March 2001

Also available in French

FINAL COMMUNIQUE

The First International Workshop on Farm Radio Broadcasting, organized by the Extension, Training and Communication Service, was held from the 19 - 22 February, 2001, at FAO Headquarters in Rome (Italy).

The title of the workshop was "Information and Communication Technologies Servicing Farm Radio: New Contents, New Partnerships". The Workshop was attended by more than forty participants representing unions, federations, African, European and North American farm radio networks, institutions supporting farm radio, and communication experts as well as persons from other FAO technical services.

The participants in this first Workshop organized in Rome, came from the following countries (see the full list of participants in Annex I ):

• Ghana
• Ethiopia
• Benin
• Canada
• Uganda
• Niger
• Nigeria
• United States of America
• Burkina Faso
• The Netherlands
• France
• Zimbabwe
• Mali
• Madagascar
• South Africa

The Workshop participants were welcomed during the official opening ceremony held on Monday, 19 February 2001, presided over by Mr. Jacques Eckebil, Assistant Director-General of the Sustainable Development Division.

Mr. Gus Schumacher, former US Under Secretary of Agriculture, who, in conjunction with the FAO Director General, was one of the initiators of the idea of holding this Workshop, was also present at the official opening ceremony.

Following the opening ceremony, the Workshop began with a series of plenary sessions, which allowed the participants to hear more than thirty papers and technical presentations dealing with the new information and communication technologies and their significance for farm radio, the training of farm radio producers, audience research, as well as with the links between research, extension, and farm radio (see Annex II ).

The institutions supporting farm radio, including:

• USAID
• USDA
• AMARC
• ACMAD
• UNESCO
• The Ford Foundation
• The Federation of African Media Women
• The Nigerian Media and Society Institute
• The PANOS Institute
• CTA
• URTEL
• The Intergovernmental Agency of French-Speaking Countries
• CIERRO / URTNA
• The Developing Countries Farm Radio Network
• ISNAR
• BBC
• The SADC Communication Centre for Development
• SYFIA / JADE
• The Ghana Community Broadcasting Service
• The Madagascar Farm Radio Network
• The African Radio Drama Association

presented their organizations, and described their views with regard to the theme of the Workshop.

The Workshop enabled the participants to familiarize themselves with the activities of a number of technical divisions which are depositories of scientific and technical information concerning:

• Food security
• Global information, and the rapid alert system
• Post-harvest operations
• Agro-meteorology
• Market prices

Thursday, 22 February was devoted to Working Groups.

Three Working Groups were created:

Working Group I concentrated on the "Creation of a Network Linking the African Farm Radio Broadcasters with the American Farm Radio Broadcasters Via the INTERNET";

Working Group II dealt with "The Challenges of New Technologies and New Contents"; and finally,

Working Group III discussed "Following-Up the Workshop's Activities, as well as South-South and North-South Cooperation".

At the end of their work, the reporters for the different groups presented an accounting to the Workshop of the conclusions, recommendations, dialogue and exchanges of views formulated by the groups:

Working Group I, on the subject of networking, recommended:

1. That a network be created to improve the flow of information relevant to rural areas, using the existing networks;

2. That FAO use radio to more effectively communicate on agricultural issues;

3. That FAO and other interested parties complement each other through the implementation of such a network;

4. That a World Radio Day for Development be instituted.

Working Group II made the following recommendations :

1. Prioritize the types of information. Recognizing the fact that local information has existed, exists and will exist, there is, nevertheless, important technical information available at FAO (via WAICENT and the technical divisions), as well as at other agencies such as ACMAD and CGIAR. In this regard :
   

   • the information in question can be fairly general;
   • journalists have to develop links in order for them to know where they can access this information;
   • the approach used should not be "top-down" - community input is needed;
   • we must find out what and whose needs this information will respond to;
   • needs should be assessed informally, and are often non-systematic;
   • it is important to include key social groups, such as women and young people.

2. The priority information needed is as follows:

   1. Market and weather information;
   2. Inputs for agriculture, e.g., pest and disease control;
   3. Local agricultural and environmental practices.

   This type of information cannot necessarily be found in global databases. It must be researched, rather than broadcasted in the field.

3. Suggested Actions :

   1. Build national capacity (country-level teams of technical and communication specialists) in order to :

      1. make contact with local levels, to collect and interpret needs;
      2. interpret and package technical information for radio
      3. distribute it via World Space, e-mail or bus;
      4. build district capacity and partnerships.

   2. Local Radio Stations

      • These can act as information centers, and solve problems in local languages and contexts.
      • They should include knowledgeable community members.

   3. Create a database of frequently asked questions :

      • from questions asked at the local level, and collected and answered at the national level;
      • that is constantly updated, and can serve as a living record.

   4. Create a Global Help-Desk for Rural Radio :

      • that will include key technical information, a tool-kit for rural radio, as well as a map of partnerships and countries / districts with rural radio;
      • FAO headquarters will lead with inputs from all partners.

Working Group III concluded as follows :

• Our Objective is :
  to improve the quality and flow of information and communication of rural radio stations and the communities they serve
• Our Recommendation :
  that there be a mobilization of funds, not managed by government, to provide projects that have been brought about through collaboration between organizations such as CIERRO, SADEC, AMARC and NAFB.

  These projects could include training, equipment, scholarships and exchanges.

  Proposals for funds must be precise, with clearly defined objectives.

Furthermore, the Workshop strongly recommends that the subject of rural radio for development be included in all of the different FAO technical committee documents, namely, those produced by the Agricultural Committee, the Food Security Committee, etc.

And finally, the Workshop recommends that FAO, in association with its partners, create a follow-up committee to carry out the all of the recommendations that have been made by the Workshop.

The different papers that have been presented during the course of the Workshop, as well as the discussions and debates that have taken place, will be included in subsequent publications, which will be sent to all the Workshop participants.

Rome, 22 February 2001

The Workshop

Annex 1

Annex 2

List of Presentations

1. Presentation of the Institute for Media and Society, Nigeria
   Akingbulu, Akin (Institute for Media and Society, IMS, Nigeria)

2. Presentation of the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network
   Bennett, Nancy (Developing Countries Farm Radio Network, Toronto, Canada)

3. The Role of Rural Radio in Agricultural and Rural Development. Translating Agricultural Research Information Into Messages for Farm Audiences
   Biraahwa, Sylvia Nakabugu (Radio Uganda, Uganda)

4. RANET: Use of Climate and Environmental Information as a Resource for Development and Poverty Reduction in Africa
   Boulahya, Mohammed (African Center of Meteorological Applications for Development, ACMAD, Niger)

5. Communicating Information about Food Security though Rural Radio
   Campbell, David (Nairobi Representation of the Mediae Company UK, Nairobi, Kenya)

6. Commercial Farm Broadcasting in the United States
   Cooper, Gary (Southeast AgNet Radio Network, USA) and Zimmerman, Chuck (Brownfield Network, USA)

7. U.S. Department of Agriculture's Radio
   Curtis-Heiken, Brenda J. (United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, USA)

8. Inter-African Center for Rural Radio Broadcasting Studies of Ouagadougou (CIERRO): A 23-year Contribution to the Development of Rural Radio and Local Radio In Africa
   da Matha, Jacques (CIERRO, Burkina Faso)

9. The Challenges of ICTs and Rural Radio
   Girard, Bruce (Consultant, Expert in Local and Community Radio, Netherlands)

10. What Can Modern Agricultural Meteorology Do for the Subsistence Farmers?
    Gommes, René (Environment and Natural Resources Service, SDRN, FAO)

11. Making Waves in the CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research): Rural Radio and Agricultural Science
    Hambly, Odame Helen (International Service for National Agricultural Research, ISNAR, Netherlands)

12. BBC Farm Radio Programmes
    Hill, Anna (BBC Radio Four, United Kingdom)

13. Community Multimedia Centres: Integrating Modern and Traditional Information and Communication Technologies for Community Development
    Hughes, Stella (Communication Division, UNESCO, France)

14. FAO Experience in the Field of Rural Radio and ICTs Servicing Rural Radio: New Contents, New Partnerships
    Ilboudo, Jean-Pierre (Extension, Education and Communication Service, FAO)

15. Global Information and Early Warning System
    Jost, Stéphane (Global Information and Early Warning Service, FAO)

16. Training Needs For Trainers In The Field of Rural Radio in Africa
    Kamlongera, Christopher (Southern African Development Community, Zimbabwe)

17. The Action of Agence Internationale de la Francophonie (AIF) in Local Radio Broadcasting : The Local Radios Program
    Lamonde, Jean-Pierre (Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie, AIF, France)

18. The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC): Community Radio and Food Security
    Ly, K. Sophie (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, Canada)

19. How to Get Information on Post-Harvest in the Internet Jungle
    Mazaud, François (Post-Harvest Management Service, FAO)

20. The Technical Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CTA)
    Niang,Thiendou (CTA, Netherlands)

21. The Ford Foundation for West Africa
    Opoku-Mensah, Aida (The Ford Foundation, Office for West Africa, Nigeria)

22. JADE, A Network of African Journalists Specialized in Media Production and Communication for Development
    Ouattara, Souleymane (African Journalists for Development Network, JADE, Burkina Faso)

23. A Kente Approach to Community Radio Training: Weaving Training Into The Community Empowerment Process
    Quarmyne, Wilna W. (Radio Ada/Ghana Community Broadcasting Services, Ghana)

24. Research in the Field of Rural Radio
    Rakotoarimanana, Julien (Rural Radio Network of Madagascar, Madagascar)

25. World Agricultural Information Center (WAICENT): Bridging the Digital Divide in Food Security
    Rudgard, Stephen (WAICENT/FAOSTAT, FAO)

26. Impact of Radio Programmes in South Mali : Methodologies and Practices for Evaluation
    Sangaré, Oumar (Project: GCP/MLI/020/NET "Re-launching Rural Radio in Mali")

27. Role of the Panos Institute for West Africa: Rural and Local Radio Facing the Development of a Culture for Citizenship, Democracy and Peace
    Senghor, Diana (Panos Institute for West Africa, IPAO, Senegal)

28. Farm Radio as a Medium for Market Information Dissemination
    Shepherd, Andrew W. (Marketing and Rural Finance Service, FAO)

29. Improving Access to Rural Radio By "Hard-To-Reach" Women Audiences
    Sibanda, Jennifer (Federation of African Media Women-Southern African Development Community, FAMW-SADC, Zimbabwe)

30. Radio Broadcasting to Farmers: To Educate, Inform, and Entertain
    Slusarczyk, Edwin L. (Ag Radio Network Inc, USA)

31. Community Radio and Farming in South Africa
    Stone, Mosotho (National Community Radio Forum, South Africa)