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Researching communications in an international project

This study, “Assessing perceptions of effectiveness of three levels of communication in an international project on the social economy of dried fish in Asia”, was conducted as part of my Master Thesis from September 2020 to August 2021, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this thesis was done remotely.

I used a mixed method approach to examine various factors influencing communication effectiveness in an international project directed by anthropologists. The project is called “Dried Fish Matters” (DFM) and focuses on the importance of the social economy of dried fish and the social wellbeing of marginalized people in South and South-East Asia. My study can serve as a model to encourage other international research projects to include reflexivity and self-analysis in their work and communication practices.

Communication can take multiple forms and is essential in our personal and professional lives. Communication has been studied in various contexts, including architecture projects; distance education; commercial enterprises; fishery organizations, industries, consumers, marketing companies and decision makers; and medical environments. However, communication within international research teams has been understudied.

I used three different methods to investigate DFM’s internal and external communications: a general survey, in-depth interviews and participant observation. Internal communications were divided into internal communication within research teams and internal communication within the global project. Both types of internal communications were found to be effective from participants’ perspectives: 84% of the participants answered positively to the general questions. Concerning the external communication addressed to external users, results were much more mixed, with only 47% of the participants answering positively about its effectiveness. Even though the mixed method approach can be an effective methodology for engaging with communication effectiveness, close attention should be given to the definitions of communication and communication effectiveness.

DFM Student Working Group Meeting (2020), part of the participant observation methodology.

This study highlights some of the influencing factors of communication, including hierarchy, interdisciplinary collaboration, personality traits, social relationships among colleagues, and DFM’s coordination. There is not a single definition of effective communication or a model for how it can be achieved in every case, so it is impossible to make generalizations based on this work. However, my study demonstrates the importance of transparency, open-mindedness and frequent communications in international research projects, which can form the basis of effective communication. Thereby, I demonstrate the importance of communication in research projects, the lack of literature associated with it, and the influencing factors that could be seen as a requirement to have effective communication.

Key recommendations

Here are some key recommendations based on the results of this study and from the participants’ point of view:

  • Having a Zoom free Friday, or Zoom-free after 9 pm
  • Having a summary in one place to keep track of everything related to the project, for example in the DFM’s website for all the participants, or in the wiki-page
  • Sending an analysis every couple of weeks or month in order to keep collaborators from the project aware of the research
  • Having one person or a group of people dedicated to communication full-time
  • Having someone from DFM central monitoring and assisting the country teams; it could even improve the communication between regional teams and DFM central

Here are my key recommendations based on the results of this study:

  • Online meetings should include a break of 5 or 10 minutes during the middle of a meeting. Moreover, it would be helpful to alternate the meeting time: one time during the morning in Canada, one time during the evening in Canada, etc
  • Giving more feedback to everyone working within the project
  • Increase social media presence by creating an account on Instagram and/or other online platforms to expand communication toward the general public
  • Create a WhatsApp group within research teams and even within the global project

Reference

Pigeault, Alexia. 2021. “Assessing Perceptions of Effectiveness of Three Levels of Communication in an International Project on the Social Economy of Dried Fish in Asia.” Master’s thesis, Online: Gent University and University of Manitoba. [Thesis report Alexia Pigeault.pdf]

Effective communication in research projects can have direct positive impacts on knowledge co-production and the researchers’ wellbeing. Examining the factors influencing communication requires in-depth observation and understanding of the researchers’ opinions and actions. This study consisted of “researching the researchers”; as part of my thesis research, I observed the interactions of members of an international research project on dried fish in South and South East Asia led by Canadian Anthropologists. The focus was on internal and external communications and revealed that open-mindedness, frequent communication, and transparency are three determinants of effective communication. Moreover, the results show a global agreement on the effectiveness of internal communications, while the results for external communication are more mixed. Studying our own communications by engaging in introspection is something that should be required to produce better outcomes and enhance collaboration in international projects.

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Meetings and workshops

MARE Closing session: Conversation with Shakuntala Thilsted

Join us Friday, July 2 for the closing keynote event of the MARE 2021 Conference.

Nourishing Minds: A Conversation with 2021 World Food Prize Laureate and Global Lead, Nutrition and Public Health, WorldFish, Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted

This event will be chaired by Dried Fish Matters Project Director Derek Johnson and Prof. Maarten Bavinck of the University of Amsterdam.

https://event.mare2021.exordo.com/session/139/closing-session

Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted is the Global Lead for Nutrition and Public Health at WorldFish, a One CGIAR entity. She was awarded the 2021 World Food Prize for her ground-breaking research, critical insights, and landmark innovations in developing holistic, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquatic food systems, including aquaculture and capture fisheries. She played a key role in the development of the WorldFish 2030 research and innovation strategy: Aquatic Foods for Healthy People and Planet. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security and Vice Chair of the UN Food Systems Summit 2021: Action Track 4 – Advance Equitable Livelihoods, and also a Food Systems Champion. She plays a pivotal role in promoting aquatic food systems for nourishing nations and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Shakuntala holds a PhD from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (presently: Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen), Denmark. She also holds an Honorary Doctorate from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

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News

Shakuntala Thilsted, dried fish, and the World Food Prize 2021

Members of the Dried Fish Matters project would like to offer their sincere congratulations to Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted on her receipt of the 2021 World Food Prize.

Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted (CGIAR/WorldFish Center)

The World Food Prize is awarded for “a specific, exceptionally significant, individual achievement that advances human development with a demonstrable increase in the quantity, quality, availability of, or access to food through creative interventions at any point within the full scope of the food system.”

Shakuntala’s award recognized how her research and innovation have contributed to advancing “holistic, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture and food systems.”

We are proud to have Shakuntala as part of the Dried Fish Matters project.

In Shakuntala’s own words, dried fish have a central place in her work:

A significant part of my research that led to me being awarded the 2021 World Food Prize is on dried fish and the use of dried small fish and fish-based products such as fish powder and fish chutney to improve food and nutrition security in Asia and Africa, with focus on women and children in the first 1000 days of life.

We know that dried fish, as a concentrated source of multiple micronutrients and essential fatty acids, is a super food and can combat malnutrition in many communities.

The Dried Fish Matters project indeed owes much of its inspiration to Shakuntala’s path-breaking work with our other project colleagues Dr. Ben Belton and Dr. Mostafa Hossain.

This earlier research, focusing on dried fish value chains in Bangladesh, urged us to acknowledge that “dried fish may contribute significantly toward food and nutrition security – achievement of which is fundamental to material wellbeing – in a country that continues to experience severe levels of malnutrition and associated health problems” (Belton et al. 2018).

At the same time, however, Shakuntala and her colleagues’ work confirmed the near absence of information about dried fish in research and policy literature.

Building on Shakuntala’s pioneering food and nutrition security research, the Dried Fish Matters project was established to address these knowledge gaps through a research partnership that now includes twelve teams from six countries across South and South-East Asia.

I look forward to seeing the work being done in Dried Fish Matters grow in strength and be scaled for nourishing many more people, globally.

Shakuntala H. Thilsted

Thank you and congratulations!

For more on Shakuntala and the World Food Prize, see the WorldFish video clip, “Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted reacts to receiving the World Food Prize“.

Further reading

Details on Shakuntala’s life and achievements and reaction to the prize:

Shakuntala’s collaborations on dried fish value chains, with DFM collaborators Ben Belton and Mostafa Hossain:

Categories
Meetings and workshops

DFM at the MARE 2021 Conference

The Dried Fish Matters project will be hosting a series of linked roundtables at the MARE 2021 Conference, entitled Strengthening connections through research on dried fish social economies in Asia (June 29, June 30, and July 1), as well as joint panels with @V2VPartnership and with Fish4Food and @SmallFishFood.

Full details on the Dried Fish Matters panels are available here: https://driedfishmatters.org/pub/mare-conference-2021.html

All are welcome to attend the virtual sessions. We invite everyone to check out the program and register today!

Session times

Panel 2.246. Strengthening connections through research on dried fish social economies in Asia 1: Ideas

https://event.mare2021.exordo.com/session/76/2246-building-out-collaborations-on-dried-fish-social-economies-in-asia-1-ideas

Jun 29. 10:15 – 12:15 CEST (03:15 Winnipeg, 08:15 UTC)

Panel 2.247. Strengthening connections through research on dried fish social economies in Asia 2: Methods

https://event.mare2021.exordo.com/session/78/2247-building-out-collaborations-on-dried-fish-social-economies-in-asia-2-methods

Jun 30. 15:30 – 17:30 CEST (08:30 Winnipeg; 13:30 UTC)

Panel 2.248. Strengthening connections through research on dried fish social economies in Asia 3: Findings

https://event.mare2021.exordo.com/session/20/2248-building-out-collaborations-on-dried-fish-social-economies-in-asia-3-findings

Jul 01. 15:30 – 17:30 CEST (08:30 Winnipeg; 13:30 UTC)  ***REVISED TIME***

Panel 3.239. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish – exploring interfaces in research on the contributions of small pelagics to food and nutrition security

Joint panel with Fish4Food and SmallFishFood

https://event.mare2021.exordo.com/session/73/3239-one-fish-two-fish-red-fish-blue-fish-exploring-interfaces-in-research-on-the-contributions-of-small-pelagics-to-food-and-nutrition-security

Jul 02. 15:30 – 17:30 CEST (08:30 Winnipeg; 13:30 UTC)

Panel 1.251. Fostering viable social economies in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture

Joint panel with V2V

https://event.mare2021.exordo.com/presentation/251/fostering-viable-social-economies-in-small-scale-fisheries-and-aquaculture

Jun 29. 15:30 – 17:30 CEST (08:30 Winnipeg; 13:30 UTC)

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Meetings and workshops

DFM at the SSF Open House – World Oceans Week 2021

As part of the Small-Scale Fisheries Open House organized by TBTI, the Dried Fish Matters partnership will be hosting an event on Wednesday, June 2 at 11:00 UTC, addressing the “value” in dried fish value chains. All are welcome to join!

Participate via Zoom Webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82113739980

Overview of the panel

Dried fish is an essential part of diets, livelihoods, and cultures across South and South-East Asia, but is nearly invisible in research and policy. This virtual panel will begin with a pre-recorded presentation of images and commentaries from partners in the multinational “Dried Fish Matters” project, illustrating the diverse forms of value associated with dried fish in South and Southeast Asia. The introductory presentation will be followed by a panel discussion involving researchers from four countries. Panelists will explore the question: how might we better describe, support, and promote diverse forms of “value” in dried fish value chains?

Chair: Derek Johnson

Panel moderator: Ben Belton

Panellists:

  • Tara Nair
  • Mostafa Hossain
  • Anupama Adikari and Shalika Wickrama
  • Sisir Pradhan
  • Gayathri Lokuge

Format: Pre-recorded presentation and a live panel discussion

Language: English

Duration: 60 minutes

About the SSF Open House

SSF Open House centers around the ‘Life and livelihoods’, the official theme of the 2021 World Oceans Week (WOW). Join us for a week long series of online events as we bring attention to the importance of small-scale fisheries, celebrate their contributions, and facilitate a dialogue about an inclusive, equitable and just development of the ocean. Add your voice to these discussions and help us shape the upcoming International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture and the 4th World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress.

How to join

Please see http://toobigtoignore.net/opportunity/ssf-open-house/ for full details, including information on how to join the live event via Zoom or YouTube.

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Meetings and workshops

Small Fish Seminar videos

In case you missed the Small Fish Seminar in February, the videos from most of the sessions are now available on our YouTube channel. Check out the description for each video for the full citation details and link to a downloadable version. Thanks to all our presenters and panel organizers!

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News

Derek Johnson and DFM in The Manitoban

The latest issue University of Manitoba student newspaper The Manitoban features an interview with DFM Project Director Derek Johnson, who comments on the importance of small/dried fish and how DFM has managed to thrive despite COVID-19 lockdowns.

https://www.themanitoban.com/2021/03/u-of-m-prof-leads-project-analyzing-dried-fish-social-economy/41648/
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Meetings and workshops

Small Fish Seminar registration now open!

Registration is now open for the two-day free online seminar “Small Low-cost Fish: From Bait to Plate” (Feb. 15 & 16). If you pre-registered, you should have received an email link inviting you to complete your registration on the Zoom Webinars platform. If not, there is still time to sign up!

The preliminary program for the Small Fish Seminar is also now available:


About the Small Fish Seminar

Small and low-cost fish, like sardines and mackerel, are recognized as being rich in micronutrients. They play an important role in preventing malnutrition of poor and undernourished people in developing countries. In combination with researchers from four ongoing projects in Africa and Asia, FAO is organizing a virtual seminar on the contribution of small, low-cost fish to food security on February 15th and 16th, 2021.

Read more…