Marketing on the airwaves: Marketing information service (MIS) and radio

The African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI) was a 42-month action search project implemented by Farm Radio International in partnership with World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. AFRRI set out to test the effectiveness of a new type of radio campaign: the participatory radio campaign (PRC). Working with partner radio stations in five African countries, AFRRI created a series of farm radio programs designed to educate farmers, and enable them to improve their agricultural practices. This is the major research report coming out of this multi-country action research project. The learnings from this project have provided valuable insights into how to do interactive rural radio in the rest of FRI’s work.

An effective Market Information Services (MIS) has the potential to benefit smallholder farmers in profound ways. Farm Radio International partnered with radio stations in four African countries to conduct a series of radio-based MIS case studies designed to respond to the unique market information needs of local farmer listeners. From this initiative, this report aims to document and disseminate the best practices for using radio-based communications to enhance food security in Africa.