After completing college, Alice Lungu started working in 2000 with a private media organization called Palesa News Agency, where, until 2007, she was responsible for a variety of tasks: making radio spots and announcements, radio adverts, and presenting and producing radio programs. In 2007, she joined Zambia News and Information Services, where she currently works.
Recently, Mrs. Lungu received the George Atkins Communication Award, recognizing her commitment to serving rural communities and active membership in Farm Radio’s network.
She takes pride in her good command of English, good radio voice, and the fact that she loves talking to people. She specializes in agricultural reporting, but also covers health, education, and women’s rights.
For several years, Mrs. Lungu hosted a weekly farming program on the national broadcaster. The program not only trained farmers in a variety of techniques, but also featured voices from across the country, incorporating local languages. Recently, she tackled the adverse effects of climate change on farmers in southern Zambia, highlighting their successful adoption of good farming methods with the assistance of extension agents.
Regular feedback from listeners highlights how her programs have helped farmers shift from traditional, low-yielding to climate-smart, transformative practices.
Mrs. Lungu’s programs regularly include farmers’ voices. Women and men, young and old farmers speak their minds on issues that affect them, and a phone-in program is planned to coincide with the coming land preparation season.
To engage and sustain her listeners’ interest, Mrs. Lungu uses a variety of elements, starting programs with a recognizable signature tune and incorporating news flashes, music, market notes, weather updates, adverts, and jingles.
Mrs. Lungi has been writing scripts for Farm Radio for the last 15 years. She recently completed a scriptwriting training with , and says her programs now have a fresh touch. She says she is more dedicated than ever to doing prior research on the topic of the program, and has learned a lot about how to construct interview questions.
Farm Radio International (FRI) is a Canadian non-profit organization specializing in ICT-enabled extension and communication for reaching rural and remote communities at scale in local languages in sub-Saharan Africa. FRI’s core expertise is collaborative, user-focused co-creation of quality information and advisory services, combining radio and mobile phones, other ICTs and face-to-face interaction.