation was made at the beginning of the meeting on a specific issue, followed by responses from the the attendees, and a round-up of decisions made. Although the meetings in this form were discontinued from 2016 because of a lack of support from BWDB, discussions on PWM policy restarted in 2019 when a team of senior national experts prepared three interlocking working papers with the aim of engaging a select circle of government in a policy dialogue, as described in [[20 Way forward|chapter 20 Way Forward]]. 

* '''Seminars and congresses'''. Blue Gold representatives spoke regularly at workshops, congresses and seminars. In doing this, emphasis was gradually shifted from activity reports to promotion of renewed policy development with respect to water governance and participatory water management.

The communication aimed at organisations would have benefited from an immediate and strong focus on further development of the state of the art of participatory water management in Bangladesh; both in an immediately practical sense by supporting PWM practices within the 22 polders; as well as by initiating and contributing to a national dialogue on water governance and the lessons from PWM. The latter is – since 2019 – taken up by a panel of senior experts preparing an independent review within the context of the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (see [[20 Way forward|chapter 20 ‘Way Forward’]]).