YenKasa Africa Radio Initiative
The United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF, 2019-2028) aims to unleash the potential of family farmers as key agents of change, transforming agrifood systems and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Pillar 4 of the UNDFF Global Action Plan (GAP) recognizes the role of communication as a driver to advance family farming and emphasizes the need for rural communication services, improved communication and ICT capacity for family farmers, and increased awareness of their central role in agrifood systems. In this context, a regional Participatory Communication Plan (PCP) is being developed in Africa to contribute to implementing the UNDFF.
In Africa, radio is still the most widely used medium for sharing information with rural audiences. Building on previous experiences, the YenKasa Africa Radio Initiative aims to foster long-term collaboration between farmers’ organizations and rural radio stations. The initiative is based on a participatory approach that uses farmer-centred radio programmes to address family farmers' specific needs and priorities. Farmers’ organizations actively participate in producing radio programmes, defining key issues, broadcast schedules and interviewees.
The initiative seeks to empower family farmers, facilitating knowledge exchange and ownership of the communication activities by their organizations, with three main objectives:
- To raise awareness of the role of family farming in sustainable agrifood systems and to inform about relevant UNDFF activities at the policy, institutional and field levels;
- To share information about issues, experiences and priorities of farmers’ organizations and
- To enhance the use of radio as an interactive service supporting family farming.
Produced in local languages, the radio programmes deal with issues such as climate change, agroecology and forestry, access to finance and markets through Village Savings and Loan Associations, the importance of family farming, and the central role of women and youth.
Click the links below to access the radio initiative in local language series, English series or French series. Other related materials are also accessible below.
| National Series in Local Languages | National Series in English | National Series in French | Supporting Materials |