Publications
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Health and food security go hand in hand. Radio is a versatile tool to promote both at scale, not only supporting farmers to sustainably boost their productivity, but also to increase the quality and variety of food produced and eaten. Targeted radio and ICT initiatives can address nutritional deficiencies through radio programs that drive the…
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The New Alliance ICT Extension Challenge Fund is a multi-donor fund managed by USAID, that receives financial support from USAID, UK DFID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and IFAD to improve agricultural productivity among targeted food crops by smallholder farmers in 6 selected countries in Africa, through the use of Information and Communications Technology…
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Highlights • Participatory strategies can enhance radio’s effectiveness for rural development. • ICTs including mobile phones facilitate participation in radio campaigns. • Participatory radio can increase knowledge and adoption of agricultural practices. • Results from African research may be relevant for other developing regions and sectors. Radio is the most widely used medium for disseminating…
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This report presents the findings of a 12-month long research project founded by Making All Voices Count through their Practitioner Research and Learning grants. The research examines the possibilities of new digital technologies along with radio to facilitate adaptive management processes through rapid feedback to help ensure that agricultural development projects are farmer-centered, and meet…
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The Listening Post is a platform for two-way communication between extension services and farmers. It takes advantage of the ubiquitous access to radio and mobile phones in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa to engage farmers on development initiatives. Through the Listening Post, development organizations share information and encourage dialogue with radio broadcasts, while farmers provide…
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Between 2012 and 2015, Farm Radio International and its partners launched a radio campaign focused on orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), a vitamin-A rich staple crop in the four campaign countries. An estimated 3.5 million households tuned into the programs. The campaign demonstrated that, when used effectively, radio is a valuable tool to educate listeners about…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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In Africa, many governments lack resources to educate farmers about new agricultural practices and technologies that can help them increase their productivity and incomes. In Nigeria, for example, there is one government agricultural extension agent for every 3,000 farmers, giving each farmer less than 30 minutes of time with an agent per year. But more…
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