The United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF, 2019-2028) aims to unleash the potential of family farmers as ‘key agents of change’ to transform food systems in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. This is guided by a Global Action Plan (GAP) under which Pillar 4 calls for improved communication and ICT capacities, Rural… Read More
Media use in agriculture is an area of interest among sector members. In Sri Lanka, a group composed of staff from Rangiri Radio, Department of Export Agriculture, Wayamba University and LIRNEAsia, and researchers from the University of Alberta and the University of Guelph in Canada aimed to know the affordances of adopting radio+ (broadcast radio… Read More
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has the power to improve the socio-economic condition of communities, especially in developing countries like Bangladesh. As an agricultural nation, agricultural information is to improve the productivity and quality of life. However, in the 2018 study of Khalak et al., issues on access and affordability remained to be a major… Read More
Although the provision of Internet and mobile services has enabled farmers in developing counties to seek information on their own, there are still a few number of relevant contents that are available to them. There is, therefore, a need to develop more quality media and communication materials that can empower farmers and improve their farming… Read More
Social media, though many doubts exist on its use for sharing of information among farmers, is a popular ICT tool that has great potential to be used for knowledge sharing and social networking among farmers. In the 2018 case study of Thakur and Chander, the findings revealed that Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube are now being… Read More
Can community radios really contribute in building healthy communities? According to Ibrahim (2018), it is possible but only if the community radio is empowered and health communication perspective with local culture basis are important agenda. The author centered his observations on the three radio stations in the Pantura region in Indonesia namely: Arya FM; QLan FM;… Read More
In an article published at the South Asia @ LSE blog, Arshad Perwez shows that the improved mobile broadband in 2017 has helped onion farmers in India implement solutions to their storage problem. These farmers in the Sehore district earn an average of Rs 40,000-50,0000 per acre through onion cultivation. In a good season, their… Read More
A survey conducted with 100 farmers in South Surma Upazila, Bangladesh revealed that the majority (76%) had a medium favorable attitude toward agriculture-related television programs as source of agricultural information. A more favorable attitude was determined among farmers with larger farm size, higher educational qualification, higher annual family income, more farming experience, and more agricultural… Read More
Mobile phone has been an effective tool for rural and agricultural development. In a recent study conducted in Bangladesh, it revealed that most farmers used their mobile phones in obtaining and securing various crop farming information. The farmer-respondents sought information related to crop diseases and pest control followed by fertilizer management suggestions, and selection of… Read More
Today more than ever smallholders and rural communities require access to information and communication to make their voices heard and change their lives for the better. Communication for Development facilitates dialogue and collaborative action, combining participatory methods with communication tools ranging from community media to ICTs. The Communication for Rural Development Sourcebook provides communication practitioners,… Read More
