Issue #16

Greetings to all readers!

Welcome to another edition of FRW. This week we touch on one of the great debates in agriculture today – the value and safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Our lead news story is about the Beninese government’s recent decision to extend its moratorium on the importation, production, and use of GMOs. In the Notes to Broadcasters section, we provide you with many links and ideas for further research on this complex topic.

Our other news stories look at the outbreak of a disease that could threaten food security in Nigeria, and what farmers can do to prevent its spread, and how communities in Tanzania have tripled their incomes by conserving wild and indigenous trees and processing their fruit.

We are also excited to offer you another sneak peak at DCFRN Package 83 in the Script of the Week section. This new script package, which focuses on the work of farming, was mailed to our partners on March 31 and will be posted online soon. In the meantime, please enjoy the full text of a script on financial management for small-scale farmers.

Finally, please remember to visit the FRW website (http://farmradio.org/english/weekly/) to share your thoughts and experiences on the issues of the day, and read what other broadcasters have to say.

Happy reading!

-The Farm Radio Weekly Team

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African Farm News in Review

1. Benin: A cautious approach in the midst of the heated debate on GMOs (Inter Press Service, allAfrica.com)
2. Nigeria: Institute advises farmers to guard against yam dieback (guardian.co.uk)
3. Tanzania: Conservation groups save trees, earn profits (The East African)

Upcoming Events

-IAJ offers summer courses for journalists

Radio Resource Bank

-UNESCO Guide: “How to do community radio”

DCFRN Action

-Radio Yangeni works with FAO to improve area nutrition and food security

DCFRN Script of the Week

-Financial management for smallholder farmers

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To the naked eye, genetically modified maize and soybeans look the same as their conventional counterparts. Only when you examine them under a microscope can you see that one’s DNA has been altered.Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are defined as any living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially altered. The debate over their development and use has been heated. Supporters claim that GMOs can help solve global hunger, but opponents argue that GMOs could endanger human health and threaten the natural gene pool.

Some African countries have banned GMOs. In March 2008, the Beninese government extended its ban on GMOs, originally enacted in 2002. Under the law, GMOs and their derivatives may not be imported, sold, or used in Benin for at least the next five years.

Jeanne Zoundjihékpon is a professor of agricultural sciences at l’Université d’Abomey-Calavi in Benin and part of the organization GRAIN, an NGO that believes biodiversity is essential to food security. She advocates against GMOs in francophone Africa.

Professor Zoundjihékpon considers the government’s decision to extend its GMO ban a victory for Beninese farmers and consumers. She says it will allow time for a clear decision on GMOs that takes into account their impact on the environment and human health.

But not all African governments have taken such a cautious approach. South Africa is the first and only African country to permit the growth and sale of GMOs. Agro-industry companies like Monsanto, the world’s largest GMO seed producer, has introduced modified crops to South Africa. Such companies argue that biotechnology is needed to improve food security in Africa by creating varieties that are disease-resistant and produce higher yields.

Dr. Melaku Worede is an internationally renowned genetic researcher from Ethiopia. He doesn’t share the vision of the GMO companies. He says that Africans should increase their efforts to protect their genetic resources. Dr. Worede stresses that he is not against modern technology, but he worries that the spread of GMOs s in the current context could give private companies a monopoly over Africa’s plant resources, to the detriment of traditional crops and the needs of the people.

One common concern about GMOs is that farmers cannot save seeds from GMO plants. Farmers who purchase GMO seeds may be required to sign agreements with the agro-company stipulating that they will not save the seed. But even if they did, GMO seeds, like all hybrid seeds, do not breed true in the next generation. Therefore, farmers must purchase new seeds from the agro-company before planting again.

Now, a GMO seed known as “Terminator” is raising new concerns about farmer control over plant resources. Terminator seeds contain genes that stop plants from forming viable seeds. Many are worried that this genetic trait could be passed on to conventional plants – preventing farmers from saving any seeds, even the seeds of their traditional crops.

These and other concerns have led many African countries to resist GMOs. Angola, Sudan, and Zambia have refused to accept GMO food aid. And in Ethiopia, the NGO African Biodiversity Network advocates for the right of farmers to refuse genetically modified seeds.

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Darkening leaves on a yam plant can signal a serious problem beneath the soil. Anthracnose, a fungal disease commonly known as yam dieback, begins with darkened leaves and can cause the plant to die early, producing undersized tubers.

Farmers in Nigeria are being warned to guard against the disease after it was recently found in Anambra and Enugu States. The states are part of the yam belt, an area of Nigeria that produces almost 70 per cent of the world’s yams. Yams are mostly grown by small-scale farmers, who often intercrop them with cereals and vegetables.

Dr. Kenneth Nwosu is Executive Director of the National Root Crops Research Institute, which investigated the incidence of yam dieback in Anambra and Enugu. He says the disease could spread quickly. And since yams are an important staple in Nigerian diets, there are concerns that this could lead to food insecurity.

The disease was likely introduced to Nigeria’s yam belt by infected cuttings or seed yams. If one farmer uses infected planting materials, yam dieback can spread quickly to neighbouring fields. Since it is carried by a splash-borne pathogen, heavy rains and humidity encourage the spread of the disease.

Dr. John Ikeorgu is the yam program coordinator for the National Root Crops Research Institute. He says that yam dieback devastated Nigeria’s yam crops in 1992. More than 90 per cent of farms surveyed at that time were affected by the disease.

The institute has several suggestions for farmers who want to avoid yam dieback. Farmers should look for fresh, new cuttings or seed yams to plant. In Nigeria, these can be purchased from Agricultural Development Projects or the National Root Crops Research Institute. The institute says its hybrid planting materials are resistant to yam dieback and can produce two crops per year.

Land fallowing – or leaving a field unseeded for a time – can also help. Dr. Ikeorgu explains that yam crops require very fertile soil. Therefore, farmers used to leave fields fallow for five to 10 years between yam crops. But increased demand for food and income have caused farmers to plant yam crops more frequently. This means that pathogens surviving in the soil may re-infect new crops.

Other tips for preventing disease and encouraging good yam yields include: planting yams at the beginning of the rainy season, before the soil becomes too wet; weeding crops four, eight, and 12 weeks after planting; and applying fertilizer at the recommended rate.

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Mwadawa Luziga spends most of her time in the Miombo woodlands near her home. The trees are both her livelihood and her mission. The forest offers a bounty of fruit from wild and indigenous trees. But in order to make a profit from the fruit, locals must also preserve the forest.More than 1,200 people in the Tabaro Region of Tanzania have joined groups aimed at conserving the Miombo woodlands. These vast forests spread across south-central Africa, from Angola in the west to Tanzania in the east. But they have been rapidly disappearing due to over-harvesting of trees.

In Tanzania, a drop in the price of staple crops forced many farmers to turn from their fields to the forest, harvesting trees to sell as lumber and firewood. But now, locals have learned how to make a living from the woodlands without clearing the trees.

It all started when an agricultural research institute obtained a grant to develop fruit-processing technology. From there, conservation groups were formed, trained and supplied with equipment to process fruit into jam, juice, and wine.

Ms. Luziga explains that the groups talk to communities about the importance of conservation. As a result, she says, it has become unfashionable to harvest indigenous and wild trees for firewood. Conservationists like Ms. Luziga also voluntarily police forests against logging.

Now that so many people process fruit, they have a vested interest in preserving the forests. Their jam, juice, and wine are sold in towns and cities, and have become popular among visitors to the area.

David Mayanga is an extension officer in Tabaro Region. He says that many families have seen their incomes triple through the processing of fruit products. The promotion of fruit has improved family nutrition, and extra income improves access to health care and education.

And demand for the locally-produced fruit products is growing. Now conservation groups are looking to use even more of the forest fruits, which appear in bumper crops once a year. The groups plan to purchase solar-powered refrigerators to preserve more fruit long enough to be processed.

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As this story demonstrates, the subject of genetically modified, or transgenic, plants is at the centre of a heated debate across the African continent. While those in favour of biotechnology are convinced that GMOs will help guarantee food supplies, even in times of drought, many people advocate against their use, maintaining that the impact of GMOs on human health and the environment is still unknown.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety – a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity – deals with living modified organisms (LMOs). The protocol came into effect on September 11, 2003. Signatories to the protocol have agreed to take a precautionary approach in the transfer, handling, and use of LMOs, particularly during transboundary movement.

You can view the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in its entirety on the website for the Convention on Biological Diversity: http://www.cbd.int/

To see the status of GMO use in countries that have ratified the Cartagena Protocol, you may visit the website of the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum: http://www.absfafrica.org/pages/biotech_status.html

The Biosafety Clearing-House website offers a searchable database of laws and regulations concerning GMOs in various countries: http://bch.cbd.int/database/laws/

If you are interested in researching a story about GMOs in your area, you may wish to consider the following questions:
-What laws does your country have to regulate biosafety and biosecurity?
-What information about GMOs is available to farmers in your area? Who provides this information? Are farmers aware of their rights in relation to GMO use?
-Are there NGOs, industry groups, or other organizations in your area advocating for or against GMOs?

You may also wish to review these news articles on GMOs:
-Africa: New round in the GM crop debate: http://allafrica.com/stories/200802130917.html
-Kenya: Farmers planting maize that poses threat to humans: http://allafrica.com/stories/200803240343.html-Introduction des OGM dans l’agriculture: des producteurs de I’UEMOA farouchement opposes (in French only): http://www.lefaso.net/spip.php?article25860

And here are some other web resources on the subject of GMOs:

-Audio from an interview with Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Muta Maathai on transgenic crops: http://www.interworldradio.net/audiofiles/Kenya_GM_Maathai_Interview_hi.mp3
-A biography of this renowned environmentalist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai

-A list of arguments for and against GMOs, prepared by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
-Arguments for: http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/focus/2003/gmo7.htm
-Arguments against: http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/focus/2003/gmo8.htm
-Another article from the FAO entitled GMOs and Human Health:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x9602e/x9602e06.htm#P0_0

-A report by the NGO GRAIN on the consequences of genetically modified crops for small-scale African farmers: http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=12

-The website of the NGO Biowatch South Africa: http://www.biowatch.org.za/

-Finally, you can test your knowledge of GMOs with a quiz developed by the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD) (in French only): http://www.cirad.fr/fr/web_savoir/curieux/quiz/ogm/quizogm.html

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As this story mentions, almost 70 per cent of the world’s yams are produced in Nigeria. In fact, more than 34 million tonnes of yams are grown in Nigeria each year, making the crop a vital source of food and income. Yams are also important crops in some other West and Central African countries, especially Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Benin. If you broadcast in an area where yams are produced, your listeners will have special interest in this story. However, all farmers are concerned about crop diseases that could affect their livelihoods. And diseases that affect staple crops are of concern to everyone.

You may refer to the following websites for more information on yams and yam diseases:
-The website of Nigeria’s National Root Crops Research Institute:
http://www.nrcri.org/
-An article by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on yam production in Africa:
http://www.iita.org/cms/details/yam_project_details.aspx?zoneid=63&articleid=268
-An IITA research paper on virus and viral diseases affecting yams in sub-Saharan Africa:
http://www.iita.org/cms/details/virology/pdf_files/128-136.pdf-A Nigerian recipe for yam porridge with fish:
http://www.imdiversity.com/Villages/Global/Global_Kitchen/NigerianRecipes.asp

Your listeners may also be interested in one of the following scripts about crop diseases. (To look for scripts about specific diseases that may affect farmers in your area, visit http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/pest.asp for a list of all past DCFRN scripts on pest management.)
“Understanding Crop Diseases” (Package 72, Script 2, September 2004):

-“Radio spots: Can you control pests without pesticides? ” (Package 72, Script 3, September 2004)

You may also wish to host an on-air discussion about disease management at your radio organization. Guests could include local farmers, local agricultural extension officers, or other experts on local agriculture and pest management. Questions for discussion may include:
-What are the most important staple crops in the area?
-What diseases affect these staple crops? Do farmers know how plants become infected with these diseases?
-What disease management techniques have farmers found effective?
-In what other ways (such as crop diversification), may farmers protect their food security in case their staple crop becomes infected?

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The exploitation of forest products – especially wood – is often associated with deforestation and other environmental problems such as soil erosion and desertification. But this story illustrates how the sustainable exploitation of forest products, such as fruit from wild and indigenous trees, can provide people with an incentive to conserve woodlands. In this case, the Agricultural Institute in Tumbi got the conservation effort started when they obtained a grant of 60,000 British pounds (120,000 United States dollars, or 75,000 Euros) from the British NGO, FARM Africa. Now the people of Tabaro Region are able to make a living from the trees without destroying them, and have even been motivated to propagate wild and indigenous trees on their farms.

The following websites provide additional information:
-Information on the British NGO, FARM Africa’s, Maendeleo Agricultural Technology Fund, which provided the grant to develop fruit processing equipment for the conservation groups in Tabaro:
http://www.farmafrica.org.uk/programme.cfm?programmeid=23&context=region®ionID=5
-Research paper that provides an overview of the management of Tanzania’s Miombo woodlands over the years, including a description of economic factors that have encouraged different uses:
http://www.metla.fi/julkaisut/workingpapers/2007/mwp050-02.pdf

You may also wish to review the following scripts on two issues raised by this story – the use of fruit and nuts from indigenous and wild trees, and the processing and preservation of fruit:
-“Rural women process and sell shea butter” (Package 82, Script 8, November 2007)

-“Villagers in Malawi discuss the role of trees in their community” (Package 76, Script 7, October 2005)

-“Let’s preserve our fruit and vegetables! ” (Package 81, Script 9, August 2007)

-“Low-cost food processing: Preserving foods as jams or sauces ” (Package 66, Script 4, March 2003)

Finally, you may be interested in producing a similar news story about a group in your area by researching the following questions. (If there are no groups in your area that harvest products from trees, you may wish to investigate the harvesting of other wild products, or the processing of other foods by cooperatives.):
-Are there groups or individuals in your area that harvest fruit, nuts, or other useful products from wild and indigenous trees?
-How are the products used in the home (and if the products are food, what role do they play in family nutrition)?
-Does the group sell the products to others in their community or beyond? Do the products play a large part in their income, or are they considered supplementary to other crops?
-What role does the group play is conserving the indigenous and wild trees?

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The Johannesburg-based Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) is holding a Summer Academy for African journalists. The institute has not yet posted details about the courses to be offered, but more information may be obtained by e-mailing info@iaj.org.za or calling 011 4841765. You may also visit the IAJ’s website at: http://www.iaj.org.za/

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The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has prepared a primer for community radio operators. The guide “How to do community radio” is designed for the beginner. It includes sections on the concept and practice of community radio, equipment and technical operations, code of conduct and ethics, financial management, and radio programming. You can find the guide online, here:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001342/134208e.pdf

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DCFRN partner Radio Yangeni is working with a project of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to produce and air programs related to nutrition, food security, and agriculture. The Luapula Food Security, Nutrition Action and Communication Project of the FAO, in turn, is assisting Radio Yangeni to extend coverage beyond its headquarters in Mansa District to surrounding districts.One of the project’s initiatives involves radio programs produced for and by primary school children. These child producers are supported by trained teachers working with nutrition education materials. Organizers say that, by working on the radio programs, children internalize the information about nutrition. Adults are also more likely to listen when their children are on the radio. There are plans to expand this initiative further by forming school listening groups.

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This week’s featured script comes from DCFRN’s most recent package, which was mailed to our partners on March 31 and will be posted online in the coming weeks. Package 83 focuses primarily on the work of farming, with scripts about health and safety on the farm, marketing agricultural products, and the value of farmers’ cooperatives. It also includes a script on rainwater harvesting, which was featured in Issue 15 of Farm Radio Weekly (http://farmradio.org/english/weekly/2008/03/17/rainwater-from-large-rock-surfaces-can-be-used-to-irrigate-crops/). Finally, it includes scripts for a two-part drama on maternal health, which will be featured in next week’s Farm Radio Weekly.

Below, please find Script 10 from Package 83, written by Andrew Mahiyu from the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi, a DCFRN partner. In this script, the audience meets Harold, a small-scale tobacco producer in Malawi, who describes how he manages his farming business’ finances. Other characters enter the script, as well, to talk about how good financial management can allow farmers to improve their families’ quality of life. We hope you enjoy this preview of Package 83!

Package 83, Script 10
March 2008
___________________________________________________________________

Financial management for smallholder farmers
___________________________________________________________________

Notes to Broadcaster

Tobacco is the major cash crop in Malawi for both smallholders and larger growers. Burley, Dark-fired and Flue-Cured are the common types of tobacco grown, and over half of tobacco farmers grow Burley. Burley is simple to cure. It is air-cured, unlike the other two types that require a lot of firewood. And with the scarcity of trees, due to deforestation, the number of farmers growing other types of tobacco is likely to decrease.

It is a pity to see that some farmers are growing the crop and receiving a good income, but their lives are not improving. Why is this? Firstly, poor financial management. Secondly, some farmers grow the crop with their spouses, but once the money comes after sales, they forget their spouses. Instead they spend the money in pubs and rest houses until they finish the last coin. Then, they remember their homes. They lie and say they were attacked by thugs. This habit is also promoting the spread of HIV/AIDS, since some of the farmers spend time with sex workers.

These farmers also do not keep farming records. The government of Malawi, through the Ministry of Agriculture and NGOs like the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM) are trying their best to teach farmers the importance of keeping farm records, proper planning, and proper financial management. Those who are taking these messages are prospering. In this script, we meet one such farmer. He loves his wife and children. The script will assist other farmers to know the importance of not only planning and financial management, but involving a spouse in decision-making.

Are there farmers in your listening audience who keep good farm records? Are there farmers’ organizations or extension officers who teach the skills of financial management? Are there farmers who are financially responsible, and do not spend their money on things which hurt themselves and their family? Perhaps you could interview these farmers or extension workers, and help them pass on their knowledge to those in your community who need it.

Near the beginning of the script there is a “teaser.” This is a recorded message from the interview. It is meant to give the audience a small “taste” of the interview to come, and to entice them to listen further.

Presenter: Its time for Farming As Business (Ulimi Ndi Bizinezi).

Signature tune up and fade under presenter.

Presenter: The time to learn and the time to share agricultural knowledge is finally here on Malawi Broadcasting Corporation Radio 1. This is the Farming As Business program. My name is Andrew Mahiyu. (Pause)

Harvesting time is over. Most of you farmers are busy grading and selling your crops. Have you started planning for the next farming season? How do you manage the proceeds from crop sales? Who makes the decisions on how the money will be used? Is it just the man, or do both husband and wife contribute to these decisions? We will learn more about this from our colleague, Mr. Harold Kaliramake of Chikwatula Association in Ntchisi, this afternoon.

In our vernacular language, there is a saying: “An owl respects a tree he sleeps in.” Have you ever heard this before?

Teaser: (Editor’s note: the following quote is part of the interview to come) “I am urging my fellow farmers to always think of their work. An owl respects a tree he sleeps in.”

Presenter: Please stay tuned in, because I will take you to Ntchisi district in Malawi where we will learn something from this saying. We will meet one of the hard-working farmers there. We will also have a guest from the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi later in the programme. Once again, stay tuned.

Musical or advertisement break.

Presenter: As I mentioned earlier, I am taking you to Ntchisi. There we will meet one tobacco farmer. He will tell us what he does after selling his tobacco crop. Let’s get on board. We are lucky – Ntchisi road has just been constructed, so it won’t take us long to get there.

(Sound of car starting, then sound of motor for two seconds, then fading out. Two seconds later, sound of car fades in, hold for two seconds, then stopping).

We are finally here in Ntchisi. Let us go to Chikwatula Association. (Short pause as presenter walks to the field) The farmer in front of us is Mr. Harold Kaliramake, wearing his gumboots, a black pair of trousers and a white shirt. He is busy uprooting tobacco stalks. And some 100 metres from him, the lady in a red dress and a camouflage wrapper is his wife. She’s busy collecting firewood, while singing a traditional song.

Presenter: Hello, Mr. Harold Kaliramake, and welcome to our program this afternoon. What are you doing here?

Harold: Thank you very much. Sorry, we will not shake hands – my hands are dirty, as you can see. I am uprooting tobacco stalks.

Presenter: Why are you uprooting the tobacco stalks?

Harold: After uprooting them, I put them upside down in heaps. These stalks harbour pests and diseases. If you leave them standing for the rest of the season, the pests and diseases will be transmitted to the nearby tobacco crop next season. So I uproot the stalks soon after reaping, and put them upside down. As the stalks dry, the pests die as well. When the stalks are completely dry, I burn them here in the field.

Presenter: I understand that you are now selling your tobacco crop. This is the time of year when most farmers have money. Why do many farmers fail to buy seed that is certified by researchers, and then distributed to the shops? Is the seed expensive?

Harold: This certified seed is not expensive. The reason is that I don’t think these farmers treat their farming as a serious business. One packet of seed – which is enough for a hectare of tobacco - costs 50 Malawian kwacha (Ed. Note: about $0.36 U.S.). Some people might spend more than 1400 Malawian kwacha ($10 U.S.) for beer in one day, and fail to buy seed. That is not taking farming as a serious business. They do not respect their work.

I am urging farmers to take farming seriously as a business. In our vernacular there is a saying: “An owl respects a tree he sleeps in.” In this case, tobacco is our tree, and we need to respect it. We need to do all that we are expected to do. This will lead not only to a better crop, but also better prices on the trading floors.

Musical or advertisement break.

Presenter: You are listening to Farming as Business programme, and we are here in Ntchisi with Mr. Harold Kaliramake. We found him uprooting tobacco stalks. He has told us why he is doing that. Then he told us about the importance of buying certified tobacco seed.

Mr. Kaliramake, how should a farmer spend the money from crop sales? Should the farmer just relax and enjoy?

Harold: First and foremost, a farmer should look at the crop records and see whether there is a profit or a loss. Then the farmer will know what to do next. If you have made a profit, the first thing to do is call your spouse. Show your spouse what profit you have made after selling your crop. Talk about whether you have any outstanding bills to pay – for transport, for labour or other costs. Then, you need to think of the next growing season. Ask yourself questions. For example: what will we need next season as far as our farming is concerned? You may need things like fertilizer, seed, chemicals, labour, and you may need to construct sheds and barns. Ask yourself how much each item will cost. If you do this, you will have your budget. Then you can put aside the required amount of money for those items. If you have some money remaining, you think of family needs: school fees for children, clothes and many more things. If you do not own a radio, you may want to buy one so that you can learn new agricultural technologies through the radio. You might want a bicycle for easy transport, or an oxcart or any other item that is important to the family. The farmer should list whatever is needed and wanted on a piece of paper so that he or she can refer to it when visiting the shops.

Presenter: I thought that this was the time to enjoy oneself in pubs and trading centres with friends. When is the time for that?

Harold: After I have bought the things I mentioned! And when I say enjoying, it means I should include my wife and children. This is because they are the ones who assist me in producing a good crop. We buy enough sugar for tea, at times we buy rice and soft drinks, and we enjoy them at home. We are guided by how much money remains after the agricultural budget. Then we say: “Let us now come and celebrate.” (Laughter)

Presenter: There are some farmers who sell their tobacco, then say to their wives, “I am going to withdraw some money from the bank. I will come home soon.” But once they go, they spend their money drinking beer, messing around with sex workers, and spending nights in rest houses until the money is finished. When they come back home, they say that they have been robbed. What can you advise these farmers?

Harold: Let me start by saying that whenever I want to withdraw money from the bank, from our tobacco proceeds, I do not go alone. I go together with my wife. So my advice is that they should take their spouses along when they make a trip to the bank.

Presenter: Allow me to invite your wife. We need to verify your claim! (Laughter). Please call her for me.

Harold: (shouting) Make mwana? (Child’s mother?)

Mekilida: (off-mic) Bambo? (Yes, father?)

Harold: (shouting) Tabwerani. (Come here.)

Presenter: Welcome to Farming As Business programme. My name is Andrew Mahiyu, and I am here to learn how you and your husband manage your finances. But before we talk about that, what is your name?

Mekilida: My name is Mekilida Banda.

Presenter: How long have you been growing tobacco?

Mekilida: We have been growing tobacco for 10 years.

Presenter: This means you have wide experience in tobacco farming. Please tell us, after selling your crop, when the money is in the bank, who is responsible for the withdrawal of the money from the bank?

Mekilida: We are all responsible. We go together to the bank, so that we can all witness what we have reaped from our work. He loves me and I love him. If there are families who do this separately, they have a problem.

Presenter: Sometimes the husband says that he is going to withdraw the money and he will be back soon. What do you say to a situation like this?

Mekilida: No! That is not good. My husband always says let us all go and witness together. We grow the crop together. We make budgets together, and we see the first and last coin or banknote together.

Presenter: Why does he not go out to enjoy with friends, and spend nights there?

Mekilida: He says that if he goes there, he will drink, and he will be enticed by sex workers, and he will catch the deadly disease AIDS. The result will be that he spoils his life, his children’s future, and our farming. He will also transmit that virus to me. In short, the whole family will be affected and or infected. He doesn’t want this to happen to us.

Presenter: Apart from agricultural inputs, what do you intend to buy this year?

Mekilida: This year, after buying farm inputs, we are planning to buy iron sheets for our house. We built a big house last year, but we did not have enough money for iron sheets to thatch it.

Presenter: Thank you very much, Mrs. Kaliramake, for accepting my invitation to speak on the program this afternoon.

Mekilida: Thank you.

Presenter: Mr. Kaliramake? Where are you? (He is some distance away, collecting uprooted tobacco stalks).

Harold: (He approaches, laughing) I wanted you to talk to that faithful wife.

Presenter: We have heard from your wife that what you said is really true. She says you don’t spend nights out. How dangerous is it to spend nights enjoying yourself in pubs?

Harold: It is very dangerous. Firstly, you may be robbed. Secondly, if you are drunk, sometimes you don’t think properly. You continue spending money without controlling yourself. The next day you find your pockets empty.

Musical or advertisement break.

Presenter: We have been speaking with Mr. Harold Kaliramake and his wife Mekilida. They have taught us the importance of uprooting tobacco stems after harvesting tobacco, the importance of making a budget for the next season after a crop is sold, and, furthermore, the importance of working and budgeting together as a family, both husband and wife.

Just a reminder – this is Farming as Business programme, coming to you from Malawi Broadcasting Corporation Radio 1.

I also have a guest on today‘s programme. He has some important information just for you, which will add to what you have heard from Mr. Kaliramake. Please keep listening.

Mr. Sichali: Good afternoon, dear farmers, wherever you may be this afternoon. My name is Felix Sichali. I work as a retail manager for the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi. This afternoon I want to emphasize that you should take your farming seriously as a business.

I know that most of you are now selling different crops, including tobacco. How do you intend to spend the proceeds? Did you remember to budget for the next farming season? Otherwise, where do you think you will get your farm inputs from? My advice this afternoon is that you should start preparing for the coming season now.

Now I will talk about fertilizer. Fertilizer is very important when it comes to budgeting for another season. There are some crops that do not do well without fertilizer. So I urge you to make good budgets now when you are selling your crops. Ask yourself these questions: What type of crop will I grow next year? If it is tobacco, how many acres or hectares should I grow? How much fertilizer will I need?

After you have sold your crop, this is the time to take part of your income and buy fertilizer in advance. If you buy your inputs now, you will have peace of mind. You do not need to struggle to buy now, unlike when the rains come. During the rains, a lot of people fight for fertilizer at the shop, and some types of fertilizer are scarce at that time. Also, you should know that fertilizer prices fluctuate. You can buy fertilizer at a lower price before the rains, and at a higher price during the beginning of the rains. This means that you can buy more bags now than during the rains when the prices rise.

If you keep cash in your house or bank, hoping to buy later, you may face problems that will need money. Definitely you will use that cash for those problems and your farming will be affected.

So I urge you to buy farm inputs soon after you sell your crops. There are some farmers who think of buying something big after selling their crop – a luxury. They don’t properly plan for next farming season. They might buy a second hand vehicle without properly consulting a good mechanic. Yes, it is important that a farmer should own a vehicle. And it can help a smallholder farmer. But if the car breaks down after a few months, the farmer will not be able to afford to pay for repairs. The farmer has made a big loss. So I urge you to think before you buy any luxurious items. Think of how that item will assist you, and for how long.

Let me go further by thanking the government for introducing the Fertilizer Subsidy Program. This program is a great benefit for smallholder farmers. You can purchase fertilizer at a low price. But you should remember that you can only buy two bags of fertilizer with this program. And most of you use more than two bags of fertilizer per season. So please buy extra fertilizer now. When the program is running, you can supplement the fertilizer you have already purchased. Let us work together with the government, and let us do our part by purchasing part of our requirements. Then, later, we can appreciate what the government has provided for us.

I wish you all the best this crop marketing season.

Musical or advertisement break.

Presenter: That was Felix Sichali, a retail manager from the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi, reminding us how to manage our finances after crop sales. Of course, this applies to many crops, not only tobacco.

My advice is to take extra care when you are selling your crops. Make good budgets for next season, don’t forget to pay your labourers, and remember your children’s school fees, clothes, and other important items needed at home. Lastly, do not sell your crops together with your lives.

On that note, we come to the end of our Farming as Business program for this afternoon.

From me, Andrew Mahiyu, it’s good bye!

Acknowledgements
Contributed by: Andrew Mahiyu, National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM).
Reviewed by: Rex Chapota, National Research Coordinator, African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI), Developping Countries Farm Radio Network, Lilongwe, Malawi.

Special thanks to the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) Social Justice Fund for supporting this script package on the work of farming.

Program undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)