Dr Seb Rumsby, ESRC Postdoctoral Impact Innovation Fellowship
Harnessing Innovative Technology for Grassroots Development
Dr Seb Rumsby has used his ESRC Fellowship to pioneer and advance two projects, building from his own experience and involvement with grassroots development research.
1. Supporting farmers in South East Asia to increase their incomes
In 2017 Seb co-founded Hmongdom, an online information network designed to empower, encourage and equip marginalised farmers in upland South East Asia to improve their incomes.
This is achieved through creating and distributing online documentaries about new livelihood opportunities - all recorded in the local language and co-produced with local businesses and community groups. Hmongdom is one of thousands of small-scale, independent initiatives known as ‘citizen aid’ or ‘do-it-yourself development.’
Dr Rumsby commissioned five new documentaries to be produced and facilitated the formation of a business mentoring network for new or aspiring entrepreneurs to receive input and training from more experienced professionals.
Viewed more than 450,000 times, the videos have led to Dr Rumsby being shortlisted for the ESRC 2020 Celebrating Impact Award.
People in Vietnam’s highlands watching Hmongdom documentaries.
The DIY Development logo.
2. Increasing awareness and improving reach
The second project has arisen directly from the first. Research suggests ‘citizen aid’ or ‘do-it-yourself development’ projects, such as Hmongdom are often of limited effectiveness.
They remain isolated from the mainstream development sector, re-inventing the wheel and making the same mistakes that more established NGOs made decades ago.
In order to address this problem, Dr Rumsby has built from scratch an online tool to promote best practice among citizen aid practitioners called DIY Development.
DIY Development users will complete self-assessment surveys across a range of themes - including team dynamics, mission/objectives, empowerment and sustainability. Free and instant feedback willl then be provided about their strengths and weaknesses, before users are signposted to relevant resources and support networks. Launching in October 2020, Dr Rumbsby intends to promote the online tool among social media and citizen aid networks.