The five-year Farmer Voice Radio (FVR) initiative was primed by Khulisa in the project’s fourth year. Using widely-accessible technology for knowledge diffusion, FVR worked with agricultural extension services, radio stations, and other key implementing partners to improve the quality and quantity of agricultural extension information to farmers for greater food security and improved livelihoods.
Khulisa recently received feedback from one of FVR’s project partners in Kenya – Kilimo Media International (KiMI) – that the project is continuing in Kenya with minimum donor support. KiMI completed a first phase of broadcasting agricultural information to smallholder farmers in five counties in Kenya. The second phase will reach another five counties over three years.
“The support we continue to receive from the Kenya’s county departments (ministries) of agriculture is encouraging,” says KiMI Director, Pamela Mburia.
KiMI’s feedback provides evidence of the project’s value to farmers in Kenya and, in turn, its potential for longer term sustainability. To read more visit: Kilimomedia.or.ke – Kilimo Media International casts her net wider in 2018
I can confirm the sustainability assertion; Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) was one of the grantees of the project and to date continue to produce radio programmes based on the capacity built during the Farmer Voice Radio Project. The five radio stations involved in the project continue to broadcast agriculture programmes with a spill over effect to the other sister stations at KBC. Pwani FM continues to run the weekly programme ‘Makala ya Kilimo’ and the Agtips in Swahili and in Mijikenda the local coastal dialect. The radio producers who gained training and experience in agriculture programming are now respected journalists in the agriculture sector and continue to mentor upcoming journalists. Sustainability transcends quantity to skills passed onto generations of journalists!