Established in 1977, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is an international organisation that carries out research-for-development to improve the livelihoods of the resource poor. Through science-based solutions, ICARDA works to help communities in the world’s non-tropical dry areas to overcome problems of hunger and poverty. Since April 2019, WRENmedia has been working with ICARDA to support the Center in producing quality communication outputs for its research projects. Our assistance has included editing and design of scientific papers, project reports and posters, often to tight deadlines, on a variety of topics – from enhancing the livelihoods of Syrian refugees to improving agricultural extension services in Tunisia.
Leveraging multiple channels
To optimise awareness of ICARDA’s research findings, WRENmedia has produced a series of print and online outputs to enhance engagement with ICARDA’s various reports. For example, WRENmedia edited and designed the report, Restoration of degraded land for food security and poverty reduction in East Africa and the Sahel: taking successes in land restoration to scale, which was launched at the UNCCD COP14 in New Delhi, India, on 2 September 2019. To provide further promotion of the report, WRENmedia also wrote and designed a four-page brief, wrote an accompanying blog to highlight key findings, and produced a social media toolkit with photo banners and infographics to increase online engagement around the launch.
“Wow!! These look incredible! This is the first toolkit I have contributed to. Thank you for your perseverance and creativity!” – Leigh Ann Winowiecki, co-author of the land restoration report. In February 2020, WRENmedia finalised similar outputs for a project on assessing capacity building needs for development organisations in Moldova, Morocco and Sudan. Since then, WRENmedia has edited and laid out reports and policy briefs on a wide variety of topics, including on variety suitability mapping in Ethiopia, water harvesting in Jordan, gender and agriculture in Tunisia, sheep and goat breeding in Ethiopia, and the development of entrepreneurship and business skills in Ethiopia.
Translating the outputs
With interventions across 50 countries – from Bangladesh in South Asia to Morocco in North Africa – ICARDA often needs to translate outputs into different languages. WRENmedia has assisted ICARDA in the French translation and editing of their research briefs.