With or Without a Script? Comparing Two Styles of Participatory Video on Enhancing Local Seed Innovation System in Bangladesh

Recent experiences in participatory video-making raise the question of how best to use this medium for enhancing local seed innovation systems. Embedded in a mini-process of participatory action research, two styles of participatory video—scripted and scriptless—were tested and assessed together with farmers and facilitators in Bogra District, Bangladesh. Data, collected through participant observation, informal interviews, group discussions and workshops, were analysed using a combination of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis.This study raises several critiques about the usefulness of these two major styles of participatory video and argues that both styles have specific usefulness and therefore can be used in combination to enhance local seed innovation systems in Bangladesh, and possibly, elsewhere in South Asia.