Climate Change Radio Drama
For smallholder farmers in Nigeria, climate change is not some distant threat – it is having an impact right now. While Nigerian farmers are developing some coping strategies independently, there is a need for information that helps them adapt their farming methods to lessen the impact of climate change. A major challenge facing governments, research institutions, civil society organizations and donors is to find an affordable way of providing such information to large numbers of people, many with limited literacy. Radio may be the answer.
Farm Radio International, in collaboration with its Nigerian Partner ARDA, therefore submitted a proposal to the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to study and improve the usefulness of radio drama as a tool for helping Nigerian farmers cope with climate change. In March, we received word that IDRC accepted our proposal, and approved a 2-year contribution of $380,000. Through this initiative, which began in April 2007, ARDA, Farm Radio International, and other partners will collaborate to produce a 26-episode radio drama on climate change adaptation. Broadcast by five radio stations, it will be heard by at least 200,000 listeners in northern Nigeria. The project will measure the result of the radio drama on Nigerian farmers' capacity to adapt to and lessen the impact of climate change.
