Reflection – Peer-Graded Assignment:

Redesigning the Youth’s Perspectives on Agriculture

Challenge:

I work in the humanitarian sector at an organization that aims at reducing world hunger and promoting  food security through activities and interventions within the agriculture sector. While outreaching for  participants to one of our agriculture programs, we fell short on recruiting young participants ranging  between 18 and 23 years old. As we needed to meet our target, this was a challenge we had to overcome.  Studying the what is of the agriculture sector in our community, we realized that there are 3 main  stereotypes that might be the reasons behind the lack of interest of the youth in the agriculture sector:

1) Agriculture practitioners are all poor, uneducated and underprivileged.   2) Agriculture practitioners are just for the old.  3) Agriculture activities are physically demanding and boring.

Breaking down those attitudes brought to my attention that with most of the people interviewed and  observed, those stereotypes emerged mostly from our own representations of this sector: if I ask you to  design a marketing campaign to promote agriculture, what would be the first pitch? In my community, the  answer has always been the same: photographs of an old man sweating and cultivating the soil, as an old  woman wearing teared clothes carries a ton of seeds over her head. It is all in the images we represent this  sector through. If however, we want the youth to be interested, then we need to show them the interesting  part of story. As an agriculture practitioner myself, I have experienced how agriculture can be fun,  developmental, and a constructive hobby to a 23-year-old educated girl like me. The challenge was to  relay this image of agriculture to an audience that have long believed otherwise.

Selection:

Since my goal has become to break those stereotypes, what calls for changing how this sector is seen by  the community, I have chosen visualization as a tool that would allow me to: 1) better communicate to the  young audience who is now immersed in a visual world, 2) avoid using words and long promotional  slogans that will turn off the readers, 3) allow space for dynamics. I needed to show, not tell. As we learnt  in this course, photography “is a very rich way for us to understand the world” and most importantly, in  context. And in order to trigger a new visual approach to agriculture I needed to break the pattern already  dominating in this sector. But what image can defy all 3 stereotypes at once?

Application:

Aiming at changing mindset through visualization, I have chosen to change the scenery of agriculture  altogether and I have resorted to another hobby of mine, and combined the two in-reality-very-distant  domains, within the same frame. The subjects of the photoshoot will in fact be dancers: 1) dancers are  generally linked in our minds to youth, 2) dancers do not belong to any particular class and are not at all  seen as uneducated, 3) dance is all about life, energy and fun.

The result of this initiative was a set of pictures of young dancers practicing agriculture activities: a  ballerina wearing her tutu cropping apples on pointe, a salsero lifting a salsera to reach the top of the tree,  a gymnast spreading the seeds through a grand ecart in midair. So instead of old tired poor man and  woman, we redesigned agriculture and assigned it to the young, educated, middle classed, and those  seeking fun and enjoyment in their activities. The outcome was a significant increase in youth  participation in the phase 2 of the program.

Insight and Approach:

This challenge that welcomed uncertainty and risk of a delicate goal that addressed perspectives and  mindsets, confirmed the belief we departed from: visualization is a powerful tool that can influence our  perspective on things. This exercise that followed the course, was a demonstration of the ability of design  thinking to create new paths in situations that have the regularity of a single approach. It has already been  emphasized in the course that visualization can be a tool throughout all the 4 phases of our projects, and  my exercise confirms the role of visualization that I look forward to adopt in my future missions.  Visualization, particularly when it follows strong assessment of the what is and a deep understanding of  the audience and context, is a valuable tool we have to influence and change.


Reflection – Peer - Graded Assignment : Redesigning the Youth ’s Perspectives on Agriculture Challenge : I work in the humanitarian sector at an organization that aims at reducing world hunger and promoting food security through activities and interventions within the agriculture sector . While outreaching for participants to one of our agriculture programs , we fell short on recruiting young participants ranging between 18 and 23 years old . As we needed to meet our target , this was a challenge we had to overcome . Studying the what is of the agriculture sector in our community , we realized that there are 3 main stereotypes that might be the reasons behind the lack of interest of the youth in the agriculture sector : 1 ) Agriculture practitioners are all poor , uneducated and underprivileged . 2 ) Agriculture practitioners are just for the old . 3 ) Agriculture activities are physically demanding and boring . Breaking down those attitudes brought to my attention that with most of the people interviewed and observed , those stereotypes emerged mostly from our own representations of this sector : if I ask you to design a marketing campaign to promote agriculture , what would be the first pitch ? In my community , the answer has always been the same : photographs of an old man sweating and cultivating the soil , as an old woman wearing teared clothes carries a ton of seeds over her head . It is all in the images we represent this sector through . If however , we want the youth to be interested , then we need to show them the interesting part of story . As an agriculture practitioner myself , I have experienced how agriculture can be fun , developmental , and a constructive hobby to a 23 - year - old educated girl like me . The challenge was to relay this image of agriculture to an audience that have long believed otherwise . Selection : Since my goal has become to break those stereotypes , what calls for changing how this sector is seen by the community , I have chosen visualization as a tool that would allow me to : 1 ) better communicate to the young audience who is now immersed in a visual world , 2 ) avoid using words and long promotional slogans that will turn off the readers , 3 ) allow space for dynamics . I needed to show , not tell . As we learnt in this course , photography “ is a very rich way for us to understand the world ” and most importantly , in context . And in order to trigger a new visual approach to agriculture I needed to break the pattern already dominating in this sector . But what image can defy all 3 stereotypes at once ? Application : Aiming at changing mindset through visualization , I have chosen to change the scenery of agriculture altogether and I have resorted to another hobby of mine , and combined the two in - reality - very - distant domains , within the same frame . The subjects of the photoshoot will in fact be dancers : 1 ) dancers are generally linked in our minds to youth , 2 ) dancers do not belong to any particular class and are not at all seen as uneducated , 3 ) dance is all about life , energy and fun . The result of this initiative was a set of pictures of young dancers practicing agriculture activities : a ballerina wearing her tutu cropping apples on pointe , a salsero lifting a salsera to reach the top of the tree , a gymnast spreading the seeds through a grand ecart in midair . So instead of old tired poor man and woman , we redesigned agriculture and assigned it to the young , educated , middle classed , and those seeking fun and enjoyment in their activities . The outcome was a significant increase in youth participation in the phase 2 of the program . Insight and Approach : This challenge that welcomed uncertainty and risk of a delicate goal that addressed perspectives and mindsets , confirmed the belief we departed from : visualization is a powerful tool that can influence our perspective on things . This exercise that followed the course , was a demonstration of the ability of design thinking to create new paths in situations that have the regularity of a single approach . It has already been emphasized in the course that visualization can be a tool throughout all the 4 phases of our projects , and my exercise confirms the role of visualization that I look forward to adopt in my future missions . Visualization , particularly when it follows strong assessment of the what is and a deep understanding of the audience and context , is a valuable tool we have to influence and change .