Radio Projects

Bringing good ideas to scale

Radio Projects

Bringing good ideas to scale

How we do it

A photo of an old radio
  • formative-research

    Formative research

    To get the best possible results for rural communities, we conduct extensive research and consultations ahead of each project to better understand the needs, knowledge gaps and priorities of target communities. We also engage our knowledge and implementing partners to benefit from their expertise and knowledge.

  • program-design

    Radio program design

    Once we have gotten to know our listeners we select radio stations who have the reach and expertise to serve our target audiences. With them, we identify the radio program design that best fits the needs of the intended listeners and our partners. Learn more about our program offerings here.

  • capacity-building

    Capacity development

    Not all of the radio stations who receive our resources participate in our radio projects. Once we've selected stations, we then ensure that women and men broadcasters at these stations have the skills to air effective and engaging programs by delivering custom crafted training programs to station personnel.

  • broadcast

    Production and broadcast

    Once the program is designed, we provide participating radio stations with resources that are insightful and promote interactivity. We are also there every step of the way throughout the lifespan of the radio program, providing guidance to make broadcasts sound better and be more useful and interesting to listeners.

  • quality-assurance

    Quality assurance and interactivity

    We pride ourselves on using technologies such as mobile phones to increase the interactivity of radio programs. The interactive nature of our radio programs and technical innovations allows us to receive immediate feedback from listeners, analyse that feedback in view of our quality standards and share feedback with broadcasters to help them continually improve their programs.

  • evaluation

    Monitoring and evaluation reporting

    We chronicle our progress and impact through periodic reports and rigorous evaluations that we share with our funding partners and the general public. We share our experiences, challenges, recommendations and lessons learned to ensure accountability to all parties involved and create best practices for future projects. Learn more.

radioprojects
Lawrence Balagwasa

Maize farmer, Kituka village, Ethiopia

“This Fall armyworm thing has really disturbed me since last year. I have been struggling to kill it but without succeeding. But the information on controlling it that I have heard on the radio has helped me a lot.”

Agriculture

Small-scale farmers produce most of the food in Africa and yet are often those most vulnerable to poverty and food insecurity. They need relevant, reliable information to make the best of their land and improve their livelihoods. And radio is still the best way to reach and serve them. That’s why we have been working since 2008 to implement targeted radio projects that help small-scale African farmers succeed.

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Environmental sustainability

Although small-scale farming is much less harmful than large-scale, industrial operations, it is not environmentally friendly by default. Sustainability is a cross-cutting consideration in all of our projects, and we also work on projects that help farmers address specific environmental challenges — especially with respect to climate change.

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Gender equality

Women play a critically important role in rural African communities but are often either overlooked or prevented from benefiting from available resources and opportunities because of gender-based discrimination. Not only do all of our projects work to meet the needs of both women and men, but we also create specific radio programs designed with and for women, helping them to transform unequal power relations by having a stronger voice in their communities. 

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Health and nutrition

Our radio projects contribute to health and wellness by increasing knowledge about and the adoption of nutrient-rich crops, from a sweet potato with more vitamin A than traditional varieties to a type of maize that is rich in quality protein. We also develop radio programs that explore issues in maternal, newborn and child health, sexual and reproductive health, and mental health and promote healthy choices and behaviours.

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Partner with us

If you want to work with us to achieve development outcomes at scale, email partnerships@farmradio.org or download our partnership brochure.