Rhoda Adeniyi is a presenter at Crowther 88.5 FM in Oyo Town, Nigeria. Mrs. Adeniyi got her start on the radio in 2015 as a guest extension worker on the University of Ibadan’s radio station, Diamond FM. That sparked her interest in pursuing a radio career. Volunteering was followed by writing scripts and dramas.
Mrs. Adeniyi’s program features a mix of interviews, vox pops, phone-ins, and discussions in Yoruba. It’s not just about farming know-how; it’s about engaging the community. She brings a blend of academic knowledge, hands-on farming experience, and a passion for getting youth involved in farming.
Mrs. Adeniyi’s strengths are her background in agriculture and years of teaching farming to youth. She has a Ph.D. in agriculture and grew up farming with her parents. She’s fluent in Yoruba, the local language, and stays updated on the latest farming research, enabling her to share current information on the radio.
A survey of farmers in her area showed a variety of information gaps. Mrs. Adeniyi’s Latinouko program addresses this in a variety of ways, including no-cost visits from agricultural experts to farmers, trainings on rabbit rearing and vitamin A-rich maize, and linking the local agricultural bank to potential customers by interviewing the bank manager on air.
Her program has received positive feedback. Farmers note an uptick in farm-gate sales for crops featured on air, and a surge in calls from people seeking more information on the episode’s topic.
Mrs. Adeniyi includes farmers’ voices in her program in a variety of ways: interviews, vox pops, phone-ins, SMS, and online discussions in Yoruba.
To keep listeners entertained and engaged, her program features a variety of segments that vary the pace, plus an easily-recognizable signature tune and two musical breaks with songs about farming.
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