Radio has always been one of the most widespread modes of broadcasting. Since a long time ago, it has been the primary source of information in remote areas. In India, All India Radio provides radio service throughout the nation. Apart from this though, many other radio services also exist. Radio has played major role in mobilizing masses at the time of the independence movement in our country and continues to be used as a medium of information consumption and recreation by large number of people in India. Even today, television and internet have not penetrated into the country as much as Radio. One factor behind it being so popular has been the low cost of Radio. A small receiver can be purchased and it connects the user to a world full of information and entertainment. With clear and visible advantages, radio has been used to send social messages and guidance to people. Agriculture itself has rightfully made use of radio. People in remote villages with small farms also have access to Agriculture news and guidance services via radio. Indian Agriculture Research Institute has provided assistance to farmers through radio. Government stations also hold small sessions where they invite speakers to discuss on various agriculture issues. There have also been a number of radio based ICT initiatives specific to agriculture that impart information about a wide range of things such as crops, oilseeds and pulses, horticulture, seed, fertilizer, plant protection, machinery, rain fed farming, natural resources management, agriculture marketing, plan and policy and new practices in agriculture. Some of them such as Krishi Jagat on All India Radio (AIR) also share success stories of farmers.
Within its capacity, radio is being used to maximize information distribution. But one of the major issues with using radio is that it is a one-way communication channel. Feedback from listeners is not possible on radio. In order to facilitate communication between the listeners and the radio channels, other technologies have to be integrated along. For the same cause, an interesting direction being taken up by a number of initiatives nowadays is to augment the radio with ICT tools to make it a 2-way communication channel. GramVaani and AvaajOtala are examples of such systems working in India. Farm Radio International, Freedom Fone, and Frontline SMS Radio are active in Africa. We will see more details about each of these initiatives in future posts on the blog. As per [1], there is a 50% more likelihood of farmers adopting new agricultural practices when they are actively engaged in the generation of content on the radio channels and their feedback is sought than those who are just passive listeners to these radio channels. The essence of advancing radio as a continued source of distribution is that people are most familiar with it. Mobile phones are the only other technology which has spread into remote areas like radio. And with these initiatives, both can be integrated to maximize support and assistance for rural farmers. We still haven’t reached the ultimate solution, but every small step towards the cause is to be respected and appreciated. Hopefully, radio will continue to be as helpful as it has always been.
[1] Farm Radio Report. Farm Radio International. Available from: http://www.farmradio.org/wp-content/uploads/farmradio-prcreport20111.pdf
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