We are in the initial period of the third millennia. If the previous millennium was an epoch of discoveries and inventions that led to great leaps in development (markedly in the Northern Hemisphere), it also witnessed an increased food insecurity in many parts of the globe (markedly in the Southern Hemisphere). A combination of factors, both human-induced and natural, can be attributed to this. FAO has been on the forefront in the fight against hunger and its obliteration to the annals of history.
Towards this end, the Organization has in recent years instituted various initiatives such as “Telefood”. The “war” against hunger is a war that must be fought with all the means at mankind’s disposal, and at all the fronts in our reach. Unfortunately, it is a war whose end is not in sight. The main objective of the 1996 World Food Summit was to eradicate hunger in all countries with a target goal of halving the number of undernourished people by 2015. To-date, going by the statistics on the global situation of food security, this achievement has not been realised.
Food insecurity is closely linked to under development. To combat hunger and achieve food security, a sustainable development is imperative. One of our central interests in the Extension, Education and Communication Service (SDRE) has been the role of communication in achieving this sustainable development. The employment of various means of the media to promote participatory mobilization of communities where our projects are being carried out, has strongly inclined us to encourage the use of the radio. We have chosen to support rural and community radio, to reach and mobilize rural populations.
This Workshop on “Rural Radio and Food Security” was one of the cooperation initiatives that brought together rural radio broadcasters from selected African countries with representatives of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN) and the FAO. It is our hope and desire that it presented a fruitful opportunity to all who participated, enabling them to share views, knowledge and experiences, especially those most relevant to the fight against hunger.
Ester Zulberti
Chief
FAO Extension, Education
and Communication Service
