"The African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI) was a 42-month action research project implemented by Farm Radio International (FRI) in partnership with World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. An estimated 40 million farmers in five
...
different countries were served by the AFRRI partnership with 25 radio stations. Farmers engaged in the design and development of farm radio programming were almost 50 per cent more likely to take up agricultural practices deemed to improve their food security than passive listeners. Those in what AFRRI deemed "active listening communities" (ALCs) were 10 times more likely to adopt the practice than those farmers who had no access to the farm radio programs. Farmers demonstrated increased knowledge of agriculture innovations as a result of listening to AFRRI radio programs, with up to 96% of some radio listeners scoring at least 60% on a follow-up knowledge quiz about the promoted farm practices [.] Farmers participate in selecting the focus – or topic – of the radio campaign, choose the time of broadcast, and are intimately engaged in the ongoing development of the farm radio programming over a set number of weeks; including as central agents of the knowledge-sharing process. Lively and entertaining formats are designed to attract listeners. [.] This report presents and discusses the key findings from an in-depth evaluation of 15 round-two Participatory Radio Campaigns (PRCs) – three PRCs in each of the five countries involved in AFRRI. AFRRI examined a mix of radio stations – community, associative, commercial, and state. Tools used for this evaluation included 4,500 household surveys (300 per radio station) in 90 communities, farm visits and field measurements, key informant interviews, and collection of secondary data (from other sources, such as national agricultural extension services)." (Executive summary, page 5)
more
"Farmers require varying marketing information, depending on their location, local market conditions, crops, production activities, and cultural practices. Radio has the capacity to reach a large audience, and can provide an integrated approach to market information, incorporating all these elements
...
in its programming. Radio can help farmers link to new markets and buyers, strengthen their ability to negotiate prices and help them adapt crops to meet demand. Private sponsorship that emerged in response to the popularity of MIS radio programs suggests a sustainable funding model is possible. A survey of approximately 1000 household representatives living in listening communities showed that 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." (Executive summary, page 5)
more
"Low cost, modern information and communication technologies (ICTs), including mobile phones, multifunction MP3 recorders, and interactive voice response (IVR) can dramatically increase the capacity of rural radio to help farmers improve food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Weekly SMS alerts sent to
...
the phones of listeners 30 minutes prior to a broadcast can boost radio campaign listenership by up to 20%. Two-thirds of partner broadcasters identified the internet as the most important ICT tool in the production of farm radio programs. Farmers who participated in the design and implementation of radio programming with the help of ICTs were four times more likely than those in passive listening communities to adopt agricultural improvements promoted on the radio. 61% of extension agents surveyed said the reach and impact of their extension work was substantially improved because they could be heard on radio programs through call-out programs." (Executive summary, page 5)
more
"Participatory Radio Campaigns (PRCs) were developed by Farm Radio International as a way to help farmers learn about, evaluate, and introduce new agricultural practices that they are interested in trying. With training and facilitation support from Farm Radio International, selected radio stations
...
work closely with farmers and farmer organizations, agricultural extension and advisory services, researchers and others to carefully plan and deliver a four-six month radio campaign. During the PRC, farmers are able to explore, exchange knowledge, gain information and share experiences with a new agricultural practice that can improve their family’s food security. Lively and entertaining, PRCs feature the voices, stories and perspectives of ordinary farmers through a mix of radio formats, including panel discussions, vox pops, village debates, phone-in shows, mini-dramas and music. Farmers provide feedback and are involved in monitoring and evaluating the PRCs throughout. New Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as cell phones, MP3 players, interactive voice response systems, and bulk SMS messaging systems are linked with radio to boost the interactivity, reach and accessibility of PRCs." (Page 2)
more
"INUKA’s primary objective was to address the interests and needs of the rural producers in the CC. Capacity building of radio staff proved to be an essential element to overcome the shortage of tailored expertise on agriculture and rural related radio programming and marketing. Listeners gave a p
...
ositive feedback about the informative content and the varied design of INUKA based on the “program clock”, including different segments of the program. The experience has also shown that it is easier to work with local content providers through a network of regional correspondents. The end line survey (done by Synovate) shows that about 275,000 households were regular listeners of the INUKA radio program [...] A second main pillar of the intervention was its commercial aspect. The radio program aimed to attract advertisers and sponsors, who previously had no way of reaching the rural agricultural market, to achieve a level of financial sustainability. Several private companies responded to the incentive by placing advertisement during different program segments promoting their goods and services. However, a part of the sponsoring revenues came from organizations that are themselves donor-funded. Also, individual programs’ cost accounting proved to be a difficult practice for the radio partner to adopt and thus it was unclear on how much funding is needed to create a model program and amount of income needed to sustain it. Nevertheless, the evidence shows that so far, the revenue streams cannot guarantee financial sustainability of the program. The third aim of the project was to serve as a model for other programs and media houses and change their perception about the rural audience. There are several changes on the sub-sector level to which INUKA seems to have contributed, including; more radio stations are interested to air rural related radio programs and the segmented design (“program clock”) inspired other radio and TV programs. However, it is still early to conclude on the complete impact of INUKA on the media industry and to claim plausible attribution." (Executive summary, page 6-7)
more
"This paper discusses the effectiveness of farm radio as a tool for enhancing access to agricultural extension services by small scale farmers in Malawi. It outlines the current agricultural extension policies, methodologies and the role that radio can play in improving food security and communicati
...
on for rural farmers. The study further explores the challenges faced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in utilizing radio, while also addressing opportunities for improvement and recommending strategies for enhancing farm radio initiatives." (www.academia.edu)
more
"In Nigeria, as in many other countries, limited numbers of extension agents (one to 4,000 farmers) make it impossible to reach all farmers by interpersonal means. For this reason, radio and, more recently, television have been used by agricultural organizations to disseminate relevant agricultural
...
information to larger numbers of farm families at minimal cost and to areas hitherto not accessible to extension agents on a regular basis. While prior studies have confirmed that these radio programs have large audiences, there has been less attention to the perceptions farmers hold about the specific benefits these programs provide. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of two long-running Nigerian agricultural programs, one for radio and the second for TV, as perceived by 198 randomly selected farmers in Oyo State of southwest Nigeria. Results indicate a very positive assessment of both specific program components and the value of the two programs for improving agricultural production across 12 perceptual dimensions." (Abstract)
more
"[Este libro] presenta un perfil global de la evolución de la radio en el país. Se analiza su desarrollo histórico y sus características actuales, relevando las preferencias radiales y musicales de los oyentes populares de Gran Lima y el impacto de este medio masivo en el mundo campesino. Atenci
...
ón especial merece el acelerado crecimiento de la radio educativa o radio participativa de los últimos años. Equipos representativos de diversas regiones del Perú ofrecen un balance de sus experiencias." (Cubierta del libro)
more
"Types de programmes agricoles diffusés par l'Israel Broadcasting Authority — Efforts — Réalisations — L'agriculture s'exprime dans divers programmes. L'auteur est Directeur des émissions agricoles à l'Israel Broadcasting Authority." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of ma
...
ss media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 1177, topic code 210.30, 210.331.13)
more
"Commentaire sur la campagne radiophonique destinée à promouvoir en Côte d'Ivoire, la culture du riz." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 1673, topic code 210.331.13)
"Tableau synthétique de la situation de l'enseignement en Afrique par les moyens audio-visuels — Projet de création de « tribunes radiophoniques rurales »." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 599, topic code
...
210.331.13)
more
"Report on the experiment in rural radio services carried out by All India Radio and Unesco in 1956 in some 150 villages of the state of Bombay — In a first part entitled "The project and its execution" an attempt is made to relate the history of the undertaking and to give details of . the planni
...
ng of the project and the various stages of its application: organisation, programme and practical activities — The second part is entitled: "Evaluations and results": surveys, the running of the rural radio service, reception, observation of groups of listeners, the various groups are instructed — Recapitulation — Conclusions and recommendations follow these two parts." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 1426, topic code 210.330, 210.331.30)
more