Rural Radio
Radio remains the most widely-used medium in rural areas and is key to advancing family farming at the local level also thanks to the integration with low-cost ICTs. Rural radio refers to communication services and programs that are produced and broadcast by radio stations mainly for rural audiences. They gather and share information in local languages to respond to the needs of rural women, men, and youth, and present the views of communities in a participatory manner.
In collaboration with leading radio institutions such as Farm Radio International (FRI), World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) and Asociación Latinoamericana de Educación y Comunicación Popular (ALER), FAO ComDev implements the Rural Radio Initiative in Asia, Africa and Latin America through ComDev Asia, Yenkasa Africa and Onda Rural. The initiative brings together rural radio stations, farmer organizations and institutions to raise awareness and foster community engagement in family farming and sustainable agrifood systems. In each region, family farmers participate in preparing radio programmes by selecting the topics, defining the broadcasting schedule, and engaging in the farm radio programming over several weeks.
The Rural Radio Initiative pursues three main objectives:
- raise awareness on the role of family farming in sustainable agrifood systems;
- share information about issues, experiences and priorities of farmers’ organizations;
- enhance the use of radio as an interactive service to advance family farming
Every year, more than 25 countries and 20 farmer organizations in the three regions are involved in the production and broadcasting of about 250 radio programmes, with an estimated reach of 8 million listeners.
To learn more about the Rural Radio Initiative in your region, visit: