1. Insights into global advocacy:
Oxfam’s GROW campaign
Executive Certificate
Advocacy in International Affairs
March 2014
Glenn O’Neil
oneil@owlre.com
www.owlre.com

2. What is GROW?
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkg9ADEIPXM#t=29
2

3. What is GROW?
A four year food justice global campaign 2011 - 2015
“Find better ways to grow, share and live
together, to help build a future where everyone
on the planet always has enough to eat.”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Five objectives:
Helping grow movements
Stopping land and water grabs
Reaching a global deal on climate change
Investing in small-scale food producers, particularly women
Responding to global food price crises
3

4. Impact chain / theory of change
4

5. GROW activities
•
•
•
•
Active in some 50 countries: 16 north and 34 south
Seen as the global unifying campaign for Oxfam worldwide
National objectives are combined with international projects
and spikes
Some 70 Oxfam staff engaged full-time on GROW plus
many internal coalitions and external alliances
Lobbying
Media
work
Public
Policy
research
mobilization
5
Coalition
building
Online
actions

6. GROW
timeline
2011 - 2013
6

7. Insights into global campaiging
•
Oxfam commissioned a mid-point external evaluation in
2013 - carried out by Owl RE (Glenn O’Neil & Patricia
Goldschmid)
Next slides summarise insights from this evaluation as to
how Oxfam carried out their campaigning and what results
were seen
“Deep dives” into three out of five objectives:
•
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Helping grow movements
Stopping land and water grabs
Reaching a global deal on climate change
Investing in small-scale food producers, particularly women
Responding to global food price crises
7

8. Helping grow movements
Engaged with up to 5 million people
Content
creation
Online
petitions
Building
coalitions
Issues:
Sahel
Land grabs
Pressure
on
decision
makers
In the South e.g. :
Bangladesh
Burkina Faso
Guatemala
Access
to
decision
makers
Consumption &
food purchases
Food
fairs
Consumer
advice
8
Change to
consumer
habits

9. Stopping land and water grabs
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT_DJmmdsJc
9

10. Stopping land and water grabs
Media
work
Lobbying
Policy
research
Social
media
Policy
research
Land
Freeze
campaign
Public
African Union
The Philippines
Vietnam
The Netherlands
Lobbying
South Sudan
Burkina Faso
Bangladesh
Guatemala
Policy
research
Policy
change
on land
Halt
illegal
land /
water
practices
Stunts
Lobbying
mobilization
Policy
change
on land
mobilization
Local
activism
Public
World Bank
Stunts
Behind
the
Brands
Top ten food
companies
Social
media
Media
work
10
Policy
change
on
supply
chain

11. Stopping land and water grabs
11

12. Stopping land and water grabs
Video: http://youtu.be/JsTi8LrTLFg
12

13. Investing in small-scale food producers
Building
Building
capacity
coalitions
15 countries
Lobbying
Events
Events
Building
capacity
Female
Food
Heroes
Lobbying
Empower
food
producers
15 countries
Access
to
decision
makers
Awareness
on
women’s
role
Media
work
13

14. Investing in small-scale food producers
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWo2p5LFVUo
14

15. Facilitated campaign success
• Created through a broad consultation within Oxfam
• Consistent GROW brand adopted widely
• Engaging Southern partners in the concept phase ensured
ownership
• Flexibility of GROW allowed for local adaptation
• The critical mass factor for initiatives such as Female Food
Heroes and Behind the Brand;
• The proximity and relevance to other programmes
• The selection of precise policy areas
• The combination of media, public mobilisation and policy in
campaigning
15

16. Hindered campaign success
•
•
•
•
•
•
Difficult start and focus
Inability to create a critical mass around most initiatives
Inability to build a global movement
Coordination, focus and resource issues
The lack of coalition building in the North
The lack of mechanisms to identify and profile Southern
issues
• Divergence in focus by some affiliates linked to
inconsistencies in supporting campaign priorities
• Inconsistency between the North and South about the
sensitivity of the land issue
• “Battle of interests” to win policy support
16

17. Further resources
GROW website:
http://www.oxfam.org/en/grow/what-is-grow
Introduction to GROW:
http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/grow-manifesto-may2011-eng.pdf
Mid-point GROW evaluation report:
http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/oxfam-grow-midterm-report-oct2013.pdf
Contacts:
oneil@owlre.com
@glenn_oneil
glennoneil
www.owlre.com
www.intelligentmeasurement.net
17