The story goes like this. In 1975 George Atkins, then a farm radio broadcaster with CBC, was travelling down a rural road in Zambia. The group he was with included a number of African broadcasters, there as part of a workshop for farm broadcasters George was working on. George, ever curious, asked about their latest radio shows. One of the broadcasters on the bus with him, a man named Abdul
How information flows from those with knowledge to those who seek knowledge is important — particularly for those communicators who seek to make transferring knowledge easier. For journalists and radio broadcasters, it can be difficult to access information – or the people who hold knowledge – to share with your listening audience. Fabian Oswald has investigated how information flow through agricultural radio programs in local languages is structured and whether
Learning positive agricultural techniques and health practices can reduce poverty, malnutrition, and diseases in developing countries. For millions of rural people, low literacy and remoteness are barriers to information access. Extension services are limited because of poorly maintained roads. When materials are available, people can’t read. Local dialects are another barrier. Literacy Bridge Ghana uses a low-cost, battery-operated audio computer, called the Talking Book, to bring life-changing knowledge to marginalized
Despite the well-documented advantages of agricultural innovations, there are significant hurdles for farmers to adopt them, such as: lack of information reaching remote farmers, ineffective national extension service, and input supply systems that do not respond to men and women farmers’ needs. This denies millions of smallholder farmers the opportunity to learn and apply improved and efficient agronomic practices that improve productivity and household food security. These were some of
Millions of smallholder farmers in remote areas do not have access to information that will help them with their farming needs. They are thus denied the opportunity to learn and apply improved and efficient agronomic practices that improve productivity and household food security. The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF), funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Global Affairs Canada, designed a program to increase collaboration between
The peace and quiet of 200 villages in Northern Ghana was shattered in May and June this year with the arrival of CABI-sponsored village-based video screenings. CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International) is an international not-for-profit organization that improves people’s lives worldwide by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment. “We wanted to explore new and innovative ways of getting information to
Millions of smallholder farmers in remote areas do not have access to information that will help them with their farming needs. They are thus denied opportunity to learn and apply improved and efficient agronomic practices that improve productivity and household food security. The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF), funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Global Affairs Canada, designed a program to increase collaboration between farmers,
“What change would most help you, your family, and your neighbours earn enough money and have enough good food for the whole year?” a recorded voice on a mobile phone asks Sara Masanja, a woman from Shinyanga Vijijini, a rural area in northern Tanzania. “Dial 1 for more support in farming, fishing and livestock keeping; 2 for training and education; 3 for improved healthcare; or 4 for better roads, electricity,
Rural farmers in Gwanda, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe are generally cut off from vital government agriculture services by virtue of distance. The solution is: cheaply-recorded MP3 podcasts that are bringing awareness of weather, crop prices, or pest control. The problem is that Matabeleland South is one of Zimbabwe´s driest and underdeveloped region. The soil is rocky, agriculture colleges are rare, agriculture technicians shun the vast district, sporadic flooding can ruin crops,
