Notes to Broadcasters on rainwater harvesting:
Date Posted: March 17th, 2008
Water resource management is an increasing concern for farmers in rural areas faced with erratic weather patterns, which result in extreme drought or serious floods. As African and other nations mark World Water Day on March 22, this story demonstrates that rainwater harvesting can be a solution to water shortages.
Water harvesting methods come in varying forms. Here are a few resources to help you better understand the different methods. You may then research which methods are commonly used by your listeners.
-CTA - Rural Radio Resource Pack - 07/1, Rainwater Harvesting: http://www.anancy.net/uploads/file_en/RRRP%20Rainwater%20harvesting%2007-1.pdf
-Practical Action is a UK-based NGO. They have produced what they call a “Practical Answer” online technical guide on rainwater harvesting: http://practicalaction.org/docs/technical_information_service/rainwater_harvesting.pdf
-The Southern and Eastern Africa Rainwater Network’s (SearNET) rainwater harvesting technologies database: http://www.searnet.org/rhtdatabase.asp?pn=3
Also, if you are looking for organizations in your area to interview or invite as guests to your station, SearNET offers a searchable rainwater-harvesting directory. You can use it to do a keyword search or search by country or organization name: http://www.searnet.org/rhtdatabase.asp?pn=3
You can also invite farmers to call or text your station with their rainwater-harvesting experiences and innovations. Or, you can record in-the-field discussions among farmers about best practices in catching the rain, then broadcast that discussion.
