From 5 to 9 November, 2001, a Workshop on “Rural Radio and Food Security” was held at FAO’s headquarters. The Workshop was organized by the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN) and FAO’s Extension, Education and Communication Service (SDRE) in collaboration with the Information Division (GII).
The objectives of the Workshop were as follows:
- To foster meetings, discussions and exchanges between the technical services of FAO and African radio broadcasters in order for FAO to know the needs of radio broadcasters in the South and to adapt the technical contents on food security accordingly;
- To discuss the AMARC-FAO project for the creation of a food security information service;
- To launch a process for the development of food security contents for radio broadcasters in Africa.
- To cover - alongside the Workshop - the proceedings of the 31st Session of the FAO
Conference, and file-in their reports in their respective local languages.
The outcomes expected from the Workshop were as follows:
- The needs of radio broadcasters and their audiences identified in terms of contents and technical divisions of FAO better informed on the needs of the rural populations.
- The AMARC-FAO joint project on food security information and early warning presented to and known by participants.
- The different technical services of FAO contributing to the creation of such an information service through their support, advice and the preparation of adapted contents.
- Papers and report-presentations from the Conference sent to the respective stations of the 5 broadcasters, as well as interviews conducted with selected FAO experts.
- Radio scripts, audiocassettes and CD-ROMs prepared in view of their production.
The rural radio broadcasters participating in the Workshop came from South Africa, Mali, the Niger and the Republic of Tanzania.
The following participants also attended the Workshop:
- Three representatives of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), including the Director of MOEBIUS programme[4] and the Coordinator of Radio Broadcasting Campaigns (Montreal, Canada) as well as the Director for Africa (Johannesburg, South Africa);
- The Director of the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN, Toronto, Canada);
- FAO technical divisions specialised in: Food Security, Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Nutrition, Global Information and Early Warning System, Special Programme for Food Security, Agricultural Marketing, Agrometeorology, Fisheries, Forestry, Post-Harvest Operations, ad the World Agricultural Information Center (WAICENT).
Delegates attending the FAO Conference from Cameroon, Senegal, Finland, South Africa and USA also joined in the Workshop plenary sessions.
The official opening ceremony was highlighted by the address of Mr. Dietrich E. Leihner, Director of the Research, Extension and Training Division (SDR).
The proceedings continued with the presentation of the results of the studies on the information and communication needs of rural radio audiences from Mali, the Niger, the Republic of Tanzania and South Africa.
These results were debated and discussed by the different technical divisions with the radio broadcasters so as to better adapt their contents to audience needs.
This was followed by three presentations:
- “Radio Broadcasting Formats Adapted to Food Security Issues”.
- “Writing Radio Scripts to Improve Food Security”.
- “The Creation of AMARC-FAO Food Security Information and Early Warning Service”.
The radio broadcasters then took part in the press conference of FAO Director General organized within the framework of the 31st session of the Conference. This was facilitated by the General Information Department (GIIM).
The methodology of the Workshop allowed the organization and implementation of eleven (11) technical working sessions to foster dialogue and exchanges between FAO technical experts and radio broadcasters.
Participants discussed and worked on the following topics:
- Food Security
- Biodiversity and Genetic Resources
- Nutrition
- Global Information and Early Warning System
- Special Food Security Programme
- Agricultural Marketing
- Agrometeorology
- Fisheries
- Forestry
- Post-Harvest Operations
- And the World Agricultural Information Center (WAICENT).
The last day of the Workshop was a plenary session devoted to preparing a summary of the proceedings, which allowed participants to gain a deeper understanding of the role that rural radio can play in the dissemination of information on food security.
Participants also expressed their opinion on the contents proposed to them by the technical services of FAO.
An evaluation was also made of the interviews conducted during the Conference by the radio broadcasters and the stories filed to their stations.
The Workshop also provided an opportunity to present a website dedicated to rural, local and community radio[5], which in the future will serve as a forum for exchanges and information on rural radio.
Finally, the creation of the food security information and early warning service was presented by AMARC and discussed by the participants to the Workshop. Such a service is part of a broader and multi-thematic news agency.
1. The news agency for and by Africa is targeted to the community radio network covering the whole of the African continent and disseminating information in local languages; the agency intends to offer the following services:
- Daily news and weekly summary services (mainly in texts).
- Thematic services (texts and audio): Food Security, HIV, Elections, Human Rights and Democracy.
2. Food security information and early warning service
Such a service will operate by making use of the following human resources:
- Group of journalists based at the regional South Africa office.
- Correspondents from community radio stations members of AMARC.
The service will operate on the basis of the following:
- On-line services (electronic mail and the Internet).
- Traditional distribution services (fax and mail, cassettes, CDs, documents).
The sources of information of the service are:
- FAO headquarters in Rome and FAO representations in the concerned member countries.
- Populations starting from local correspondents.
The services provided will be used by:
- Radio stations members of the AMARC network
- Community, commercial and State radio stations
- Community, commercial and State media
- NGOs, Organizations of civil society, individuals, others.
A number of training sessions are envisaged:
- Training of trainers who in turn will train other radio broadcasters and training of agency journalists at FAO headquarters in Rome.
- Training and production sessions on the central issue of food security (intermediary contents) and on the reporting approach (collection, processing and dissemination of specific information).
- Development of training curricula and specific educational tools.
The contents that the service will disseminate are as follows:
- Information section: To be determined on the basis of a preliminary survey on the information and communication needs of the community radio stations and populations.
- Early warning section: To be determined according to the general approach and local as well as regional needs (in cooperation with FAO technical services).
At the end of the Workshop on “Rural Radio and Food Security”, organized in Rome by FAO, AMARC and the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network, the participants formulated a series of concrete recommendations for a better use and dissemination of food security information:
We, the participants to the Workshop on “Rural Radio and Food Security” held in Rome from 5 to 9 November 2001, recommend that:
1. Measures be taken, within FAO and in cooperation with AMARC and the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN), to make food security information more accessible, both to radios and populations, through the development of ready-to-use intermediary contents and radio scripts;
2. A special website be created within WAICENT and that it be fed by intermediary contents targeted at community media, for adapted utilization and dissemination. Such a website will also have to be available in the form of a CD-ROM to make up for difficult Internet access in certain countries;
3. As regards institutional support; an interdepartmental working group be created within FAO, responsible for following up and evaluating food security communication and information initiatives by rural radio broadcasters within the framework of AMARC;
4. Advocacy actions be undertaken for a better use of the food security early warning network at the national level, and its strengthening and support by intergovernmental agencies;
5. At the level of training; FAO supports training programmes for rural radio broadcasters in the field of food security and all other aspects concerning sustainable rural development, within the framework of the food security information agency that will be set up by AMARC in Africa;
6. As regards access to information on a national scale, FAO helps rural radio broadcasters access information and research tools available at FAO representations at the national level. Such a process should be accompanied by technical support provided by a local resource person in the targeted research areas. This process should also provide for logistical support to information collection at the level of populations, which may also be used by FAO.
Prepared in Rome on 9 November 2001.
The Workshop participants.
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[4] An AMARC programme.
http://moebius.amarc.org [5] http://www.fao.org/sd/2001/radio/index_en.htm |
