Using Digital Technologies to Co-Create Collaborative Futures for Partnerships: Cross-Sector Partnerships Using Animated Videos to Improve Rwandan Agricultural Extension Services
Aimable Mugabo, Anne Namatsi Lutomia, Rob Weiner, John William Medendorp, Jean-Lambert Rurangwa, Yvonne Uwase Munyangeri, Barry Robert Pittendrigh, Julia Bello‐Bravo · Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies · 2025
This paper presents a descriptive analysis of an agricultural e-extension partnership between the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) and Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO), examining the potential of digital tools for the future of agricultural extension efforts. The collaboration integrates SAWBO’s animated videos into Rwanda’s agricultural systems, enhancing access to knowledge and extending outreach to rural communities. Drawing from the traditional Rwandan practice of Umuganda (community service), Riane Eisler’s cultural transformation theory, and co-production perspectives, the RAB / SAWBO partnership utilizes culturally relevant methods for community engagement, demonstrating the value of traditional practices for modernizing enhanced digital outreach. This analysis foregrounds the concept of "informationalization," in which digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) become central to sustainable development, as a means of bridging infrastructural and socioeconomic gaps in agricultural extension. The authors argue that the future of effective partnerships in agricultural development must prioritize participatory, non-domination frameworks and adaptive learning, especially in complex cross-sectoral collaborations that address evolving challenges like climate change impacts on food security and pest management. Per co-production and cultural transformation theory, the paper advocates for partnerships that are prepared to respond to emergent information, while being embedded in culturally legible structures. By envisioning a future where partnerships are institutionalized across sectors, the paper underscores the potential for sustainable long-term transformations of culture through collaborative digital platforms that accommodate evolving technologies and local needs.