Jacques P. Eckebil
Assistant Director General, FAO
Sustainable Development Department
On behalf of my colleague, Ms. Carleen Gardner, Assistant Director General of the General Affairs and Information Department, it is a great pleasure and a most agreeable task for me to welcome you to FAO, at the opening of this Workshop on Farm Radio Broadcasting.
I would also like to convey the greetings of Mr. Jacques Diouf, Director General of FAO, who, together with Mr. Schumacher, the former U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture, whom I would like to welcome here today, were the initiators of the idea of holding this Workshop on rural radio.
It was in March of 1999, in point of fact, on the occasion of a visit the Director General made to the United States, that he and Mr. Shumaker conceived the idea of holding a meeting with the radio broadcasters from the Northern and Southern countries, in order to be able to share ideas and experience concerning rural radio, as an important tool in the service of agricultural and rural development, for the improvement of agricultural production and productivity in developing countries.
I remember that when I took office as the head of my Department in February, 2000, this was the first important question that I had to deal with. Twelve months have passed since then, and today, I am truly pleased to see the realisation of this idea, in the form of this Workshop which has brought together more than fifty farm and rural radio broadcasters, radio communication experts, and institutions supporting the development of rural radio throughout the world, on the subject of "Information and Communication Technologies Servicing Farm Radio: New Contents, New Partnerships".
The "digital divide" that exists today between the Northern and Southern countries is a considerable source of concern for a number of governments, particularly in the South, as well as for the international agencies and organisations in different parts of the world. The Secretary General of the United Nations, in his Millenium Report, has spoken of "the extremely wide gap separating computerized countries from those which are not", and he called for measures to close this gap. A number of seminars and studies have been devoted to this problem, and the Internet has become a particularly suitable forum for the discussions concerning this question.
Inasmuch as these discussions are specifically centred on the rural milieu, and in spite of the fact that the problems of accessibility and access to information are still very present there, it would appear that the debate has become increasingly focussed on the technical contents of messages, digital or not, and their pertinence with regard to the real problems facing rural communities. In this context then, rural radio continues to be a very useful tool for communicating with the farm world, particularly if the programmes are conceived and produced in a participatory fashion with the communities themselves, taking into account their linguistic and cultural differences.
It is for all of these reasons that the First International Workshop on Farm Radio Broadcasting which we are holding here today gives us the opportunity to reflect upon the potentialities offered to rural radio by the information and communication technologies.
The other objectives of the Workshop are:
The Workshop also offers us the occasion to critically analyse the African rural radio program schedules, with regard to subjects which are considered to be of vital importance for food security in rural communities.
In addition to the participation of our colleagues from the Extension, Education and Communication Service (SDRE), the important resource that FAO can offer this Workshop is access to all the agricultural information administered by its World Agricultural Information Centre (WAICENT). In addition to global information on agriculture and agro-meteorological conditions, WAICENT provides specialised information on important subjects such as food security, early warning systems, post-harvest operations, food norms, genetic resources, gender and sustainable development, and market information, to mention only a few.
I believe that you would like to obtain the following results as soon as possible following the end of the Workshop:
This Workshop could not have been held without the financial support of a number of different institutions, and in particular, CTA, IDRC and the Ford Foundation. On behalf of all the Workshop participants present here, I would like to thank the representatives of these three institutions. I would sincerely hope, in addition, that this will be the beginning of a fruitful and continuing collaboration with FAO for reinforcing rural radio as a highly useful tool in the service of food security.
In declaring open this First International Rural Radio Workshop organised in Rome, I would like to wish you full success in the work you will be doing, and to thank you for your courteous attention.
Name |
Position and Details |
Country |
ABBEY MENSAH Samuel |
Head, Rural Broadcasts Department, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation PO Box 1633, Accra. Email : c/o FAOR/Ghana |
Ghana |
ANGELI Liano |
Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy |
Italy |
AKIN AKINGBULU |
Executive Director, Institute for Media and Society |
Nigeria |
BALOGOUN Marius |
Journalist, Head of the Rural Radio Department, ORTB |
Benin |
BENNETT Nancy |
Executive director, Developing Countries Farm Radio Network |
Canada |
BERHANU Gassa |
Acting Head, Sidama Educational Radio |
Ethiopia |
BIRAAHWA Sylvia |
Head - Farm and Environment Radio Uganda |
Uganda |
BOULAHYA Mohamed |
Director General, ACMAD |
Niger |
CAMPBELL David |
Kenya | |
COOPER Gary |
Funder/President, Southeast AgNet Radio Network |
United States |
CURTIS-HEIKEN Brenda |
Senior Radio Reporter/ Producer, USDA Radio |
United States |
DA MATHA Jacques Philippe |
CIERRO. Tel: 226 30 6686 |
Burkina Faso |
GIRARD Bruce |
Delft University of Technology |
Netherlands |
HAMBLY O. Helen |
Researcher, International Service for Natural Agricultural Research (ISNAR), Laan van Nieuw Oost Indie, 2593 BM, The Hague. [email protected] |
Netherlands |
HILL ANNA |
Presenter/Producer, Farming Today, BBC Radio Four |
United Kingdom |
HUGHES Richard J. |
International Affairs Advisor, USDA, FAO Liaison |
United States |
HUGHES Stella |
UNESCO - Communication Division |
France |
ILBOUDO Joanna |
Director, Union de l'audiovisuel libre du Burkina 04-BP-8050 Ouagadougou |
Bukina |
KAMLONGERA Chris |
Director, SADC-CCD. PO Box 3730 Harare |
Zimbabwe |
KEITA Moussa |
Secretary General, Union des Radios Télévisions Libres du Mali (URTEL), BP E1584, Bamako |
Mali |
KHADIJAH Tuggar |
Programme Associate |
Nigeria |
LAMBERT David P. |
Permanent Representative, US Mission to the United Nations, Via Sardegna, 49 - 00187 Rome |
Italy |
LAMONDE |
AIF |
France |
LARSON Debra |
International Affairs Office, National Weath Service, 1325 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
United States |
LEBEAU Denis |
Chef du bureau de la coopération radiophonique/ Direction générale de la coopération internationale et du développement/ Ministère des affaires étrangères. 244, bd St Germain - 75303 Paris Cedex 07 [email protected] |
France |
LY Sophie K. |
Secrétaire générale - AMARC - World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters |
Canada |
MADE Patricia |
Director General |
|
NIANG Thiendou |
CTA - Technical Center for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (ACP-EU) |
Netherlands |
OPOKU-MENSAH Aida |
Program Officer, Media, Arts and Culture |
Nigeria |
OUATTARA Soulaymane |
Système francophone d'information JADE |
Burkina Faso |
PHIDO Alison Data |
Project Coordinator, African Radio Drama Association 22 Adeola Hopewell Street, Victoria Island, Lagos |
Nigeria |
PINA Jorge |
IPS Correspondent in Italy |
Italy |
QUARMYNE Wilna |
Deputy Executive Director, Radio Ada (Ghana Community Broadcasting Services) |
Ghana |
RAKOTOARIMANA |
Secrétaire général du réseau des radios rurales de Madagascar, IREDEC, BP 188 Antsarabe |
Madagascar |
SANGARE Oumar |
Coordonnateur projet GCP/MLI/020/NET |
Mali |
SCHUMACHER Gus |
Former Under Secretary for Agriculture |
Etats-Unis |
SENGHOR Diana |
Director, Institut Panos Afrique de l'Ouest (IPAO) |
Senegal |
SIBANDA Jennifer |
Regional Director - FAMW-SADC |
Zimbabwe |
SLUSARCZYK Edwin L. |
President, Ag Radio Network Inc |
United States |
SPOSATO Steve |
Economist, USAID |
United States |
STONE Mosotho |
Radio producer., National Community Radio Forum |
South Africa |
ZIMMERMAN Chuck |
General Manager, Farm Director Brownfield Network, 505 Hobbs Rd, Jefferson City, MO 65109 [email protected] |
United States |
FAO Representatives |
FAO, Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome |
Italy |
CROWDER LoyVan |
Extension, Education and Communication Service (SDRE) |
|
COWAN SharonLee |
Information Division (GII) |
|
GOMMES René |
Environment and Natural Resources Service (SDRN) |
|
MAZAUD François |
Agro-Industries and Post-Harvest Management Service (AGSI) |
|
HUDDLESTON Barbara |
Food Security and Agricultural Projects Analysis Service (ESAF) |
|
ACHIA Remigio |
World Agricultural Information Centre (WAICENT) |
|
SHEPHERD Andrew |
Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSM) |
|
JOST Stéphane |
Global Information and Early Warning Service (ESCG) |
The First International Workshop on Farm Radio Broadcasting, organised by the Extension, Education and Communication Service (SDRE), was held from the 19th to the 22nd of 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 organised in Rome, came from the following countries: Ghana, Ethiopia, Benin, Canada, Uganda, Niger, Nigeria, United States, Burkina Faso, the Netherlands, France, Zimbabwe, Mali, Madagascar and 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 Department.
Mr. Gus Schumacher, former U. S. 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.
The institutions supporting farm radio included:
USAID, USDA, AMARC, ACMAD, UNESCO, the Ford Foundation, the Federation of African Media Women, the Nigerian Institute for Media and Society, 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.
They presented their organizations, and described their views with regard to the theme of the Workshop.
The Workshop enabled the participants to familiarise themselves with the activities of a number of FAO technical divisions which are depositories of scientific and technical information concerning food security, global information, early warning system, post-harvest operations, agro-meteorology and market prices.
Thursday, the 22nd of February was devoted to Working Groups. Three Working Groups were created.
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:
Working Group II made the following recommendations:
Working Group III concluded as follows :
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.
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
We, the participants at the First International Workshop on Rural Radio, held in Rome from the 19th to the 22nd of February, 2001 on the subject : "The New Information and Communication Technologies Servicing Rural Radio", would like to thank and congratulate FAO for its superb initiative, on the one hand, and for the perfect organisation of the Workshop, on the other.
We would also like to thank all of the persons and organisations thanks to whose efforts this Workshop could be held, namely, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) of the Netherlands, the Ford Foundation, and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
We would like, in particular, to offer our very special thanks to the Honourable George McGovern, U.S. Ambassador to FAO, and to all the personnel of the Embassy for the reception which Ambassador McGovern offered to the participants of the Workshop at his residence.
Rome, 22 February 2001
The Workshop
Ms. Carleen Gardner
Assistant Director General, FAO
General Affairs and Information Department
Well, well, well - these are exciting times. Who among us would have thought, five years ago, that we would be here today, talking about the power of radio?!
Sometimes looked down upon as the "poor relation" of television, and certainly considered old-fashioned compared to the Internet, radio today has become the one to watch.
Now that may sound like a bad pun, but as our discussions here this week have proved, radio's stock is rising like never before. Still the most portable communication medium, the most widespread and the most economical, radio is now proving itself versatile enough to go hand-in-hand with the Web.
The purpose of this workshop has been to look at the new information and communication technologies and the impact they are having on rural radio broadcasters. Through listening to your discussions, I have learned that Information and Communication Technologies are presenting broadcasters not only with challenges, but also with some fine new opportunities.
I must say it has been tremendous to watch and listen as radio folk from such vastly different parts of the world have sat down, rolled up your sleeves, traded tips and developed ideas for working together in the future.
Here at FAO we organize and participate in a lot of workshops, meetings and conferences. But this workshop has been unusual in one way. The thing I've enjoyed the most is seeing how the working journalists among you just keep on working, no matter what. Here you are, far from home, on a five-day trip to Italy for a United Nations workshop. Anyone would have expected you to relax, do a bit of networking, get involved in the discussions, and simply enjoy the occasion.
But no, many of you have used the FAO radio studio and press room all week long.
Knowing what busy people you are, I want especially to thank each of you. Thank you for making time in your schedules for this very unusual meeting of minds. Thank you for your energetic participation in the working group discussions. Thank you for the careful thought and preparation you put into your statements to the workshop. And thank you for your willingness to share with, and learn from, your fellow radio people from around the world. Thank you for reporting to your listeners this week on the workshop's proceedings.
A very important thank you goes to the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), to the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (CTA), and to the Ford Foundation for West Africa for their generous financial support, which made it possible for us to bring you all together. Some of you even travelled here at your own expense, and that has allowed us to stretch our sponsors' funds even further.
We are hopeful that some of the ideas generated in this Workshop will continue to develop and take shape, and that some of the "loose ends" will be knit into lasting collaboration between some of the different broadcasters and organizations represented here today.
The homework that lies ahead is huge and motivating. You'll have to find solutions to the questions that you have raised:
Sorry, I have no answers but let's try and make this world a truly global village.
I sincerely hope, too, that in the future each of you will turn to FAO as a rich source of news and data on food security, agriculture, sustainable rural development, forestry and fisheries. I hope that you find in FAO a facilitator in building up the local capacity to treat the massive and technical information that the small farmer strongly needs. For those of you who are working broadcasters, I'm sure you'll be keeping in touch through the FAO radio studio, and with colleagues in our media relations unit.
And so, every good wish to all of you. Thank you for making this a very special week. As you travel home, go back to your regular work, and begin to make the most of the radio's new opportunities, I for one will certainly stay tuned!
Thank you.