LocationsMaking Impact: The Power of Audio-Visual Storytelling in Development
April 24, 2025
Barbadian innovator Deandra Crawford explaining how she worked with UNDP's Accelerator Lab to test a circular model to grow rice, barley and crayfish together.
In the pursuit of global progress and sustainable development, the power of human creativity and innovation stands as a driving force. At the UNDP Accelerator Lab for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, we recognize the vital role of imaginative thinking and novel solutions in tackling the complex challenges facing our world.
Inspired by this outlook, we have increasingly embraced audio-visual (AV) applications and tools – from the immersive realms of Virtual Reality (VR) to the intimate narratives of documentaries – as essential instruments for achieving our development goals. These tools transcend the limitations of traditional reports and academic discourse, offering a visceral and relatable pathway to understanding complex issues and fostering meaningful engagement, ultimately fueling innovation and progress.
In celebration of World Creativity and Innovation Day on April 21, we launched a powerful example of this approach: the mini-documentary Circular Living – Growing Rice, Barley & Crayfish Together. This short film chronicles the inspiring journey of innovator Deandra Crawford and her groundbreaking custom polyculture model of growing rice, barley, and crayfish together in Barbados.
The Rice, Barley & Crayfish Experiment
Commissioned by the UNDP Accelerator Lab for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean in 2023 and completed in 2024, this mini-documentary isn't just a record of an agricultural experiment; it's a testament to human ingenuity and a powerful tool for knowledge dissemination and development communication. It highlights how the tenacity of an innovator and talented filmmaker, coupled with the use of technology and storytelling, perfectly embody the spirit of creative problem-solving for a sustainable future.
Seeking solutions to bolster local food security in the face of the high costs to import grains used across multiple sectors, this experiment was born. Deandra’s nature to explore and tinker led her to create the concept for this model and test how rice, barley and crayfish could grow together. Given the reality of water scarcity in the Eastern Caribbean, using this precious resource effectively and sustainably was a key focus of the experiment, with the project later being expanded in 2024 to include rainwater harvesting.
Innovator Deandra Crawford monitoring the progress of the experiment.
Storytelling for Development
The Accelerator Lab's mission to use storytelling as a development tool underscores our belief in its multifaceted value, particularly in the context of fostering creativity and innovation for development. These tools are not just about creative storytelling; they also serve as crucial mechanisms for:
- Knowledge Retention: The multisensory nature of video and VR creates deeper and more lasting memories compared to purely textual information. Like the traditional storytelling passed down in Caribbean communities under the streetlight in years gone by, embedding knowledge within a compelling narrative renders the core messages more engaging and easier to recall; inspiring others to explore creative solutions. The Circular Living documentary, for instance, allows viewers to visually grasp the nuances of Deandra as a pioneer, revealing insights into her mind and planning for this innovative system, making the principles of polyculture more accessible and memorable, and potentially sparking similar creative adaptations in other contexts.
- Expanded Reach: Documentaries possess the unique ability to reach diverse audiences across various platforms, from reporting to online streaming to community screenings and even academic institutions. Compelling visuals and human-centered narratives can break down complex development challenges, fostering understanding and inspiring action on a broad scale, thus amplifying the reach of innovative ideas. The story of Deandra's experiment, captured on film, has the potential to resonate with farmers, young girls and women, policymakers, and researchers far beyond Barbados, encouraging the adoption of different approaches to food security and in general, agritech experimentation. By showcasing projects and the lessons learned, documentaries and other AV methods can also facilitate the transfer of knowledge and best practices. Deandra's story, shared through film, can inspire other innovators and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) communities facing similar food security challenges.
- Documentation: AV applications and tools provide an invaluable means of documenting development processes, capturing not just the outcomes but also the journeys, challenges, and innovations involved. The Circular Living documentary serves as a visual record of Deandra's pioneering work, preserving her insights and the evolution of her model for future reference and learning, with opportunity for regional scale and experimentation. The value of using creative media extends to documenting often-fragile historical narratives, unique customs, and invaluable traditional ecological knowledge found in local communities. This approach offers vital means of preserving these practices and stories before they are lost to modernization, environmental changes impacting traditional livelihoods, or the passing of elders who hold this knowledge.
Creating Connection
The power of audio-visual storytelling lies in its ability to connect with audiences on an emotional level, a crucial element in fostering the empathy and understanding that often spark creative solutions.
This can help development agencies make sometimes complex or challenging development issues or reports more relatable. This is particularly evident in the Circular Living documentary. Through the filmmaker Jawade Elibox's vision, we are not just presented with an agricultural technique; we are invited into Deandra's world, witnessing her passion, her challenges, and her innovative spirit firsthand. This human-centered approach makes the concepts of sustainable agriculture and resource management not just abstract ideas, but tangible realities driven by a young woman’s individual dedication and creative problem-solving.
The Way of the Future for Development
For us at UNDP and across the wider development sector, understanding and effectively utilizing these AV storytelling techniques is becoming increasingly crucial, especially as we strive to harness creativity for global progress. The Circular Living documentary serves as a compelling case study in how we can document our work, amplify the voices of innovators, and communicate complex development issues in engaging and impactful ways – inspiring a wave of creative solutions from our projects.
By embracing the human lens and harnessing the power of audio, video, VR, documentaries and other creative AV mediums, we can foster greater understanding, inspire action, and ultimately drive more meaningful and sustainable development outcomes in the Caribbean and beyond. We encourage the exploration of these methodologies for enhanced project design and implementation, recognizing the profound impact of a well-told story in creating a better world – one innovative solution at a time.
