How do we design for an ecology and economy of care?
Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance
DHYANI PAREKH
Graduation Project
B.Des 2016
Product Design
student social︎︎︎
This project takes a systemic approach to tackling AntiMicrobial Resistance(AMR) by proposing a preventative intervention targeting poultry farmers in India. The facilitated workshops help farmers understand the risks and teach them safe-handling to reduce disease outbreak. They are also provided with a toolkit of additional checklists, frameworks and activities to empower and support them to shift their practices.
I view design as practice that goes beyond form and function to a tool to facilitate. It is how I approach the intersection of domains; by bringing them together and including other research methodologies and philosophies in the process. By taking up a social impact project, I wanted to experiment with how design could facilitate dialogue within communities about the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.
I view design as practice that goes beyond form and function to a tool to facilitate. It is how I approach the intersection of domains; by bringing them together and including other research methodologies and philosophies in the process. By taking up a social impact project, I wanted to experiment with how design could facilitate dialogue within communities about the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.
I have always lived and worked around people. For this project, I was isolated in a secluded village in Goa. Many personal and professional reflections converged with each other and eventually overlapped. Purpose became important, and the project itself became something I could hold on to. There was more accountability and responsibility that developed over time.
Through this project, I understood the importance of collaboration and inclusivity. Participation of multiple and diverse people and groups helped mobilise and co-create a holistic solution. It also helped me realize that I had a ‘saviour complex’. It was necessary for me to move past it and acknowledge the developments that have been happening already, and how I could align and adjust my work to that context. The project was also process-centric. At one point, it was difficult to hold it all together. I do believe that I missed out on interacting with the communities on the field. I wish I had included more members in the production process.
I see my project instilling a sense of biosecurity within poultry farmers; for them to understand their role, visualise the threat of AMR, and to map out an ecosystem to support them. I also hope that the project steers more action and awareness towards animal welfare and environmental health.
This project has shaped my design approach and how I view my work. There was a shift from viewing ‘design as a final outcome’ to ‘design as a tool’ to achieve a goal for certain groups of people by bringing them together.
INSPIRATIONS
Community Based Interventions through research papers, evaluations, and reports that showed on group data.
Books on Visual Methodologies for Participatory Research, Systems Thinking, Design for Healthcare, Design for Social Impact, Co-creation and Generative Research.
Remote Research Methods: Digital and Sensory Ethnography