A fundamental rural development need in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Senegal is the lack of relevant, gender-responsive and timely information, communication and extension services for small-scale farmers (women, men and youth). To address this issue, Farm Radio International (FRI) aims to scale up interactive rural radio in 17 regions of Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Ghana, reaching 61 radio stations and engaging at least 70 stakeholder groups including farmer-based and women’s organizations. Project activities include: (1) providing relevant, timely and gender-responsive information on: effective, climate-smart agriculture; climate adaptation; gender-equality; and improved nutritional practices; (2) deepening knowledge exchanges between women, poor, and vulnerable small-scale farmers in rural areas to identify and address their respective needs using mobile tools; and (3) strengthening evidence-based decision at the community level and provide stakeholder groups with access to compiled outcome data on food-security, agriculture and gender-equality. It is expected that this project impacts up to 7.3 million small-scale farmers, including an estimated 2.3 million women small-scale farmers in the four targeted countries. Farm Radio International implements this project in partnership with FRI-Burkina Faso, FRI-Mali, FRI-Senegal, FRI-Ghana and CECI/Uniterra (Senegal).
The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased use of interactive radio by radio stations and key stakeholders groups as a sustainable gender-responsive platform for quality information, communication and knowledge; (2) increased application of good agriculture and nutrition practices by small-scale women, men and youth farmers using interactive radio; and (3) increased application of gender transformative practices by rural men, women and youth using interactive radio in relation to family food security.
Results achieved as of March 2019 include: (1) 31 radio stations’ representatives (of which 11 were women) have improved their ability to design, deliver and evaluate interactive radio services (IR) in Ghana and Senegal; (2) 2 stakeholders are now using IR platforms in Ghana; (3) 23 people (of which 9 were women) in Mali and 23 people (of which 7 were women) in Ghana were trained on how to use Farm Radio International’s resources for broadcasters, and on the importance of a gender approach; (4) 24 listening groups, of 20 members each, were implemented in the regions of Yanfolila, Koutiala and San, in Mali. These groups bring together a total of 480 people including 180 women, 180 men, 60 young women and 60 young men.
