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Dzaonewekha Milk Bulking Group in Dedza District. Our intention was to pair each
student with a farmer and through a discussion identify what was important for the
farmer within the context of the project, along with choosing appropriate pictures to
take. The first 2 days of workshops included an introduction to the method, introducing visual literacy, getting to grips with the cameras, editing, and using text and
captioning. After coming to grips with the cameras on day 1, students were assigned
exercises including: “Self-portraits Without a Face” (take a photograph of something that represents or shows who they are) and “Treasure Hunt” (take five photographs in 30 min, each one representing a high angle, a low angle, a detail, a response
to words and a feeling). Students were encouraged to be creative, think outside the
box, and interpret as they wished. The photographs from “Treasure Hunt,” along
with the techniques and interpretations, were reviewed and discussed on day 2 to
prepare students for their coming task in the field.
Day 2 also involved an introduction to editing. For example, students were
divided into three groups with each given a pack of photographs. The groups then
identified themes and connections between the photographs, arranging them in
order to tell a story. This encouraged metaphorical thinking and looking beyond
what the photograph was of, but rather what it was about or what it represented. This
led to a captioning exercise, where students had to match captions, or short narratives, with photographs to help explain the context and meaning of a particular
image, why it was taken and what it represents. This also provided an example of
what we hoped for after the field visit – captioned photo-essays that acted as the raw
material for image-based digital stories.
Prior to the field visit, we raised an open discussion with the team of students
asking how they thought they could build trust with participants. They raised several
good ethically driven points that could help gain narratives that reflected the true
perspectives of the participants. For example, since the students were to cooperate
with farmers in a rural setting, the female students decided to wear traditional
wrapped skirts and no make-up. It was also pointed out that they should not brandish “fancy” labelled bottles of water. Furthermore, we all considered it important
to respect the community and its customs and remain polite at all times. As final
year communication students, the group was already familiar with the ethics that
should take precedence during social research. Visual research often brings its own
ethical challenges. Nevertheless, as Hitchcock, in conversation with Collier and
Collier (1986) stated, respect is always paramount and especially so when working
in indigenous or small communities. Moreover, Diener and Crandal’s four areas of
ethics which concern harm to participants, informed consent, privacy, and trust, are
just as applicable to visual research as they are to conventional methods (Davey 2018).
Day 3 involved a field trip to Dzaonewekha Milk Bulking Group and dairy farmers in Dedza District who are part of the REDCAP project. One student was elected
to introduce the group to the community. After formal introductions involving village elders and the project steering committee, each student was paired with a
farmer. They then travelled to the respective farms or residences to collaborate with
the farmers. For 2–3 hours they discussed with the farmers what to take pictures of
and what the pictures’ content meant to them in the context of their life, their livelihood, and their role in the project. Some students recorded farmers’ narratives on
Digital Storytelling as an Agricultural Extension Communication Tool in Smallholder…
Dzaonewekha Milk Bulking Group in Dedza District. Our intention was to pair each
student with a farmer and through a discussion identify what was important for the
farmer within the context of the project, along with choosing appropriate pictures to
take. The first 2 days of workshops included an introduction to the method, introducing visual literacy, getting to grips with the cameras, editing, and using text and
captioning. After coming to grips with the cameras on day 1, students were assigned
exercises including: “Self-portraits Without a Face” (take a photograph of something that represents or shows who they are) and “Treasure Hunt” (take five photographs in 30 min, each one representing a high angle, a low angle, a detail, a response
to words and a feeling). Students were encouraged to be creative, think outside the
box, and interpret as they wished. The photographs from “Treasure Hunt,” along
with the techniques and interpretations, were reviewed and discussed on day 2 to
prepare students for their coming task in the field.
Day 2 also involved an introduction to editing. For example, students were
divided into three groups with each given a pack of photographs. The groups then
identified themes and connections between the photographs, arranging them in
order to tell a story. This encouraged metaphorical thinking and looking beyond
what the photograph was of, but rather what it was about or what it represented. This
led to a captioning exercise, where students had to match captions, or short narratives, with photographs to help explain the context and meaning of a particular
image, why it was taken and what it represents. This also provided an example of
what we hoped for after the field visit – captioned photo-essays that acted as the raw
material for image-based digital stories.
Prior to the field visit, we raised an open discussion with the team of students
asking how they thought they could build trust with participants. They raised several
good ethically driven points that could help gain narratives that reflected the true
perspectives of the participants. For example, since the students were to cooperate
with farmers in a rural setting, the female students decided to wear traditional
wrapped skirts and no make-up. It was also pointed out that they should not brandish “fancy” labelled bottles of water. Furthermore, we all considered it important
to respect the community and its customs and remain polite at all times. As final
year communication students, the group was already familiar with the ethics that
should take precedence during social research. Visual research often brings its own
ethical challenges. Nevertheless, as Hitchcock, in conversation with Collier and
Collier (1986) stated, respect is always paramount and especially so when working
in indigenous or small communities. Moreover, Diener and Crandal’s four areas of
ethics which concern harm to participants, informed consent, privacy, and trust, are
just as applicable to visual research as they are to conventional methods (Davey 2018).
Day 3 involved a field trip to Dzaonewekha Milk Bulking Group and dairy farmers in Dedza District who are part of the REDCAP project. One student was elected
to introduce the group to the community. After formal introductions involving village elders and the project steering committee, each student was paired with a
farmer. They then travelled to the respective farms or residences to collaborate with
the farmers. For 2–3 hours they discussed with the farmers what to take pictures of
and what the pictures’ content meant to them in the context of their life, their livelihood, and their role in the project. Some students recorded farmers’ narratives on
Digital Storytelling as an Agricultural Extension Communication Tool in Smallholder…