Author Archives: Liz Sharma

Global Agriculture and Food Security Program

The challenge: The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) is a financing platform dedicated to improving food and nutrition security worldwide. They approached Marchmont for support with launching their $75 million funding window called the Business Investment Financing Track (BIFT), targeting potential recipients of the funding and donors for the programme.

Our approach: To achieve these objectives, Marchmont led a media and social media campaign to raise awareness on the launch of GAFSP funding window. This included:

• Developing a media factsheet to explain the programme’s functions, goals and challenges to journalists.
• Planning and implemented a media campaign with tailored approaches for different specialist audiences including agriculture-, development- and business-focused media.
• Producing an engaging social media toolkit accompanied by original multimedia assets such as a photofilm, GIFs and graphic cards to boost awareness and engagement with the launch of BIFT across digital channels.

Outcomes:

• The BIFT launch received more than 300 pieces of news coverage and was featured in top tier, regional and specialist outlets such as Agtech Navigator, DevDiscourse, Amwal Al Ghad, Forbes and more.
• In addition, the digital assets produced were shared across social media channels by organisations such as World Bank AgriFood, further boosting visibility for the new financing window.

Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture

The challenge: The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) wanted to publicly launch its new Future Seeds genebank in Colombia in March 2022 to raise awareness of the facility and celebrate the contribution of genebanks to broader crop research and conservation.

Our approach: To support the opening of the genebank, which was officially launched by Colombia’s President Duque, Marchmont developed a phased media outreach campaign, including:

• Facilitating a site visit for a small group of international journalists to see the facility and prepare coverage ahead of the official opening.
• Leading a wider embargoed outreach campaign to alert journalists to the facility and coordinate coverage to coincide with the opening.
• Developing a series of three op-eds to articulate different aspects of the genebank’s work and value.

Outcomes: 

The integrated media outreach resulted in more than 80 pieces of coverage, which included articles from Devex, the Financial Times, the Hill, Inter Press Service, Mongabay, Reuters, and SciDev.

Shortly after the opening of the genebank, the Bezos Earth Fund announced it was investing $17 million in the facility and its work.

Blue Food Assessment

The Challenge: The Blue Food Assessment (BFA), a joint initiative of Stanford University, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and EAT, was seeking to launch a landmark series of scientific papers focusing on different aspects of “blue foods” and their role in sustainable food systems transformation. The BFA wanted to communicate the value and specific findings of each research paper, whilst also highlighting the sum of the whole as the most extensive research into blue foods to date.

Our Approach: To achieve these aims, Marchmont developed a phased media engagement plan that included:

• Coordinating the media launch plan alongside the academic publisher, BFA leads, paper authors and their university press teams.
• Packaging up the individual research papers to tell a compelling overall story to media most interested in the global narrative.
• Carrying out targeted outreach for each paper, engaging with journalists and specialist outlets according to each paper’s main themes.
• Supplementing this outreach with a series of op-eds, building the visibility of the BFA and its key spokespeople as advocates for blue foods in future food systems transformation.

Outcomes:

• Marchmont’s media outreach secured more than 500 pieces of coverage, ranging from global top tier media to specialist publications and non-English-language outlets.
• This included coverage from the likes of AP News, Axios, CNN, Economist Impact, New Scientist and Reuters as well as specialist media such as Down to Earth, Earth.com and SciDev.
• A range of opinion pieces authored by Blue Food Assessment researchers were also produced and placed in a broad selection of international media. Highlights included placements in Al Jazeera, euronews, the Hill and The Economist’s World Ocean Initiative. 

African Women in Agricultural Research and Development

The challenge: African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) works to advance inclusive solutions that bridge gaps between women and men smallholders in Africa. They approached Marchmont seeking to strengthen their external engagement efforts and demonstrate the impact of their Leadership Program on Emerging African Women in Science programme.

Our approach: To achieve these goals, Marchmont delivered spotlight profiles, conducted outreach and interviews and created impact stories. This included us:

• Developing short and punchy profiles to spotlight 48 fellows that participated in the Leadership Program on Emerging African Women in Science.
• Coordinating outreach to and interviews with 13 fellows to highlight in a longer, collective feature of the programme, titled ‘Stories of Hope’.
• Creating 13 fellows’ impact stories, outlining their journeys and achievements and, most importantly, articulating how the Leadership Program on Emerging African Women in Science was transformative for them.

Outcomes: As a result of Marchmont’s support:

• The 48 profiles are now featured on the AWARD website, spotlighting the women who took part in the program. These are readily available for both donors and other women considering applying for the program to engage with.
• The 13 ‘Stories of Hope’ were published in an e-book, celebrating the achievements of the fellows and demonstrating the impact of the program in helping the women advance in the agricultural research and development field.

AKADEMIYA2063

The challenge: AKADEMIYA2063, a pan-African agricultural research organisation, was seeking support in reaching critical audiences such as policymakers, entrepreneurs, and development partners with their in-depth research. This includes their convening of the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) and hosting of the Malabo-Montpellier Panel (MaMo Panel).

Our approach: To achieve these aims, Marchmont has led the strategy and media outreach around more than a dozen report launches and policy meetings since 2020. This includes:

• Developing and executing a media launch plan with the AKADEMIYA2063 team.
• Delving into the research, extracting the most compelling insights, statistics, and recommendations for media.
• Undertaking targeted media outreach for each report, engaging with journalists from top tier, regional, and specialist outlets according to the focus of each report.
• Coordinating support for in-person events such as the MaMo Panel, including media outreach and securing journalist attendance.
• Supporting the media outreach with a variety of op-eds and blogs, helping to also increase visibility for AKADEMIYA2063 spokespeople such as Dr Ousmane Badiane as experts in African agricultural transformation.

Outcomes: 

• Marchmont’s outreach has secured more than 1,500 pieces of coverage over five years, ranging from global top tier to specialist and regional publications.
• This includes coverage from Voice of America, the Christian Science Monitor and CNBC Africa, as well as regional media such as African Business, Africa.com, and How We Made It in Africa. Furthermore, Marchmont secured specialist coverage in outlets such as Farmers Review Africa and SciDev.
• An array of opinion pieces authored by AKADEMIYA2063 experts were also produced and placed in a broad selection of international and specialist media. Highlights included placements in AgFunder News, FairPlanet, IPS News, Global Policy Journal and Farming First.

International Livestock Research Institute

The Challenge: The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) launched the Global Livestock Advocacy for Development (GLAD) initiative in 2016 to convene a community of practice to advocate for sustainable livestock as a lever for sustainable development. ILRI, on behalf of GLAD, sought support to communicate the initiative and its key messages externally.

Our Approach: Marchmont has worked with ILRI and GLAD since 2016 to help communicate the nuances of why livestock matter to developing countries. This has taken a phased approach as the GLAD initiative has evolved, which has included:

• Carrying out a media audit at the outset of GLAD’s first phase, which identified a key issue in media coverage to inform future media pitching – namely that Global North livestock narratives tended to dominate media coverage despite priorities for the Global South (e.g. undernutrition, higher animal mortality, extensive systems etc.) not being covered sufficiently. 
• Carrying out out a series of interviews with key stakeholders to gather insights about the current perceptions of livestock for global development, as well as testing the emerging key messages that formed the basis of advocacy and communications work.
• Developing the concept and content for a microsite called “Why Livestock Matter” that is organised by theme and consolidates evidence to support further funding into the sector. 
• Engaging media on behalf of the entire GLAD network to leverage case studies and stories from the whole community in support of the initiative’s objectives. 
• Leading several dedicated media campaigns at strategic moments, including the coordination of an open letter ahead of the COP28 climate talks, signed by more than 130 supporters. 
• Drafting and placing opinion articles on key themes at strategic moments.
• Providing both in-person and virtual press office support for key events such as UN climate, biodiversity and desertification talks.

Outcomes: To date, Marchmont’s outreach has helped secure ongoing media coverage of the potential for livestock to support sustainable development, driving spikes of coverage at key moments, including UN climate talks, such as COP27, as shown below, where spikes show peaks of coverage of livestock during the talks:

Coverage has included articles from Axios, Bloomberg, CNBC Africa, Forbes, the Guardian, New York Times, Reuters, and Voice of America among others. Op-eds from ILRI spokespeople and partners have also appeared in Al Jazeera, Devex, Euractiv, Financial Times, Foreign Policy, Mongabay and Reuters among others.

International Seed Federation

The Challenge: The International Seed Federation (ISF) was looking to develop and implement a communications strategy to support its new strategic objectives, which involved positioning seed innovation as a driver of climate-resilient food systems, and raising awareness of the private sector’s contribution to the global challenges of hunger and climate change.

Our Approach: Marchmont supported ISF with insights, strategy, training and implementation support, including: 

• Carrying out insights work to understand how the seed sector and ISF were currently appearing in media coverage. 
• Producing a five-year communications strategy that identified priority audiences, messaging, channels, assets and spokespeople. 
• Providing media training for key spokespeople in person at an ISF meeting to help prepare speakers for media interviews.
• Since 2022, carrying out strategic media outreach and providing support at key moments, including preparing the press kit and overseeing media engagement around the annual World Seed Congress, including dedicated media campaigns as well as supporting with thought leadership.

Outcomes:

• Compared to the results of the media landscape, global coverage of IFS and the seed sector increased dramatically in the first year of implementation, resulting in coverage from Agence Ecofin, AFP (published by Barron’s, Devex, La France Agricole, Manila Times, among others), Le Temps, the National. 
• Op-eds from ISF have been published by Euronews, Inter Press Service, and WEF Agenda.

Royal Academy of Engineering

The challenge: The Frontiers programme – a part of the Royal Academy of Engineering that brings together early- to mid-career innovators working to tackle global development challenges – was seeking support in translating learnings and impact to participants, donors and potential partners.

Our approach: To achieve these aims, Marchmont has attended several in-person global symposia and developed a series of audience-relevant assets highlighting different aspects of the programme, including:

• A website audit that outlined the ways Frontiers could make their resources more easily reachable to audiences.
• Event reports that collated critical learnings and perspectives from the Frontiers’ symposia.
• Policy briefs that connected insights from a range of events, connecting them around Sustainable Development Goals to offer a set of recommendations to researchers and policymakers.
• Case studies that elevated the work and profile of Frontiers champions, a group of innovators who received funding for their groundbreaking projects in sustainable development.
• Workshop reports that offered easy, how-to guides for researchers when developing, maintaining, and reporting on the impact of funded projects.
• ‘Vox pop’ videos that illustrated the range of expertise within the Frontiers network while demonstrating the value of the symposia through participant testimonials.
• Social media toolkits to enable participants of the symposia to communicate their interest and learnings from the events, sharing Frontiers’ work with potential new participants.

Outcomes: Marchmont’s support supplied Frontiers with the resources to demonstrate to different audiences the importance of the programme, including:

• Potential donors, demonstrating the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Event participants, giving them the resources to build on discussions happening at in-person events long after they conclude.
• Potential participants, showing the opportunities available to members of the Frontiers network.
• Potential partners, illustrating how event partners can position themselves amongst these leaders in engineering for sustainable development.

Since Marchmont has started working with Frontiers, the programme has launched a multimedia resource library, collating the rich, new assets produced together.

SEBI-Livestock

The challenge: The Centre for Supporting Evidence-Based Interventions in Livestock, also known as SEBI-Livestock, sought to elevate the profile of their Livestock Data for Development (LD4D) coalition and add nuance to conversations around livestock and climate. Through their communications, they aimed to promote the need for – and availability of – data and evidence to inform investment and policy decisions for the sector.

Our approach: To achieve these goals, Marchmont supported SEBI-Livestock to empower their members to share LD4D’s mission and worked to build the organisation’s profile externally. This included:

• Facilitating a rebrand of the group, including conducting stakeholder interviews, designing logo options, holding renaming workshops, creating key messages, setting-up social media accounts, and developing brand guidelines.
• Providing planning, media, and written support around the COPs to help position livestock as a powerful tool for climate adaptation.
• Developing a blog series for LD4D, highlighting the work of members to demonstrate the effective tools and policies on-the-ground.
• Supporting the development of reports, helping to refine messaging and conciseness.
• Producing and pitching op-eds for LD4D experts around newly launched tools. 
• Conducting media and social media campaigns around key events and reports, such as a series of policy briefs for livestock climate adaptation and mitigation.
• Creating a series of videos of Livestock Data for Development experts as well as instructional videos on gathering qualitative data for members.

Outcomes:

• Marchmont’s media support garnered more than 300 pieces of coverage, including key specialist and regional media. For instance, SEBI-Livestock and LD4D were featured in Capital Ethiopia,  CNBC Africa, Devex and the Financial Times’ Sustainable Views.
• Marchmont also produced several opinion pieces authored by SEBI experts. Highlights included placements in Euractiv, European Scientist, Devex, IPS News and Innovation News Network.
• Beyond media, social media outreach resulted in key stakeholder sharing campaign materials widely across their platforms, such as the Climate & Clean Air Coalition, Cornell Global Development and the International Livestock Research Institute.

SOS Children’s Villages

The challenge: SOS Children’s Villages, an international organisation supporting children without, or at risk of losing, parental care, sought to communicate their trauma-informed work around child-family separation. This included their response to the war in Ukraine as well as a flagship global report on the causes of child-family separation.

Our approach: Marchmont has worked with SOS Children’s Villages since 2022 to support their advocacy efforts with media outreach, training and thought leadership. This included:

• Positioning SOS Children’s Villages leadership for media interviews on the impact of the war in Ukraine on children, and family separations.
• Overseeing the planning and execution of the media plan to launch a first-of-its-kind report uncovering the root causes of child-family separations.
• Providing one-on-one media training for key spokespeople and partners ahead of the launch of the flagship report to prepare for media interviews and identifying relevant media angles.
• Supporting SOS Children’s Villages in drafting and placing opinion articles for international media outlets.

Outcomes: Marchmont’s outreach has resulted in SOS Children’s Villages being featured by Al Jazeera, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, IPS News and the National.