Network Mapping
We started out drawing up a map of all the people involved in the conference. By making the network visible we were hoping to demonstrate a major conference goal: Linking up farmers directly to make the network sustainable.
Then everyone put in their pictures where they thought they belonged in the map. This step made the link between conceiving of the people present as a network and of oneself as part of it in a tactile way.
In the end everyone drew a line for every new connection made where they have a serious intention of working together in the future. People probably got a little carried away here.
This is a slimmed down version of the original method developed by Eva Schiffer. We used it primarily to illustrate one of the main conference objectives: making connections between farmers. So far the PPB project at ICARDA was the central hub and information broker in our network. Since the conference, there are many more direct linkages between the farmers. Clicking on the pictures will open an album documenting the process.
