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Dr. Anamika Ray |
I am sorry that due to a tragedy I was away from the internet world for almost four months. Dr. Anamika Ray, who was a known media educator of India and writer died in July, 2015. We have created a trust as "Dr. Anamika Ray Memorial Trust" to work on her unfinished projects and in the field of media education and research. She had lots of contributions to the filed of community media or community communications. As a tribute to her contributions, today I would like to share her article on Farm Radio International, which was originally published at EduComm Asia in March, 2014.
Communication
Empowers
An Effective Approach
of Farm Radio International
Introduction
According
to the report of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2013), there are 842
million hungry people in the world. Out of them 98 percent belong to the
developing countries. Most of them live in village based rural areas depending
upon agriculture related activities for their livelihood
without having other alternatives for the source of income.
Communication empowers. A dynamic,
prolific, competitive, diversified and sustainable agricultural system is
needed for the sustainable developments for deprived societies. It is then only
possible when transparent communication takes place in a particular society.
Radio has the power to accelerate the system towards the development. Because
of huge reach and access especially among the unreached and underprivileged
communities, radio has become one of the most vibrant tools for advancement as
well as sustainability. Other than community radio, the community participation and pure
concern of a particular community development is hardly heard about any mainstream
media. Community radio not only becomes the facilitator to solve the community
problems but also bridges the gap between the community and others by
disseminating required information. In this context it is worth to mention that
if the community is restricted into the farmer community, then that kind of
radio can be treated as Farm Radio.
Concept of Farm Radio
Farm Radio, sometimes referred to as
rural radio, is considered a genuine, reliable, responsible and respected form
of communication. Farm radio or agricultural radio helps to propagate the
message on seed selection, soil preparation, utilization of fertilizer,
irrigation, water supply system, health and hygiene, commercialization of food
products, animal husbandry and many more to the cultivator community (Ilboudo,2001). The farm radio with full and complete
participation of cultivators can act as the key agent to empower the rural
community. In this context a revolution can be seen made by Farm Radio
International. The organization consists of aiming to give a new dimension to
the agricultural extension and to serve the smallholder farmers.
Information and knowledge are two noteworthy aspects for a community
development. Understanding the vicinity additionally helps as well as the
dissemination of information regarding the cultivation procedure assists to
bring a change in farmer society (Mohammad Retz Nazn and Hasan Harbullah,
2010,pp. 13-20). "Since Rural radio
is community based, it can be used to mobilize people towards community
development work as construction of valley dams, protected wells and
immunization of animals" (Nakabugu,2001).
According to a survey of 4500 farmers in
five countries of Africa carried out by FRI through the African Farm Radio
Research Initiative (AFRRI), an average of 77% of rural households (ranging
from 66% in Malawi to 85% in Mali) own a
radio set in the Africa continent. As farmers are living at the edge of new
technological boon, radio is the only porthole to sustain (Sullivan,2011).
Introducing
Farm Radio International
Farm
Radio International (FRI) is a non-profit Canadian charitable organization
based in Ottawa, Canada (FRI-
Wikipedia, 2013). ‘Radio is a
tool for dialogue and change’, said German author Bertolt Brecht (in 1927) who
recognized the radio as more effective when ‘audience members can go beyond
listening to creating — or supplying — content by sharing their stories,
solutions, questions and concerns’ (FRI Blog: Annual Report 2012-2013, 2013).George
Atkins gave a shape of that noble thought. Atkins was the voice of CBC’s noon
farm radio broadcast for 25 years. During a conference of farm broadcasters in
Zambia in the mid-1970s, George learned that most farm radio programmes
featured information on expensive techniques or large-scale farming, and were
not meaningful to the majority of poor farmers. This discovery challenged him
to think on the creation of a worldwide platform to share practical (which is
also affordable by the rural people) information on farming and cultivation. In
1979, he developed a new network of farm broadcasters to benefit millions of
small holder farmers across the global south. It was called Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN). At
the initial stage, there were 34 broadcasters from 26 countries (History | Farm Radio International,
n.d.). In 2008 DCFRN was renamed as Farm Radio International (FRI- Wikipedia, 2013) -an
association of more than 500 radio broadcasters in 38 African Countries. It was
started with a noble cause- fight poverty and food insecurity (About us | Farm Radio International,
n.d.). FRI works in African
Countries.
Radio listening group in Ethiopia. The women tune into a weekly PRC program about integrated pest management in lentil and chick pea production. Curtsey: FRI. |
Every year, FRI provides
over 530 African broadcasters with three information packages consisting of
radio scripts, “how to” guides, and “issue packs” on variety of topics. FRI also distributes a weekly electronic news
service called Farm Radio Weekly to more than 2500 subscribers in Africa. These
resources are used by broadcasters to prepare radio programs for their rural
listeners. The Barza online community helps over 550 African broadcasters
access and share radio resources, and connect with each other. On the other
hand FRI not only ensures the quality of broadcasting through the provision of
scripts, news stories and other resources, but also provides training to the
broadcasters to help them produce radio programmes that meet the needs and
aspirations of farmer communities.
Presently under the
leadership of Kevin Perkins (Executive Director) along with 15 members of the
Board of Directors, 12 staff in Canada, and over 40 in Africa, 34 volunteers
and countless supporters from various countries, FRI works for not only food
security and economic affluence by accessing the practical, relevant and timely
information on farming but also provides a platform to engage and exchange
their views among the farming communities.
African
Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI)
The African Farm Radio
Research Initiative (AFRRI), implemented by FRI between 2007 and 2010 with
funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, sought to investigate how effective is radio in enabling
smallholder farmers in Africa and how can new technologies increase the
effectiveness of radio as a sustainable, interactive development communications
tool.(Sullivan, B. (2011). Through
AFRRI, FRI aimed to realize the effectiveness of PRC strategies for fulfilling
the aims and objectives of smallholder farmers and the organizations that serve
them (Agricultural
Radio that Works, 2011).
To answer these questions, FRI embarked
on an action research program that involved working with 25 radio stations (a
mix of public, commercial FM and community stations) in five countries (Ghana,
Malawi, Mali, Uganda and Tanzania). FRI
worked closely with its partner stations and local knowledge partners to design
produce and evaluate a total of 49 participatory radio campaigns and 5 market
information (MIS) radio programmes. An
evaluation of the outcomes of 15 of these campaigns was conducted in 2010 using
data collected in the field from 4600 households. The information (from the
interview of the farmers) was recorded and stored in mobile phones and then
sent to a database in the cloud. From
here it was analyzed. The whole process was powered by the service provider
‘Mobile Researcher’ (Karenhampson, 2010, October
23).
Participatory
Radio Campaigns on Agriculture:
The farmer is in need, the
farm radio is deed. Right information at the right time empowers the
cultivators to take wise decision. The Participatory Radio Campaign (PRC) was
developed by FRI as a deliberate and designed radio programme, (with specific
duration-12 to 16 weeks) aiming to respond to information needs expressed by
particular farming communities. It has helped thousands of small holder farmers
not only to adopt the new innovation in the harvesting but also allow them to
understand ‘how to take benefit from it’.
The PRC approach results
in measurable impact because the farmers can decide the content, context and
time of broadcasting to share their knowledge at common platform with the
participation of people like them. With the knowledge gained through AFRRI, FRI
has been working with new partners to implement PRCs on a range of topics. In
2012-13, FRI developed 16 PRCs in five countries (FRI
Blog: Annual Report, 2013).
The PRC offers a space to farmers to ascertain, to exchange the
knowledge, to gain information and to share experiences with the new
agricultural practice that can improve their family’s food security. The focus
of the PRC is to help farmers make an informed decision to adopt (or not) an
improved agricultural practice. After
guiding listeners to the decision-point, the PRC provides implementation advice
to those farmers that wish to adopt the improvement. In a PRC, various formats including panel
discussions, vox pops, village debates, phone-in shows, mini-dramas and music
have been followed to make the farmers feel attached with the information
dissemination process. Farmers’ feedback is used for monitoring and evaluating
the PRC using new ICTs such as cell phones, MP3 players, and interactive voice
response systems These ICT tools, together with bulk SMS messaging systems help
radio programmes to enhance the level of participation, reach and accessibility
(Agricultural
Radio That Works, 2011). The
PRC methodology includes a number of important stages, including: Community
rapid appraisals, Improvement selection, Formative research, Campaign design,
Broadcast, Gathering Listener Feedback, and evaluation. Around 40 million smallholder farmers have
been served by PRCs. Among them 20 million gained knowledge about the promoted
agricultural improvement and 10 million adopted one or more of a wide range of
improved farming innovations as a result of these PRCs (Participatory radio campaigns and food security, 2011).
Marketing Information
Service (MIS)
Marketing
Information Service (MIS) is one of the major and active involvements in the
development process for the economic security for the farming communities in
Africa. Through MIS radio programs, five radio stations that participated in
AFRRI offered their listeners information on product price, market scenario,
demand-supply ratio, physical distribution, enhancement of product quality,
production activities with cultural and traditional practices, transportation,
negotiation with middle men, post-harvest support and background of the consumers.
MIS featured the participation of farmers and their associations, traders and
buyers, and extension agents at
local, district, national and international level (Sullivan, 2011). According to AFRRI report, ‘an average of
64.8% of respondents were aware of the MIS radio programs, and 84% of those who
listened found the MIS radio programs to be “very useful”. ‘It helps the
farming communities to assess ‘what to grow, when to grow, and how much to
grow’, which assists them to overcome the economic hurdles (Rao, 2011).
Information
Dissemination among Farmers
Farm
Quest
FarmQuest, a 12-episode innovative new reality
radio series was aired in the last part of 2013 aiming to revive the faith on
farming as career among the young generation in Mali (FRI
Blog, 2013).
Radio
Dramas: Making (Air) Waves with New and Old Technologies
Technological convergence
in radio broadcasting has given a wide scope to the audience for their active
participation. This has been demonstrated by the 30 episodes radio drama ‘My
Children’, where the central character shares her farming experience on
nutritive food in traditional variety. Story telling from a common mother to
thousands other mothers could achieve heartfelt interactive engagement of the
audiences (ibid.).
Radio
Program on Climate Adaptation
Dr. Adaptation show has
attained a very acceptable and positive response from the listeners. This
programme – a call in show, featuring a radio host and an engaging climate
adaptation expert called “Dr. Adaptation” - creates a consciousness of the
small scale growers on Climate change along with the required procedure to
fight against the adversity (ibid.).
Barza:
A Virtual Village
Barza means “a place where
people in a village meet under a tree and talk.” Using the platform of
Barza.fm, the broadcasters share radio scripts, audio clips, various
suggestions among themselves across the continent (ibid.).
In addition to these FRI
is engaged with farm radio e-courses, and in station training designed to
improve broadcasters skills for serving small – scale farmers with better
radio. FRI offers The George Atkins Communications Award to the farm radio
broadcasters for their exceptional dedication to food security and poverty
reduction in low income continents. Many new projects like ‘Promoting
orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) for nutrition’, ‘Radio for farmer value
chain development’, ‘Demand-driven Participatory Radio Campaigns (PRCs)’,
‘Introducing more nutritious maize in Ethiopia’, ‘Climate change: Helping
farmers adapt’, ‘Integrated mental health in Malawi’, ‘Strengthening staple
crop production in Ethiopia’, ‘Linking Ghanaian farmers to a lucrative new
market: The WFP’ have been under taken as new initiatives by FRI (ibid.).
Farm Radio plays a pivotal role in
development of farming communities. It
gives a common interaction platform to exchange and share news, views on
various innovative methods regarding cultivation, marketing, connecting with
consumers, post-harvest system and many more in affordable manner. Farm
broadcasters become the communication agents for the growth and expansion of a
community who are living in the periphery of modern technology in the modern
era. The tireless effort of Farm Radio International has been able to give a
new dimension to the war against poverty for the grass root level people.
References
About us | Farm Radio International. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from
http://www.farmradio.org/about-us/
Agricultural Radio That Works. (2011). Retrieved February 24, 2014, from
http://farmradio.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Farm-Radio-Agriculture-Radio-That-Works.pdf
Farm Radio International - Wikipedia, the free
encyclopaedia. (2013, December
23). Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_Radio_International
Farm Radio International Blog: Annual Report 2012-2013
Radio 2.0: when radio is more than radio.
(2013). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from
http://www.farmradio.org/ourblog/2013/12/06/annual-report-2012-2013-radio-2-0-when-radio-is-more-than-radio/
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations: The State of Food and Agriculture 2013. (2013). Retrieved February 22, 2014, from
http://www.fao.org/publications/sofa/2013/en/
History | Farm Radio International. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from
http://www.farmradio.org/about-us/history/
Ilboudo, J. P. (2001). Rural Radio: Role and Use over the
Past Three Decades. Retrieved February 25, 2014, from
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6721e/x6721e02.htm
Karenhampson (2010, October 23). African Farm Radio Research
Initiative conducts field surveys with mobile phones | E-Agriculture.
Retrieved February 23, 2014, from http://www.e-agriculture.org/content/african-farm-radio-research-initiative-conducts-field-surveys-mobile-phones
Mohammad,R.N
, Salleh,M.D, &Hasbullah,A.H. (2010).Radio
as an Educational Media: impact on Agricultural Development. The Journal
of South East Asia Research Centre for communication and
Humanities.Vol-2.2010, pp.13-20.
Nakabugu,
S.B. (2001). The Role of Rural Radio in
Agricultural and Rural Development Translating Agricultural Research
Information into messages for farm Audiences. Programe of the workshop in
Uganda, 19 Feburary 2001.
Rao, S. H. (2011).
Retrieved February 22, 2014, from
http://www.farmradio.org/wp-content/uploads/farmradio-misreport20111.pdf
Sullivan, B. (2011). How ICTs are changing rural radio in Africa.
Retrieved February 24, 2014, from
http://www.farmradio.org/wp-content/uploads/farmradio-ictreport2011.pdf
Sullivan, B. (2011) 2. The new age of radio How ICTs are changing rural radio
in Africa. Retrieved from
http://www.farmradio.org/wp-content/uploads/farmradio-ictreport2011.pdf
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Reviewed by Kevin Perkins, Executive Director, Farm Radio International, Canada. Dr.
Ray was an Assistant Professor in Mass Communication at Gauhati University,
Guwahati, India.
so nice article.
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