Author Archives: Michael Hoevel

CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)

The Challenge: Weather-based index insurance schemes have been piloted across the world, to gauge whether protecting poor farmers against climate risk is possible. No consensus on the factors of success had yet been drawn so the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) wanted to explore this issue through a short report, which was launched at a high-level event in London.

Our Approach: We helped CCAFS to launch the report as well as producing an cartoon-style infographic that explained the basics of weather-based index insurance and key findings of the report. This was launched on social media during the London event, supported by proactive media outreach.

Outcomes: Top-tier media hits included Bloomberg and Reuters, who both covered the report as the first publication to prove weather-based index insurance can work for smallholders. SciDev, Business Fights Poverty and Voice of America also covered the news.

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

The Challenge: Translating and disseminating world-class policy research is vital if it is to be understood and actionable by more general audiences.  IFPRI’s aim is to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

Our Approach: Marchmont has worked with IFPRI on a variety of assignments including running the press office at their 2014 global “resilience” conference in Ethiopia and helping them launch their report “Food Security in a World of Natural Resource Scarcityby creating an animated video and infographic alongside media outreach.  We have also run various workshops for them including a “Communications 101” workshop and most recently a “Writing for the web” workshop for their in-house communications team in Washington DC.

Outcomes: In addition to consistently positive feedback from workshop participants, we also secured a number of top-tier media placements including the Wall Street Journal,  The Telegraph, the Financial TimesSciDev.Net,  and Reuters AlertNet.

Future Earth

The Challenge: As the world faces more complex and interconnected challenges, the global research agenda must become ‘fit for purpose’ to respond quickly and comprehensively.

Our Approach: Marchmont helped Future Earth to launch a series of its research reports including its “Global Carbon Budget” report and its “Strategic Research Agenda”, which outlines the need for a step-change in global research for sustainable development. We helped shape the reports’ scientific language and concepts into more media-facing messages and developed a rang of visuals to support online promotion.  When pitching the media, we connected these agenda items to existing news events, such as the Ebola crisis and the UN climate talks.

Outcomes: The report received coverage from a range of top-tier media including the Guardian, BBC, Reuters, Huffington Post, Business Fights Poverty and Devex.

Agriculture for Impact

A4I website

The Challenge: About 80% of African farmers work on small plots which perform at only a fraction of their potential. Yet African agriculture holds vast potential to feed the continent’s growing population and fuel its economy – if given the right support.

Our Approach: Agriculture for Impact, under the leadership of Professor Sir Gordon Conway, is an independent advocacy initiative based at Imperial College London that aims to enable better European government support for productive, sustainable, equitable and resilient agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing in particular on the needs of smallholder farmers.

Outcomes: The Marchmont team has worked with Agriculture for Impact to develop and execute a communications strategy including planning and messaging workshops; research and writing; grant-writing support; and a complete redesign of their visual identity, including a new website and online database. We have also helped them secure hundreds of pieces of top-tier media coverage for their report launches, which have informed policymaking in the UN, European Commission, France and the UK, as well as the African Union over the years.