FARM RADIO

GOVERNANCE

ict for change agriculture

 

Farm Radio

One of the three categories of low-power FM under India’s community radio policy is farm radio. Success stories, however, are few and apart – these need to be replicated on a wider scale because farm radio can be a powerful tool for agricultural extension and rural development.

 

by Abhilaksh Likhi

 

an essential prerequisite for improving the livelihood and increasing the income of small farmers and the rural poor in developing countries is raising their productivity. This is critical for three reasons: fostering agriculture–based growth, enhancing household food security and alleviating poverty. Some factors that restrain the enhancement of smallholder productivity include poor soil, unpredictable rainfall, and little access to financial services and infrastructure. There is also the lack of information about market prices, crop varieties, production techniques and disease control strategies. Similarly, lack of timely information about weather and pest outbreaks are also critical to press into action services that can help poor farmers.

 

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly becoming central to mitigation of the factors that lead to the physical isolation of smallholders and thus impose high information costs on them. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations include making available the benefits of ICTs to the poorest...Read More