Rural Communication Services

Seeds and storage: How radio reduced post-harvest loss of potatoes in Nigeria
Rural Communication Services

Bitrus Gomas used to regularly lose nearly half his produce. The 51-year-old potato farmer lives in Pankshin Local Government Area in Plateau State in central Nigeria. He is married with four children. Mr. Gomas is not alone. In Nigeria, up to 40 per cent of stored potato seeds are lost within the first three months of storage due to inadequate storage conditions. Post-harvest loss (the loss of crops between harvest and

Ten success factors for rural digital transformation in Africa
Rural Communication Services

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Digital Villages Initiative (DVI) aims to turn 1,000 villages globally into hubs where digitally-enabled farm and non-farm services are provided, such as e-commerce, farmer advisory services leveraging satellite information and digital financial inclusion activities. In Africa, nine countries are involved so far. Scoping assessment studies and early service delivery have identified 10 success factors for rural digital transformation in Africa. Implementers of the DVI

Farm Radio International Uganda’s “Platform” project transforming agricultural extension services across the country
Rural Communication Services

Once a week, Green Leaf Radio Magazine’s catchy theme song plays on radios across Uganda. As more listeners pour in every week, they are greeted by a number of segments including news and weather, but most importantly tips on how to improve their farming practices. To say that farming in Uganda is vital to the average citizen’s economic security is an understatement : 88 per cent of Ugandan households are involved in the

Sharing farmers' stories on World Food Day - and every day
Rural Communication Services

Farm Radio International has been sharing stories about the experiences and expertise of small-scale farmers since our founding in May 1979. To further put a spotlight on farmers, we created an online news publication – Barza Wire – in 2007. Last year, we celebrated our 600th issue. Find Barza Wire at: https://wire.farmradio.fm/ Each edition of Barza Wire includes stories about the innovations and experiences of small-scale farmers. Most of these

Malian broadcaster serves farmers with informative, interesting, interactive radio programs
Rural Communication Services

Seydou Camara describes himself as a “country lover.” And, as the son of a farmer, he knows a lot about agriculture. These qualities help him to prepare his radio programs, and particularly to prepare for field visits. Mr. Camara has worked at Radio Wassoulou in Yanfolila, Mali, for nearly 10 years, where he is a host. “Naturally, I like to serve people and in my opinion, media is a great

Apply for the Liz Hughes Award for Her Farm Radio
Rural Communication Services

The Liz Hughes Award for Her Farm Radio recognizes excellent radio programs that serve women listeners. Winning radio programs explore and advance gender equality; for example, by sharing the experiences and opinions of women, addressing topics of importance to women, underlining the role of men in gender equality, etc. The award is given to the team of people who make this program happen, including the manager(s), producer(s), host(s), presenter(s), reporter(s), technician(s), and

Small-scale farmers use radio and mobile phones to tell decision makers what they need to succeed in a changing climate
Rural Communication Services

Though climate change, food system shocks and inflation are intensifying the challenges faced by small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, they want to remain in their homes. According to a report released today, migration is the least viable option for African small-scale farmers. Of the thousands of farmers who participated in the four-country survey, around half also said that affordability, the availability of jobs and access to inputs had improved since

Webinar: VOICES Standards for enhancing interactive radio programs
Rural Communication Services

Farm Radio International will be hosting a webinar to discuss our VOICES Standards for interactive radio programs. As a broadcaster, you want your radio program to be useful, interesting – even empowering, for rural people. And you want it to have a wide audience of both women and men. To help you, we have pulled together “best practices” of broadcasters, and have grouped them in a way that will be

Digitalizing agriculture in rural Senegal
Rural Communication Services

Digital tools can help offset uncertainties in weather patterns caused by climate change. In Nioro, Senegal, Mamadou Drame, a father of four children, now looks down at a screen instead of up at the skies to understand the weather and know what to plant. Historical rain cycles have become increasingly unreliable because of climate change, upsetting patterns of planting and harvesting. Thankfully, digital innovations have stepped in, assisting him to