AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION CONTROL PROJECT
DESIGN OF PUBLIC AWARENESS PROGRAM
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ROMANIA
AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION CONTROL PROJECT
Design of Public Awareness System
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Origin and Objectives of the Assignment
2. Design of public awareness program for Calarasi with institutional
responsibilities, procedures for cooperation with local authorities and local
leaders and coordination of message delivery with availability of resources
3. Organization of proposed nationwide campaign
4. Staffing needs, investment and recurrent costs for Calarasi and nationwide
campaign
5. Implementation recommendations
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1. Introduction: Origin and Objectives of the Assignment
Origin of the Assignment
The Government of Romania (GOR) has obtained an agreement from the Global
Environment Facility (GEF) to support an Agricultural Pollution Control Project (APCP).
The Agricultural Pollution Control Project aims to increase significantly the use of
environment-friendly agricultural practices in rural areas in order to ultimately reduce the
discharge of nutrients and other agricultural pollutants into the Danube River and Black
Sea through integrated land and water management. The project is envisaged as a pilot
activity in the Calarasi Judet of southern Romania, along the lower Danube. As a first
pilot project in Romania to reduce the nutrient load, the activities implemented under the
project could be replicated at both local and national level.
A component of this project consists in the preparation and implementation of a public
awareness plan to increase understanding of the environmentally-sound agricultural
practices and disseminate good agricultural practices for water and soil protection.
Objective of the Assignment
The objective of the assignment is to prepare the draft implementation plan and estimated
costs for the public awareness campaigns at Calarasi and national level, in support of and
coordination with all the other activities of the Agricultural Pollution Control Project.
The public awareness plan aims to create and increase awareness as well as to induce
behavior changes among the local population in regard to agricultural and household
practices leading to contamination of their drinking water supplies and the potential of
environment-friendly practices demonstrated to produce health, ecological and
commercial benefits.
The plan will consider promoting the Code of Good Agricultural Practices used by EU
countries according to the CEE Council Directive regarding water protection against
pollution with nutrients originated from agriculture - 91/676/CEE (Nitrates Directive).
A secundary but nonetheless important objective is to support and encourage institutional
consolidation of agricultural extension services as providers of information and expertise
in sound environment agricultural practices.
The foundation for this public awareness campaign is an integrated local/national
communications plan. Its effectiveness comes from the synergies created through the use
of a wide range of integrated, interdependent communications strategies. Each strategy
depends on the impressions and impact of other strategies to create the most cost-effective
and communications-efficient way to meet the communications objectives set forth in this
plan.
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2. Design of public awareness program for Calarasi with institutional
responsibilities, procedures for cooperation with local authorities and local
leaders and coordination of message delivery with availability of resources.
The public awareness component of the project will be undertaken in the seven pilot
communes and will achieve replicability in the whole Calarasi Judet and at national level.
The public awareness activities will be delivered through cost-effective, traditional and
innovative communication vehicles. The message delivery is coordinated within the
project activities timetable with the availability of resources to implement intended
improvements. Cooperation with local authorities and other community leaders is
essential for an effective campaign to reach the majority of the population in the pilot
area. The farmers and other stakeholders will be regularly updated on the progress and
benefits of the project activities in order to consolidate the new behavior patterns. The
extension service (OJCA) staff will be trained in environment-friendly agricultural
practices as well as in communication and information dissemination skills. By
participating in the demonstration and field trials they will become a major vehicle for
encouraging the adoption of these practices throughout Calarasi.
The development and implementation of this public awareness plan must be framed by a
series of guiding principles that insure it effectively achieves the objectives outlined
above. These principles include:
· Being structured and able to function so that it provides audiences with the
information they need when and where they want it;
· Having pre-established measurement systems incorporated within the plan to
evaluate plan performance and all educational efforts;
· Having the inherent flexibility to redirect efforts and resources based on feedback
gained from periodic performance measurements and assessments;
· Leveraging the efforts and impact of this public awareness campaign by
proactively enabling other organizations and groups to connect to this plan and
utilize its concepts and messages in their own communications efforts.
In designing the Calarasi public awareness plan we have used a seven-step procedure,
which entails:
2.1. Reviewing the realities
2.2. Reviewing the existing and potential impacts and influence of key stakeholder
groups in Romanian agriculture
2.3. Surveying the sociocultural situation
2.4. Identifying cognitive and psychological traits of the target audience in regard
with the target behavior
2.5. Identifying the information needs and habits of each identified group
2.6. Constructing the communications
2.7. Evaluating the effectiveness
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2.1.
Reviewing the realities:
Review of the status, trend and historical context of agricultural
practices in Calarasi, together with their ecological and economic
significance
The first step in designing a public awareness plan is to identify high-priority persuasive
goals that meet three criteria: seriousness of the problem, effectiveness of the solution,
and suitability of mass persuasion as a way of achieving the solution. The review of the
status, trend and historical context of agricultural practices in the selected area is of
paramount importance for the identification of the key issues the campaign will address.
The Pilot Area Description
· The pilot project area comprises seven communas in Calarasi Judet, with a total
number of 21 villages, covering a compact area of about 74,200 ha with 64,000 ha as
arable land, in the southeastern part of Romania.
· The southern part of this area, bordering the lower Danube river, includes the Boianu-
Sticleanu polder (approx. 23,000 ha), formerly a floodplain area, drained and
transformed into an agricultural polder in the late sixties and now containing large
areas of cultivated land, small areas of floodplain forests, degraded lands and Iezer
Calarasi waterbody.
· Iezer Calarasi, with a surface of 3,200 ha is proposed to become a nature reserve,
being an important corridor for bird migration, most of them listed on Bonn and Bern
Conventions.
· Four of the seven communes selected for this project are considered among the
poorest in the country (according to WB's Poverty to Rural Development study).
· The population of these communas is predominantly aged, with a low level of
education, economically relying on their land's work.
Agricultural practices in Calarasi ecologic and economic significance
Project preparation research shows that the selected Calarasi area is characterized by:
· Poor agricultural practices, almost exclusively crop production-oriented;
· Inappropiate management, storage and application of mineral fertilizers, pesticides,
manure, and domestic waste;
· Lack of septic tanks in most of the rural settlements;
· Lack of waste water treatment plants for both small human settlements and intensive
animal production.
The current practices and realities have severe ecologic and economic consequences such
as:
· Soil erosion resulting from unsustainable land use;
· Destruction of the former floodplain areas;
· High groundwater pollution with nitrogen and phosphorous;
· Deforestation and subsequent effects;
· Lack of fish and wildlife food and cover;
· Economic and social difficulties among local communities;
· Lack of recreational opportunities for local people and tourists.
The review of current agricultural practices and their ecologic and economic
consequences unveils the key issues that will be tackled by various components of the
Agricultural Pollution Control Project.
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Key Issues
Based on the components of the Agricultural Pollution Control Project, a number of 8 key
issues have been identified to be addressed by the public awareness plan:
· Pollution
· Water and life quality
· Environment-friendly agricultural practices
· Manure management practices
· Economic and social difficulties among local people
· Unfulfilled potential for tourism
· Community environmental education and awareness
· National policy and regulatory capacity
Further explanation of these issues and desired outcomes of the public awareness plan are
presented in the following table:
Table 1. Key issues and desired outcomes of the public awareness plan
Key Issue
Desired Outcomes
1. Pollution
· Increased understanding of the problems
Pollution of water caused by leakage of
caused by pollution and waste disposal
pollutants into the water system: from non- · Agreed action to reduce levels of pollution
point sources, from livestock waste, and from · Reduction in nutrient discharge in ground
human waste
waters
· New sources of funds for pollution control
and reduction
· Replicability of pollution reduction
activities
· Access to waste disposal technologies
2. Water and life quality
· Better understanding of the relationship
Land pollution generates unhealthy drinking
between waste disposal and water quality,
water and associated diseases
water quality and health quality
· Agreed action to reduce water-
contaminating practices at both household
and agricultural levels
· Improved health hence improved life
conditions
3. Environment-friendly agricultural
· Adoption of the environment-friendly
practices
agricultural practices chosen for the project
Current agricultural practices are exclusively · Replication of environment-friendly
crop-production oriented and are generating
agricultural practices at national level
soil erosion and deforestation.
4. Manure management practices
· Adoption of manure management practices
Current management, storage and application · Replication of manure management
of fertilizers, manure and domestic waste is
practices at national level
highly pollutant.
5. Economic and social hardships of local · Increased access to support for sustainable
communities
development
The various difficult social and economic · Increased understanding for developing
hardships of the local people result in high
income-generating activities
levels of poverty, lack of economic stability · Increased media coverage of poverty-
and community pride, and lack of basic
related issues in rural areas
facilities (clean water, social security, · Higher levels of collaboration with NGOs
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transport). to
address
socio-economic
issues
6. Unfulfilled potential for tourism
· Enhanced media coverage and promotion of
Lack of fish and wildlife food and cover, lack
local potential for tourism
of recreational opportunities for citizens and · Increased awareness among locals on
tourists
sustainable tourism
· Higher levels of collaboration with NGOs
to encourage local eco-tourism activities
7. Community environmental education · Increased environmental awareness through
and awareness
enhanced school and NGO's participation
Poor coverage of environmental issues in
schools, low level of interest for environment
in communities
8. National policy and regulatory capacity
· Increased awareness for the need of
The national strategic goal of accession in the
enhancing environmental protection
EU calls for a coherent and sustained effort of
legislation
meeting the EU requirements regarding · Promotion of the Code of Good
pollution and agricultural practices.
Agricultural Practices used by EU countries
according to the CEE Council Directive
regarding water protection against pollution
with nutrients originated from agriculture -
91/676/CEE (Nitrates Directive).
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2.2.
Review of the existing and potential impacts and influence of key
stakeholder groups in Romanian agriculture
Knowingly or unknowingly, a wide variety of different groups of people have interest in
reducing agricultural pollution and thus improving the quality of water, health, and life, or
influence them in some way or other. The project preparation research lead to the
identification of following stakeholders groups:
Key stakeholder groups identification
· Primary Stakeholders:
Local individual farmers
Local farming associations
Local public officials and community leaders
Local community people
· Institutional Stakeholders:
Local agencies: OJCAC, DGA, EPA, PHO
National authorities: GOR, MWFEP, MAF, MPH, ANCA, Research Institutes,
politicians
International donors: WB, GEF
· Other Stakeholders:
Mass media
NGO's
Experts
International partners
Among these certain key groups are vital to be targeted by the public awareness activities.
Priority audience groups are identified according to these criteria:
· The level of direct impact the group has on agricultural practices and pollution;
· The ability of the group to influence the introduction of environment-friendly
agricultural practices and pollution reduction, in terms of environment, social,
economic, political, or legislation;
· The extent to which the attitudes and behaviors of the group need to change in order
to make the project objectives fulfill.
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Table 2. Priority audience groups
Priority Target
Audience
Critical
· Local farmers (individual and associations
members)
· Local community people
· Local authorities (mayors, commune councils)
· Businesses and investors operating in agriculture
· National authorities
High
· Local agencies involved in the project
· Mass media
· Children, students, and teachers in the targeted
areas
· Researchers
· National and international donors
Moderate
· NGOs
· Experts
· Religious groups
· Local elderly people
Low
· International partners
· National level groups
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2.3. Survey the Sociocultural Situation:
Identification and prioritization of key constraints to environment-
friendly agricultural practices
As showed by the baseline household survey, the pilot area is characterized by poverty,
poor agricultural practices, aging population and lower levels of education.
There is a number of limiting factors and constraints which will affect the effectiveness of
the public awareness plan by limiting the ability of the project to address the key issues
identified above:
1. Resource constraints:
· poverty of most communities targeted by the project
· farmers lack financial resource to invest in environment-friendly practices
that have mutual public benefits, or livestock to produce enough waste for
manure management practices
2. Cultural constraints:
· lack of education and training in environment-friendly agricultural practices
· lack of responsibility for producing pollution
· a long-time tradition of agricultural nutrients and unsustainable land use
· lack of hope in a better future
3. Media constraints:
· scarcity of local media
· few newspapers with limited distribution
· limited interest of local communities in either local or national media,
especially in print media
4. Medical constraints:
· ignorance of water quality problems and their effects on the local population
health status
· current health status and average age of the targeted population
5. Environmental constraints:
· the dessertification potential danger in the targeted area
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2.4.
Identifying cognitive and psychological traits of the target audience
in regard with the target behavior
In the design of the various persuasion means to be employed, the campaign planner has
to take into consideration cognitive and personality psychological traits of the target
audience, identifying the thoughts, feelings, and actions associated with the target
behavior. Valuable insights have been provided by the socio-cultural household survey as
follows:
1. There is a widespread ignorance of notions such as "pollution" or environment", as
the majority of the population in the project area is aged or uneducated.
2. More knowledgeable people think pollution is an urban, industrial phenomenon, very
often reduced to the quality of the air.
3. The quality of water is almost never connected to pollution.
4. Very few people believe that the bad quality of water may affect their health. This is
also related to the lack of credibility of both local and town physicians.
5. Very few of the interviewed persons make connections between agricultural methods
used, the place of the latrines or the ways of storing house and/or animal wastes and
the quality of the well water.
6. There is also lack of knowledge of the value of manure as a soil amendament, and
about the value of crop residues for erosion control, moisture retention, and weed
supression.
7. However, the level of technical agricultural knowledge and training is higher among
the managers of large blocks of land (commercial enterprises and associations with
legal status) than among independent farmers or family associations.
Although the household survey has provided initial information, additional research and
local sociological and psychological expertise should be sought in the initial phase of
public awareness program (message design and target themes teasing) and during the
program implementation. Also a benchmark survey should be carried out at national level
at the inception of the campaign.
For program design purposes, it is also important to note:
1. People in the targeted areas are not eager to engage themselves in any form of
association and the participation in various community activities is dependent of
age.
2. The Church, Village Hall and School are the main institutions that have
organized/are organizing community activities in the communes. The political
parties or other organizations are virtually inexistent from this point of view.
3. Young people in 18-45 age group are most active in such community-based
activities. They are also the most open to the issues to be confronted by the
current project.
4. In all seven targeted communes there are three opinion leaders that people trust
"much" and "very much": the Priest, the Doctor and the School's Principal. They
should be involved and trained as agents of change in the inter-personal
communications activities proposed by the awareness plan.
5. The levels of trust in elected officials (Mayor, commune councilors) are lower,
but they tend to increase in the case of mayors who happen to be also heads of the
local farming associations. It is the case of the mayors in Independenta and
Valcelele who are also the presidents of the largest associations in the respective
communes.
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The campaign objectives must appeal to values and cost-benefits of individuals rather
than abstract collective benefits, and should be reasonable and measurable. Therefore
identification of such individual benefits of various stakeholders is important for the
message design:
Benefits of target audiences
Locally:
- At the farm level, additional income from the use of manure as fertilizer,
rotations, and improved livestock grazing practices;
- Improvement in health and sanitation as there will be an improvement in the
drinking water and general hygiene of the villages;
- Through terrestrial and aquatic habitat enhancement increase populations of
birds and fish species of local and social importance.
Nationally:
- Improvement of ground and surface waters quality;
- Better maintenance of productive ecosystems and critical natural habitats in
the freswater, estuarine and near shore waters along the Black Sea coast;
- Progress towards compliance with EC Directives;
- Increased agricultural productivity through improved agricultural practices.
Internationally:
- Continual reduction of nutrient discharge into Danube River and Black Sea
and the accompanying improvements in the local and Black Sea water
quality;
- Improving habitat for migratory waterfowl and a variety of endangered
species;
- Sequestring carbon in the grasslands, cropland and forests
Note: Long-term prevention objectives seem more difficult to achieve than more
immediate campaign benefits, so campaigns aimed at prevention need to link future
benefits to present benefits or currently held values.
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2.5.
Identifying the information needs and habits of each identified
group
In order to effectively tease out the target themes it is necessary to identify and
understand the information needs and media habits of the relevant audiences.
· Primary Stakeholders:
Local individual farmers, farmer associations members
· Environment protection and environment-friendly agriculture
awareness
· Technical training, skills development, I&E program
· Training and extension to all farmers and farming associations
Local public officials and community leaders
· Environment protection and environment-friendly agriculture
awareness
· Technical training, skills development, I&E program
· Training in business management, public administration, project
management
Local communities
· Environment protection and environment-friendly agriculture
awareness training
· Institutional Stakeholders:
Local: OJCAC, DGA, EPA, Public Health Office
· Technical training, skills development
· Training in facilitative leadership and communication skills
National: MWFEP, MAF, MPH, ANCA
· Constant reporting and information on the project progress from
PMU
International: WB, GEF
· Constant reporting and information on the project progress from
PMU
· Other Stakeholders:
Mass media, NGOs
· Environment issues and environment-friendly agriculture awareness
training
· Timely updates on the project progress
The campaign messages must communicate specific information, understandings, and
behaviors that are actually accessible, feasible, and culturally acceptable. It also must
reach a sufficiently large proportion of the desired audience, but the message must be a
product of individuals' needs and must contribute to their own goal.
The necessary data on the information habits of the targeted population in the pilot area is
extensively documented by the baseline survey.
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2.6. Construct the Communications
Design and implementation of cost-effective delivery mechanisms to
address these information needs.
A persuasion campaign is generally built in five stages as follows:
· Exposure encountering the stimulus and paying attention to it
· Information processing - comprehension of the content, selective perception
of source and appeals
· Cognitive learning knowledge gain and skills acquisition
· The yielding stage formation or change of affective orientations such as
beliefs, salience, values, attitudes, and behavioral intentions
· Final utilization stage retrieval and proximate motivation, action, post-
behavioral consolidation, long-run continuation and maintenance of the
practice
The persuasion goals will be put in practice in a coordinated and gradually implemented
effort carried out through the following set of actions and activities:
· Impact monitoring activities
· Information and education
· Training
· Media
· PR & Events
Campaigns must make their messages available through a variety of communication
channels and vehicles that are accessible and appropriate for the target audience, such as:
· Interpersonal communication, based on pre-existing social, family, religious
networks.
· Training sessions in agricultural issues as well as in communication skills for
project's designed communicators.
· Booklets, pamphlets and other educational materials.
· Press releases and information packets will be prepared for the national and
local press outlining the project's progress.
· To promote awareness of the principles of this project workshops, press
conferences and interviews will be organized.
· Production of television spots and radio programs. A documentary film
production covering the key steps of the project is recommended.
· An APCP information dissemination center will be established (most
probably at OJCA/ANCA locations).
· An Internet Home Page will be established.
Mass media may be effective in creating awareness and providing knowledge, but when it
comes to persuasion to produce behavior change, face-to-face channels are essential.
Therefore the plan for Calarasi area should be structured with an emphasis on inter-
personal communication and training as opposed to mass media use that is more
appropriate for the national outreach. A key role will be played by selected
communicators who will be equally information providers and agents of persuasion.
We recommend a three-step approach to the public communication strategy and a
layering of the message so that the targeted audiences recognize the importance of APCP
for the life of their communities, and all agencies involved as credible and expert
resources.
Step I:
Identifying and training the communicators
Timing: The
1st Semester of Y1
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This is the pre-launch phase of the awareness plan, when the PMU has to focus on
selecting the HR and institutional resources required for the implementation of the
awareness plan:
· Communication expert/unit reporting directly to PMU
· Communication agency hired to elaborate messages and media planning
The communication team will further design the campaign themes, key messages, logo
and slogan of the campaign, and will plan the actual implementation steps. After the
design and planning phase (2-3 months), the communication team should start
identifying, contacting and contracting the communicators, with the support of the PMU,
and start necessary materials production (1-2 months).
The communicators are:
· At institutional level: OJCA personnel, Fundulea experts, DGA, EPA, PHO staffs
· At community level: agents of influence, such as mayors, heads of farming
associations, teachers, doctors, priests
With the help of Romanian and international experts, the communication expert/unit and
the agency will develop intensive training sessions in facilitative leadership and
communication skills for the designated program communicators. These gatherings will
also provide an opportunity to organize focus groups aimed at teasing and refining the
campaign themes and messages.
The FORDOC Foundation in Calarasi looks like the ideal location and organizer for these
training and brainstorming activities.
Step II: Teasing Campaign and New Skills Learning and Practice
Timing: The 2nd Semester of Y1
This introduction will alert the audiences to the fact that a change is coming and will be
delivered via community events, organized with the help of top local agents of influence
and enhanced by local radio, print and outdoor media. Brochures and handouts will be
provided. The teasing campaign will be launched with a press conference in Calarasi,
covered by national broadcasting and print media.
Simultaneously, communication training and agricultural skills training and practice for
farmers will be implemented according to the APCP timetable. Fundulea Institute as well
as OJCA office in Calarasi could compete or complement each other in the farming
training project. The FORDOC Foundation in Calarasi will continue to deliver
communication training. Printout material will be prepared and the communication expert
and agency will provide delivery assistance.
Key messages of the teasing campaign that will be brought forward include:
· What soil and water pollution is and isn't
· Reassure communities that there will be no loss in the household economy and
dramatic changes in traditional rural life
· Why the action against soil and water pollution will benefit local communities
and farming associations
· How the APCP is responding to communities' needs
· All community people would benefit in this process
· Where people can find information on their new agricultural practices
While the baseline survey suggests that most local people (the aged groups) reaction to
change will be slow, the presentation and availability of information is critical to the
fulfillment of the PMU and communicators mission.
This requires that sufficient levels of visibility be maintained to provide information and
direction on where individual farmers or other publics (audiences) can get the data they
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need. Also at this stage, an information dissemination center should be established and
advertised. The OJCA office in Calarasi qualifies for such a purpose, according to our
research.
Step III: Awareness Campaign
Timing: Y2-Y4
At this point, farmers will have already learned that a change is occurring in how they
work the land and manage agricultural and household waste and will have become better
educated in regard to the information they will need to adopt new behaviors. The
campaign will emphasize that communities have more benefits by adopting new
practices, will encourage local people to engage in community effort and will highlight
that their involvement has implications and long-term effects. During this phase the
topics addressed will include:
· How changes in the agricultural practices will affect their lives and households
· How communities will make progress in the poverty alleviation
· That their actions have implications
· And that there are places they can turn to find out more information
Every year-end, the campaign will be monitored based on the research measures detailed
in Section 2.7., Evaluating the Effectiveness, and will be adjusted to ensure effectiveness
as necessary. Y5 will be dedicated to overall awareness plan evaluation and replication at
national level.
Media Plan And Selection
The following media are recommended for use:
Radio national radio (programs for farmers) and local FM
Newspaper national and local to less extent
Local Cable Television - urban reach
National Public Television weekly farming programs
Media Goals
Teasing Campaign - Reach 60% of the pilot area population, adults age 18+ at least 2
times per week.
Awareness Campaign - Reach 50-60% of the pilot area population, adults age 18+ at least
1 time per week.
Media Strategies
· Use national and local radio to promote the main themes of the campaign, the
communicators, and the progress of the project.
· Develop a partnership with national television Romania 1, "Viata Satelor"
program and TVR2, "Ferma" program for the development of three 60-minute
specials to air (1) during Y2 phase and (2) to be followed-up during subsequent 2
years. One additional special is recommended for the end of the campaign (Y5).
· Use newspapers for reports on the project progress and interviews with key
players. Although they have minimal rural outreach, they are useful for keeping
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informed and active other constituencies from the urban area (county officials,
specialized agencies, relatives of the rural people).
· Use cable television for similar purposes.
Printout & Collateral Materials
Providing Calarasi communities with the ability to understand and benefit from changing
their agricultural and household habits requires communicating a significant amount of
new information such as terms, definitions and many new concepts simultaneously with
applying newly adopted practices. To be of value, this information needs to be in a
permanent format, one that enables consumers to retain it and refer to it when they need
the information and want to utilize it. All of this requires the public education plan to
make significant use of print collateral materials throughout the campaign. A manual for
Graphic Elements & Program Identity should be elaborated by the media agency.
All communications pieces will be developed for multiple purposes and for varying
audiences, and all materials will point to sources for additional information such as the
answer center and the web site. Materials will be available in large type and the television
programming will be closed-captioned. Additionally, the answer center will be voice and
TDD equipped. Specific materials will be developed keeping in mind a lower than
average literacy level, as well as regional specificity.
While the public education campaign is utilizing media to create awareness, the print
collateral materials, in conjunction with the public relations activities, will be the actual
mechanisms through which information and public education will be delivered.
Printed materials will be used in three primary forms:
· Materials that will be distributed to selected participants in various training
activities;
· Materials that will be distributed to each household and association in the pilot
area;
· Other printed collateral materials that will form the basis for information
packages used in a wide range of applications with all target audiences.
Collateral Materials To Be Utilized
Below is a list of the promotion materials this campaign will produce and utilize:
· Stationery system letterhead, second sheet and envelope
· Pollution - An introduction to pollution caused by agricultural practices
· How household waste can harm you and your family
· Environment-Friendly Agricultural Practices - Terms & Definitions
· Manure Management Uses and Benefits
· Yearly calendars with appropriate pictures and messages related to sound land
exploitation practices
· Frequently Asked Questions (one for individual farmers/one for agricultural
associations managers)
· Newsletter (quarterly)
· Posters (series of three)
· Reprints/copies of articles, op-ed pieces
· Multi-purpose die-cut presentation folder
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· Information Kits
· Legislative information kit
· Press kit
· Written Presentations (2 - 3) With Slides
· Ad-imprinted buckets and tools
· Web Page
· Educational Video
· Audio Tapes
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2.7. Evaluating the Effectiveness
Campaign evaluations: initial, mid-, and post-campaign evaluations.
Evaluation research seeks to answer questions about the target audience, including
collection of background information about audience orientations before initiating the
campaign, and assessment of the implementation and effectiveness during and after the
campaign.
Formative evaluation of specific campaign objectives and media messages is crucial to
developing effective campaigns as it provides data and perspectives to improve messages
during the course of creation.
Measurement of the public awareness program's effectiveness is critical in insuring that
the overall objectives are achieved.
The plan will employ four fundamental forms of measurement and assessment:
· Quantitative follow-up surveys
· Media/environmental analysis through Quantitative Issues Analysis
· Follow-up Focus Groups
· Analysis of contacts from the answer center and web site
Same pattern of measurement and evaluation should be replicated at national level.
Quantitative Follow-Up Surveys
Follow-up evaluation surveys will provide data, which can be used to identify the level of
public awareness and understanding of the public awareness plan. The results of the
follow-up surveys will be compared systematically with data gathered in the benchmark
survey (a selection of the Calarasi baseline household survey) administered in 2000 and
the first pre-campaign follow-up survey to be administered on the outset of the awareness
program.
The purpose of the follow-up surveys is two-fold:
· To provide regular feedback about exposure to, and the effectiveness of the
public awareness campaign; and
· To provide timely information for making any mid-course corrections in the
public awareness campaign.
Content
The follow-up evaluation surveys will include items to evaluate the following four
measures of effectiveness:
Exposure to the Campaign - This part of the measurement process will assess unaided
awareness of the public awareness program, as well as provide aided awareness and
analysis of communications channels and specific campaign messages.
Increased awareness - The follow-up surveys will systematically evaluate changes in
public awareness based upon exposure to the campaign. The level of public interest will
also be measured, with results again compared to the benchmark survey.
Increased public understanding - Increasing public understanding of the problems raised
by pollution is a primary goal of the public education effort. A composite index based
upon responses to the ten true/false questions in the benchmark survey will be used to
measure understanding, with variations in this index in the follow-up being the measure
of effectiveness.
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Adoption of new skills and behavior change - Adoption of new skills and behavior
change also provide a critical measurement of the plan's effectiveness. Behavior change
will be measured through a series of new questions that will examine: conscious choices
made by farmers regarding their choice of agricultural practices; farmers' knowledge of
where to look for additional information about environment-friendly agricultural
practices, manure management.
Details of Performance indicators to be measured are given in table 3.
Mid-Course Corrections
In addition to the standardized template of questions used to measure exposure,
awareness, understanding and empowerment, each follow-up survey will include up to 5-
10 customized questions to address any new or any time-sensitive issues which could
develop during the course of the campaign. The results of these questions will provide an
opportunity to make any mid-course corrections in the campaign based on new
information.
Validity and Reliability of the Follow-up Evaluation
Reliability of the follow-up evaluation will be based on the use of a consistent sample
design and the use of identical questions.
The sample design will replicate the one used in the benchmark survey. Each follow-up
survey will be based on complete responses from 400 persons in the pilot area/national
level. A screening question will be used to ensure that the results are based on responses
from a household decision maker. Respondents will be selected using random election
lists sampling to ensure a probabilistic sample of consumers. The final sample of 400
respondents will have a maximum margin of error of +/- 5.0 percent. The methodology
will be consistent to ensure that the results can be used to make systematic comparisons
over time.
Each item on the original benchmark survey was pre-tested for accuracy and face validity.
All questions for the follow-up surveys will also be pre-tested for accuracy prior to full
administration.
Timetable
The following is a recommended schedule for administering the follow-up evaluation
surveys to be conducted in support of the public awareness plan. Press releases will be
issued after the completion of the follow-up surveys.
Follow-up survey #1:
Onset of Y1
Pre-campaign examination of public awareness
N=400
The pre-campaign survey is essential to ensure that the pre- and post- measures of
campaign effectiveness do not inadvertently measure any intervening changes in public
awareness and understanding between the time of the benchmark survey conducted in the
fall of 2000 and the introduction of the campaign.
Follow-up survey #2:
Onset of Y2
6 months evaluation period
N = 400
Follow-up survey #3:
Onset of Y3
12 months evaluation period
N = 400
Follow-up survey # 4:
Onset of Y4
12 months evaluation period
N = 400
Post-campaign
survey
Y5
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Entire campaign evaluation
N=400
Media/Environmental Analysis Through Quantitative Issues Analysis (QIA)
Quantitative Issues Analysis (QIA) provides a tool to understand, track and measure the
other voices that are impacting the public's understanding of agricultural pollution
problems. This process tracks all print media mentions on topics related to pollution,
water and soil quality, and agricultural practices, and measures the volume of impressions
being presented to target audiences in the national phase of the campaign.
Content
QIA will assess and quantify all impressions delivered to our target audiences on the
following:
· By a range of topics that relate to the key issues of the program;
· Impressions delivered by the public awareness program as opposed to those
delivered by authorities, energy service providers, and other key voices;
· Impressions delivered by publication;
· Impressions by source (advertising, editorials, articles, earned media, etc.);
· Accuracy of each media impression regarding electric competition and whether
these impressions are adding clarity to public awareness and understanding of this
issue.
All of this data will be entered into a database that will allow for a wide range of analysis
that will enable:
· A complete picture of impressions being delivered nationwide on this issue to be
created;
· Provide quantitative assessment as to the effectiveness of the earned media
portion of this plan;
· Enable trends in impressions to be identified and managed before they impact
awareness and understanding.
Timetable
Media information is collected daily, and reports will be presented monthly to the PMU.
The QIA process is currently designed and in place, and is scheduled to begin on the
onset of the program.
Follow-Up Focus Groups
Focus groups will be used to further define and understand issues uncovered through the
follow-up surveys as well as to refine campaign messages. These focus groups will be
formatted and scheduled after analyzing the results of each survey.
Analysis Of Contacts Through The Answer Center & Web Page
As discussed earlier, phone contacts and hits on the web site offer significant
opportunities to understand areas of public concern and interest. Each of these contact
centers will be structured to capture this data so that it can be added to a growing picture
of how the Romanian public is responding to agricultural pollution and related issues in
general, and the public awareness program specifically.
Timetable
Contact data will be collected monthly and presented in conjunction with the QIA
findings.
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3. Organization of proposed nationwide campaign.
A broad nationwide public information campaign will disseminate the benefits of
proposed project activities. Information will be delivered through the public broadcasting
institutions, including a regular supply of information to the mass media on the progress
of the project. This approach will build a general goodwill for the project and its benefits,
and will raise the interest of potential future clients. The demonstrations and on-farm
trials in the project will be used as a practical laboratory for training agricultural
extension and environmental personnel from elsewhere in Romania. Activities will, in
part, be selected for piloting based on their broader applicability to agriculture in the
Danube Plain and other regions in Romania.
To achieve the objectives described above, this public awareness plan is based on the
following strategies:
1. Initiate the public education effort in advance of the introduction of environment-
friendly agricultural practices and increase awareness nationwide;
2. Divide the campaign into two components:
An initial short-term phase designed to create program awareness and introduce
the public education effort;
A long-term phase that encompasses all educational activities.
3. Utilize public relations activities as a fundamental communications process to
create awareness and understanding with all influential audiences (media,
community-based organizations, opinion leaders, etc.)
4. Lead paid advertising and the distribution of all collateral materials;
5. Act as the primary response mechanism to address and clarify issues that may
arise during the campaign.
6. Create and sustain program awareness using paid advertising. After a heavy
introductory period, paid advertising will only be used at key points during the
campaign to maintain public awareness and direct targeted audiences to other
resources;
7. Collateral materials, delivered through a variety of distribution methods, will
carry the primary "inform and educate" messages;
8. Primary distribution methods will be freestanding inserts in newspapers and bill
inserts in utility bills;
9. All materials will "point" farmers and other stakeholders to additional sources of
information;
10. All materials will be developed for use with different audiences at different points
in time.
11. Employ a centralized response and information resource that national
stakeholders can turn to at any time over the life of the campaign:
· Use a toll-free answer center located at ANCA center;
· Enhance the program's existing web site;
· Have every communication vehicle "point" to these centralized response and
information resources.
12. Extend the reach and impact of this awareness plan by engaging governmental
agencies and as many community-based organizations as possible in the
distribution of information and in the process of educating consumers;
13. Engage local agricultural businesses, farming service providers, and aggregators
in distributing public education information to primary stakeholders;
14. Ensure that all communications are relevant, clear and easy to understand.
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Public Relations/Earned Media Strategies
In undertaking a major component such as the public relations (earned media) strategy, it
is important to remember two items:
· The little things are just as important as the big things;
· Always begin at the beginning.
In this vein, the tactical plan for earned media is designed to cover all potential issues and
questions, both large and small, that the public and media reporters/editors will need to
have answered. In this public awareness campaign, there will be no such thing as an
"unnecessary question."
Extensive conversations with various media organizations and journalists have already
taken place with each group having represented and reinforced the need for its own
education on this issue prior to being able to report effectively on the issue, on the
background of an increasing interest and coverage of pollution-related issues lately.
Thus, the earned media activities should begin at the beginning by educating the media.
The Center for Independent Journalism in Bucharest expressed willingness to host and
co-sponsor training in environmental journalism as well as other activities. Further, a
comprehensive series of press releases, op-eds, feature stories and meetings with the
public will be developed and executed leading up to support the campaign promotion.
Coalition Building - The Power Of Partnerships
One of the guiding principles of the public awareness plan is leveraging or extending the
efforts and impact of this public education effort by proactively enabling other entities to
connect to this plan and utilize its concepts and messages in their communications efforts.
This is an essential strategy of the campaign, as the interests and efforts of others can
naturally extend the impact and overall effectiveness of the plan.
Several entities become natural partners in extending this plan, given their involvement in
the water and soil pollution issue, and their interest in presenting their point of view on
this subject.
These include: MWFEP, Ministry of Education, scientific and research institutes, national
and international environmental organizations, tourism organizations, WB, etc.
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4. Staffing needs, investment and recurrent costs detailed for Calarasi and
nationwide campaign
The project requires hiring full time a local communication officer/unit who will serve as
a chief of project reporting to PMU and as a liaison between various stakeholders
involved in the project.
At the same time a professional PR and media agency with a proven record in
undertaking public awareness campaigns in Romania will be selected. Its tasks include
message design, campaign planning and integration of Calarasi pilot and national plan,
media planning and monitoring, evaluation, production.
The PMU should offer internships locally and nationally for students willing to assist in
program development and implementation.
The staff and operation of the OJCA consultation center (at Calarasi level) and ANCA (at
national level) will be integrated with the answer center for efficiency and economy;
Management - both the answer center and consultation center will be managed by the
same supervisor, who should be the communication officer hired as chief of project;
Hardware Systems and Facilities - both centers will be run in the same facility, and share
the same phone, computer and literature fulfillment systems;
Staff - The answer center's staff will also act as project consultants, ensuring consistency
in communication and efficient use of staff. In addition, an element of cross training will
encourage the application of knowledge from one situation to the other;
Materials and Resources - There is a natural overlap of collateral materials and resources
which, if housed centrally, will best serve stakeholders regardless of their entry method in
the program, either OJCA/ANCA channels or the answer center.
The resulting efficiencies and synergies will deliver a better overall educational product
to all stakeholders who may initiate contact with the answer center (OJCA/ANCA).
Over time, counselors may develop areas of specialty among the issues tackled by the
APCP. Or counselors may be drawn from an existing organization already familiar with
an audience's needs. It may be cost-effective to bid and contract out pieces of the
consultation center to organizations that have existing systems for communication and
distribution. Examples of organizations that have such systems already established are
the FORDOC, the County Council, .
Further research will be conducted to bid and allocate pieces of the Center effectively.
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6. Implementation Recommendations
Effectively launching this integrated public awareness plan requires careful preparation
and implementation. The overall project schedule included in this plan provides an
overview of how all of the different tactics work together to achieve the plan's objectives.
From this schedule come several critical considerations:
1. This plan provides recommendations for an on-going communications campaign
that will begin and develop simultaneously with the other activities planned in the
APCP. This is an optimal schedule, which has been built around an assumed 5-
year long campaign. In addition, this plan, with minimal modification, is
designed to accommodate other campaign durations;
2. Please note the production times needed to prepare all of the different
components of this plan - the six months production period outlined is absolutely
essential. These time frames represent a highly compressed, aggressive
production schedule. As this is an integrated communications plan, it means that
all of the tactics at both Calarasi and national level are designed to work together
to provide the desired results.
3. The introduction of the public awareness program in Calarasi and the
coverage/impact of this event in national media should create a significant impact
on other communities confronted with similar problems in areas along the
Danube. This plan is designed precisely to manage this impact. Messaging to
national audiences would begin approximately the same time Calarasi-based
messages will be speaking, effectively working to reduce possible confusion. In
addition, the web site and the answer center should be operational within a year
from the starting date to further clarify any confusion that may exist due to
Calarasi-based messaging;
4. As discussed in this plan, any phased introduction will dramatically impact this
plan, from both a cost and scheduling standpoint. A phased rollout has the
potential of reducing the potential for this to work in an integrated fashion as it is
currently designed. In a phased introduction, individual tactics will have to work
more in a stand-alone fashion, in many cases being repeated in different parts of
the country at different times, which may require a higher level of investment to
get the same results.
5. Given the undetermined amount of time between the design of this plan and its
actual implementation, the following recommendations outline initial steps that
must be completed prior to implementation for the plan to begin successfully:
· Reassess stakeholders awareness (see Section 2.7., Evaluating the
Effectiveness);
· National benchmark survey planning to determine overall awareness at
national level;
· Review all recommended strategies and tactics based on: updated
research and social conditions, actual starting date, approved campaign
budget;
· Revise and re-prioritize recommended strategies and tactics;
· Update and revise overall timetable;
· Begin production and implementation.
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Implications
When the project is approved and the starting date is known, the PMU will need to begin
work on the implementation of this plan immediately.
This, in turn, will put additional pressure on those policy issues that remain to be defined,
specifically campaign format and content, project bidding, personnel and institutional
issues, financing of the public awareness campaign, etc.
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