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 highlighted the crucial contributions of family farmers to sustainable food systems, commemorating the mid-term implementation of the UN Decade of Family Farming. This milestone event underscored the importance of sharing family farmers’ voices widely, so small-scale farmers around the world could benefit from the forum’s discussions.
Rural Radio: Voices for Change, a pop-up radio station, bridged the gap between the fields of family farmers and the halls of decision-makers. This FAO production, supported by Farm Radio International, CIESPAL, and AMARC Asia-Pacific, broadcast daily in English, French, and Spanish. Broadcasters from Africa, Asia, and Latin America came together to create a dynamic lineup of interviews, panel discussions, and cultural segments that explored agricultural policies, sustainable farming practices, and the contributions of women and youth to family farming.
Farm Radio broadcasters Miss Kadwala and Mr. Mubiru were joined in Rome by Sébastien Nègre, the regional radio craft team lead, who edited audio clips and co-led the production. Additional remote support came from Farm Radio broadcaster Elisabeth Hilim from Togo and FRI radio craft officers Maïmouna N’Gnadiè Fané from Mali, Isaac Mintah from Ghana, and Boureima Benjamin Nama from Burkina Faso.
Mr. Mubiru says, “The radio station expanded discussions on family farming and shared them with rural communities that couldn’t attend the forum. It also amplified voices of change from different continents.”
Miss Kadwala agreed, adding, “The rural radio showcased the vital role of radio in supporting family farmers, giving stakeholders, government officials, and farmers the chance to engage in shaping agri-food systems.”
In total, the radio station produced dozens of hours of live coverage and created 167 audio clips. Nineteen radio stations in Farm Radio’s network shared this content, allowing their listeners to engage with insights from Rural Radio: Voices for Change.
To hear these voices and key moments from the forum, explore our highlighted clips here.
This story is adapted from an article written by Farm Radio International called “Global Family Farming Forum: Pop-up radio station brings rural voices to the world stage.” To read the full story, go to: https://farmradio.org/pop-up-radio-station-brings-rural-voices-to-the-world-stage/
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