New partnership embraces radio to promote conservation agriculture in Tanzania and Ethiopia

We’re pleased to announce a new partnership with Canadian Foodgrains Bank that will provide conservation agriculture radio programming to 500,000 farming households in Tanzania and Ethiopia.

What is conversation agriculture?

Conservation agriculture is a farming approach that uses minimal soil disturbance, crop rotations, and cover crops to improve soil health and increase production.

Why radio?

Radio is a key mode of communication for rural households in Africa, as they are often unreached by agricultural extension workers and other forms of mass media.

The Radio for Conservation Agriculture project

Working through two radio stations in Tanzania and three in Ethiopia, Farm Radio International will design and deliver participatory radio programs that introduce conservation agriculture techniques to farming families, and invite feedback and questions from farmers.

“Farm Radio International will use its own innovative ways of interacting with female and male farmers through mobile phone and radio,” says Karen Hampson, who manages Farm Radio International’s programs in eastern and southern Africa.

“We have evidence from eight countries over the last eight years which shows that interactive radio is a very effective method for not only reaching farmers who have little access to information but also giving them room for discussion and informed decision making,” she adds.

Over three years, the five radio stations will produce and broadcast 180-200 hours of original radio programming related to conservation agriculture, reaching a potential audience of up to 500,000 farming families.

The target audiences for the broadcasts are rural households who depend on farming for their livelihoods, yet struggle to produce enough food for their families.

This initiative is part of the Foodgrains Bank’s five-year, 18-million-dollar program scaling up the adoption of conservation agriculture techniques by farming families in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, which will end in March 2020. The Government of Canada, through Global Affairs Canada, is supporting the program with a grant of $14 million over five years.

Learn more

Download the press release.
See photos from the project and launch event.