The Soul Beat 176 - Communication for Agriculture and Food Security

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

• Radio campaigns and television for agricultural development...
• Using technology to improve rural livelihoods...
• Strategies for sharing knowledge and advocating around agriculture...
• Events and award opportunities for media and agricultural extension workers...

This edition of The Soul Beat looks at how communication is being used to improve agriculture and food security in Africa. The newsletter includes programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, and materials that highlight how different media, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and knowledge sharing and advocacy strategies are being used in rural development in Africa.       

If you would like your organisation's communication work or research and resource documents to be featured on the Soul Beat Africa website and in The Soul Beat newsletters, please contact soulbeat@comminit.com

USING MEDIA TO IMPROVE AGRICULTURE

1. AGFAX - Africa
Agfax Radio is a monthly radio service serving over 80 radio stations in Africa. Each month, a pack of ready-to-broadcast radio features and interviews covering the latest information and news in farming, agricultural science, and rural development is distributed to radio stations across Africa. The distributed audio material can be used in its entirety or edited by broadcasters to suit their needs.Agfax radio is a project of WRENmedia funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID).

2. Shamba Shape Up - Kenya and Tanzania
Produced by Mediae in 2008, Shamba Shape Up is a make-over style television series for East Africa's rapidly growing rural and peri-urban television audience designed to deliver agricultural and rural livelihoods information to benefit both farmers and international research organisations. The series features the Shamba Shape Up presenters and guest experts who address the needs of 13 small, diverse farms (“Shambas”) around Kenya and Tanzania, investigating specific local challenges and problems, and using the latest and appropriate ideas and technologies to transform the shambas and the livelihoods of their owners.

3. Manual for Participatory Radio Campaigns
By Doug Ward
This 2010 publication by Farm Radio International (FRI) is a revised version of a training manual published to support participatory radio campaigns (PRC) for improved food security for smallholder farmers and their families. It was initiated under the African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI), a project of FRI which seeks to assess the effectiveness of farm radio on meeting the food security objectives of rural farming households in Africa. The manual was produced specifically for the twenty-five radio stations across Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Tanzania, and Uganda who were planning their second participatory radio campaigns in the summer and fall of 2009 as part of AFRRI, however, publishers say it will be useful for other civil society organisations, researchers, and academics working in the area of food security and agriculture issues.

4. Problems and Prospect of Folk Media Usage for Agricultural Extension Service Delivery in Benue State, Nigeria 
By  S. Daudu
Published in the Journal of Human Ecology in January 2009, this study investigated the problems and prospect of folk media usage for agricultural extension service delivery in Benue State, Nigeria. The results of the analysis showed that the types of folk media used in descending order of their usefulness were folk songs, friends/association, folk puppet theatre, and drama, while the most frequently used folk media were folk dance, folk songs, friends/association, and groups/association. The results further indicated that the three most frequently mentioned problems associated with folk media usage were lack of fidelity, high cost of organisation, and poor clarity.

5. The Role of the Media in the Agricultural and Rural Development of ACP Countries
By Anne Sweetmore
This conference report describes the African, Caribbean, and Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)'s 2009 annual seminar held in Brussels, Belgium. The conference was held in consideration that, in the ACP, the media need to provide more reliable, up-to-date information on development, particularly the consequences for development of food, economic, and financial crises, and should disseminate information appropriately to political decision makers and rural communities, who are among the most seriously affected by these crises. As stated in the report, "The media have a role to play in funding and investment for agriculture. By creating greater awareness, they can encourage political decision-makers to become more actively involved in agricultural and rural innovation processes."

6. Media and Agriculture: Linking Towns and Villages
This article from the Spore Newsletter in October 2009 discusses the need for accurate agriculture news reporting in African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries, particularly Africa, to bridge the information gap between the rural sector of developing countries and their population centres. According to the article, the lack of coverage of agricultural issues is apparent in internet news aggregation sites. Those aggregating African news do not have enough stories to create an agriculture section to list them. Blogsites are trying to fill this gap by compiling locally generated stories. A lack of journalists trained in reporting on agriculture contributes to the lack of stories.

7. What We've Learned: Lessons From A Communications Campaign For South Africa's Rural Poor
By Gerald Kraak
This 36-page report, published by Atlantic Philanthropies in May 2009, describes the Farm Life Project in South Africa, a multi-pronged communications campaign that Atlantic Philanthropies and more than a dozen grantee organisations pursued from 2004 to 2006 to raise awareness of the plight of the rural economically poor in the changing economy. The campaign sought to inform government officials, media, and the general public about the plight of farm dwellers. It involved a quantitative survey that exposed the scale of farm dweller evictions and a photography book and exhibit designed to put a "face" on the issue. This report describes the planning and execution of the campaign, identifies the continuing challenges and work needed in the area of rural poverty, and encourages a discussion about potential policy solutions. In particular, the campaign revealed a number of lessons that may be useful to funders and advocates around the world interested in using communications to support advocacy campaigns for social change.

SOUL BEAT AFRICA NEW LOOK!

The Soul Beat Africa website has been redesigned to bring you a better, more user-friendly experience. There may still be a few technical issues over the next few weeks, so we thank you for your patience.

Please do let us know what you think by sending your comments to soulbeat@comminit.com

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USING TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE

8. E-Agriculture: Smart Marketing
This article from the Spore Newsletter in April 2009 describes progress in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the agriculture sector of developing countries, especially in the area of farmers' access to market information. According to the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), mobile phones, email, and the internet are strengthening the bargaining power of smallholder farmers, supporting their efforts to sell their produce for the best price. Because farmers who lack information on markets can be prey for unscrupulous traders, and might waste time and capital transporting goods to uncertain markets, ICT applications can give them the advantage of an overview of market information, as well as access to buyers and transporters via cellphone.

9. GenARDIS 2002 - 2010: Small Grants that Made Big Changes for Women in Agriculture
By Jennifer Radloff , Helen Hambly Odame  and Sonia Jorge
This document discusses the work of the Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development in the Information Society (GenARDIS) small grants fund, which was initiated in 2002 to support work on gender-related issues in information and communications technologies (ICTs) for the African, Caribbean, and Pacific regions. The small grants fund was disbursed to diverse projects in order to counter barriers to women living in rural areas. This document records the process and results, and is intended to contribute to more gender-aware ICT policy advocacy.

11. Localisation, Participation and Communication: An Introduction to Good PGIS Practice [Video]
This 25-minute educational video documentary introduces the practice of participatory spatial information management and communication in the development context. It has been designed to introduce development practitioners (technology intermediaries) to the practice of demand-driven participatory geographic information systems (PGIS). In this video, PGIS practice is presented as a continuum starting from community mobilisation to project planning and design, choice of mapping methods and technologies, visualisation of different technologies in diverse ethno-cultural and agro-ecological environments, and finally putting the maps to work in the domains of identity building, self-determination, spatial planning, and advocacy.

12. Videos Bridging Asia and Africa: Overcoming Cultural and Institutional Barriers in Technology-Mediated Rural Learning
By Paul Van Mele, Jonas Wanvoeke, Cyriaque Akakpo, Rosaline Maiga Dacko , Mustapha Ceesay, Louis Béavogui, Malick Soumah and Robert Anyang
Published in the Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, this paper poses the question: Will African farmers watch and learn from videos featuring farmers in Bangladesh? The approach underlying this cross-cultural initiative is called zooming-in, zooming-out. It integrates participatory learning and action research with the development of technology-mediated learning tools, such as radio and video programmes, whereby the empowered farmers feature as key actors. Local and scientific knowledge form the building blocks of these learner-centred videos, and a few regionally relevant and locally appropriate, practical examples are provided to illustrate the diversity of solutions.

13. Improving Rural Livelihoods Through Access to Knowledge: Information and Communication Technologies in Support of the Agriculture Sector in Mali
This 8-page report, published by The International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) in May 2011, shares information about the experience of The International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) to support developments in the agriculture sector in Mali through use of information and communication technology (ICT) tools. According to the report, the agriculture sector in Mali has great growth potential, however, it is being held back by lack of infrastructure and relevant information for the producers and processors of agricultural produce. Information and communication technologies have proven to be appropriate tools for enabling better access to markets, market price information, and information on production methods, which can have a positive effect on the livelihoods of the people depending on this sector.

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KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND ADVOCACY

14. Niamey Knowledge Share Fair
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Knowledge Management and Gender (KMG) programme organised a Knowledge Share Fair in Niamey, Niger in June 2010. The objective of the fair was to promote knowledge sharing and dissemination of good practices, particularly in support of food security and for the empowerment of rural populations. The event made use of participatory tools and sessions to facilitated knowledge-sharing and participation amongst all who attended, especially women.

15. The Regional Livelihoods Advocacy Project (REGLAP) - Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda
Launched in October 2009, The Regional Livelihoods Advocacy Project (REGLAP) is a Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO) funded project working to reduce the vulnerability of pastoral communities by bringing about changes in policy and practice in the Horn and East Africa. The goal of the project is to raise awareness among planners and policy makers about the full potential of pastoral systems to make a significant contribution to the economies of the region. Oxfam GB leads REGLAP together with a group of consortium members including Save the Children UK, Veterinaries Sans Frontiers-Belgium, Cordaid, CARE, Reconcile, and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). REGLAP is a member of the Horn of Africa Pastoral Network.  

16. Scenario Planning with African Pastoralists: A "How To" Guide
By Sue Cavanna and Dauod Abkula
Published by International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in December 2009, this booklet focuses on the mechanics of scenario planning with nomadic pastoralists. It was published to equip community development workers with the practical knowledge required to successfully use the scenario planning methodology. According to the guide, scenario planning, using a 'drivers of change' approach, is a tool to facilitate strategic thinking and policy decisions.

17. Advocating for Agricultural Development - Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda
This project, developed by TrustAfrica, aims to support the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), signed by 53 African governments, which commits states to making agriculture a top priority in national development. In each country, TrustAfrica is working with local partners to assess organisational needs and opportunities, provide grants, conduct capacity-building workshops, provide technical assistance, and support peer learning. Through grants and meetings, the project intends to enable advocacy organisations and other stakeholders to share ideas, develop and implement locally relevant strategies for raising awareness about the role of agriculture, and explore opportunities for building broad public support.

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OPPORTUNITIES - EVENTS AND AWARDS

18. Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services International Conference (Nov 15-18 2011) Nairobi, Kenya
This event is being organised to provide a space for sharing current thinking and practice and building coalitions of farmers, practitioners, policymakers, and other key actors to advocate and implement policy reforms and innovations in extension and advisory services; especially those that benefit smallholder and resource poor farmers, including women and marginalised rural communities. The conference is designed to take stock of current policies, thinking and practice, successes and failures of ongoing and past reforms in extension and advisory services, and build a coalition moving forward to specifically address meeting the future needs of small-holder farmers, marginalised communities, women, and youth in a sustainable and cost effective manner.

19. 2011 ACP Media Competition
Deadline for application: August 15 2011
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) in collaboration with its national, regional, and international partners invites entries in the 2011 African, Caribbean, and Pacific (APC) Media Competition. Open to all media and communication professionals from the ACP group of states, the competition aims to encourage investigation of challenges and opportunities in providing extension and advisory services to farmers. The competition is being held in conjunction with the International Conference on Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services.

Related previous issues of The Soul Beat include:

The Soul Beat 115 - Rural Radio

The Soul Beat 83 - Communication for Food Security and Agricultural Development in Africa

The Soul Beat 31 - ICTs and Agriculture

To view ALL archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter click here.