Rural Communication Services

Digital hubs to bridge rural-urban digital divide in Zimbabwe
Rural Communication Services

In a major push to digitize rural communities, the government of Zimbabwe, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is set to establish digital hubs in Bikita and Mhondoro-Ngezi districts under the Fostering Digital Villages Through Innovative Advisory and Profitable Market Services in Africa (FDiVi) project. “The FDiVi project aims to transform agricultural and food systems in rural areas through digital technologies,” said Dowsen Sango, the

Kodon Yiriba amplifies voices for gender equality
Rural Communication Services

Radio Jamana’s program Kodon Yiriba, runner-up for the 2024 Liz Hughes Award for Her Farm Radio, plays a crucial role in addressing gender equality and social issues in Mali’s Koutiala region. This 60-minute weekly program, co-hosted by Ibrahim Dembele and Maïmouna Ouattara, raises awareness on the consequences of sexual harassment and rape, particularly its impact on adolescents and young adults. The program empowers listeners to report incidents to local authorities, fostering

Call for papers: FAO, IAMCR announce 2025 Rural Communication Services research award
Rural Communication Services

The Rural Communication (RUC) Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of abstracts for its 2025 conference, which will be held in Singapore from 13 to 17 July 2025, hosted by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University. As part of the conference, IAMCR, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Voice of Kono’s Woman Talk (Tok) : Winner of the 2024 Liz Hughes Award for Her Farm Radio
Rural Communication Services

Voice of Kono is dedicated to amplifying women’s voices and promoting gender equality in the Kono district, Sierra Leone. Their program, Woman Talk (Tok), was selected as the 2024 winner of the recently the 2024 Liz Hughes Award for Her Farm Radio, which recognizes radio programs that address women’s rights and gender equality in their communities. The goal of Woman Talk (Tok) is to address the everyday challenges faced by women and children,

Radio programme: Kenyan youth involvement in agriculture
Rural Communication Services

Under the Yenkasa Africa rural radio initiative, Radio Maisha, in collaboration with the Kenya National Farmers Federation (KENAFF) and Sigor Youth Vision Group from Bomet County, aired a Kiswahili-language program titled Kenyan youth involvement in agriculture. This episode aimed to shed light on the role of young people in transforming agriculture into a sustainable and profitable sector despite the challenges they face. The program emphasized opportunities available for young people,

Farm Radio partner broadcasters bring the voices of family farmers to the World Food Forum
Rural Communication Services

In a cozy wooden gazebo outside the FAO headquarters in Rome, Precious Kadwala from Malawi and Ali Mubiru from Uganda, two partner broadcasters with Farm Radio, sat down with Qu Dongyu, the director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). They were there to produce impactful audio content for the Global Family Farming Forum, held from Oct. 15 to 18 as part of the World Food Forum. The forum

Radio Programme: Marketing Efficiency and Value Chain of Garlic: A Spotlight on Mbulu District’s Collective and Value-Added Garlic Production in Tanzania
Rural Communication Services

In collaboration with YenKasa Africa and MVIWAMA, Habari Njema Radio 87.5 FM produced a radio episode in Swahili titled “Marketing Efficiency and Value Chain of Garlic.” This was produced under the radio programme “Kilimo Bora, Maisha Bora” (Good Farming, Better Lives), which is dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture and improving farmer livelihoods. The program explores the garlic value chain in the Mbulu District of Tanzania, focusing on the efforts of

Elisabeth Hilim: A leader in promoting gender equality through radio
Rural Communication Services

Elisabeth Hilim’s journey in radio shows her strong passion for helping women and promoting gender equality. As a child, she looked up to radio hosts on national stations and dreamed of becoming one herself. Although she initially studied economics because of financial challenges, her love for sharing information and communicating never faded. After earning her degree and spending time in an NGO, Mrs. Hilim realized her true calling was in

Precious Kadwala: Promoting agriculture and community voices through radio
Rural Communication Services

Precious Kadwala’s path to broadcasting began with a dream. As a young girl, she admired news anchors on TV and radio, wishing to be seen and heard in homes across the country. That desire grew as she realized that broadcasting would allow her to connect with people, share stories, and deliver news that could make a difference in people’s lives. She says, “I’ve always believed that through broadcasting, I could

Aya Konan: Empowering farmers and communities through radio broadcasting
Rural Communication Services

Aya Marie-Madeleine Konan started her journey towards journalism in high school, and has been advancing her career over the past nine years, mainly focusing on radio. After appearing as a guest on the radio in 2014, she started broadcasting in 2015 and progressed from being a co-host to host, to marketing manager, and finally director of Radio Yackoi Paix & Développement in the city of Daloa, in western Côte d’Ivoire.