“From Information to Knowledge and Action” Capacity Building Workshop Report

The report details two 2012 capacity building workshops in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, designed to train community radio reporters from the Bundelkhand region in climate change journalism. Organized by Development Alternatives under the CDKN – Shubh Kal project, the training combined theoretical lessons on climate science with practical field visits to villages and interviews with scientific experts and government officials. The workshops aimed to empower local journalists to bridge the gap between scientific research and rural communities, resulting in the creation of radio stories and a plan for a series of 'magazine format' programs on climate adaptation and sustainable agriculture.

• The workshops aimed to bridge the gap between scientific research, policy makers, and rural communities by training community radio reporters to communicate climate change impacts and adaptation measures. The goal was to facilitate the "integration of grassroots voices into local scientific research and policy dialogue using the medium of community radios."
• Prior to the training, most participants lacked a comprehensive understanding of climate change vulnerabilities and lacked confidence in interviewing experts. A pre-workshop survey indicated that while participants linked climate change to deforestation, their "understanding on the difference between climate and weather was particularly low."
• The training emphasized that climate journalism should move beyond reporting on disasters to include warning communities of impending crises and informing them about "potential solutions and climate resilient adaptation measures."
• Practical training included field visits to villages such as Rajapur, Papawani, and Baruasagar Phutera to identify local climate issues, followed by interviews with scientific organizations—including the National Research Centre for Agroforestry (NRCAF) and the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI)—and government departments in Jhansi and Niwari.
• A critical journalistic skill highlighted during the workshops was the need for radio anchors to simplify technical information provided by experts, as "Farmers would have difficulty in understanding such heavy information."
• The workshops resulted in the production of three specific radio stories: "Advantages of Organic Farming vs. Chemical Farming", "Check Dam – A Boon for Rajapur Village Farmers (A Success Story)", and "Water Problems of Papawani Village".
• Following the workshops, reporters agreed to produce 20-minute 'magazine format style' programs covering themes such as the causes of climate change, its impacts on agriculture, agroforestry as an adaptation technique, the potential of organic farming in Bundelkhand, and impacts on livestock rearing.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2012). “From Information to Knowledge and Action” Capacity Building Workshop Report. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Capacity-Building-Workshop-Report.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. “From Information to Knowledge and Action” Capacity Building Workshop Report. 2012. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Capacity-Building-Workshop-Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=“From Information to Knowledge and Action” Capacity Building Workshop Report |date=2012 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Capacity-Building-Workshop-Report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2012from, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{“From Information to Knowledge and Action” Capacity Building Workshop Report}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2012}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Capacity-Building-Workshop-Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }