Communication for Disaster Preparedness in Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica

In recent years, floods, landslides, droughts and hurricanes have crippled agricultural production in the Caribbean, where national economies are largely dependent on agriculture and tourism. To strengthen community preparedness and resilience to natural disasters in the region, the OSRO/RLA/102/BEL Disaster Preparedness project for Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica of FAO was launched in 2011. In September, the project will enter the second phase.

CSDI has been supporting the project through the design and implementation of communication strategies and local information and communication (IC) plans for community based Agriculture Disaster Risk Management (ADRM) activities.

The ComDev strategy is based on the initial assessment made through focus groups and interviews to identify with key stakeholders and farmer’s groups ADRM and communication needs, as well as knowledge sharing opportunities, sources, and channels.  The whole process has been documented through short videos and photo series, including the systematization of good ADRM practices to be used later for strengthening resilience capacities of farmers and fishermen.  Based on the results, local IC plans are being designed for 16 communities, as well as threeoverall communication strategies for each country, including awareness raising, training and information sharing on community-based ADRM activities.

The second phase of the project will focus on selected vulnerable areas of Dominican Republic and Haiti to support follow-up and implementation of plans that take into account local priorities of intervention. The success at the local level can then contribute to a broader up-scaling and replication at the national and regional level.

The CSDI programme aims at increasing the resilience of farmers and fishers communities through the implementation of community ADRM plans, location specific good practices and technologies, and the sharing of knowledge, good practices and experiences.