Spotlight on how radio is supporting farmers to respond to the drought in Ethiopia

| April 25, 2016

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This past January, farmers in the village of Hadegti in western Tigray, Ethiopia, raced to rescue their crops from a very unusual rainy season. Three consecutive failed rainy seasons had left little for them to harvest. Then, heavy rains threatened to destroy what was left.

Teshay Goitom was joined by 14 of his neighbours in the race to gather his harvest. He explained, “This year, we have experienced a delay of rainfall. Now, we are experiencing rainfall just when the crops were maturing—very untimely.”

Mr. Goitom and his neighbours have been relying on an agricultural radio program to help them navigate the unpredictable weather. He explains, “Radio can help us to deal with these difficulties through providing information on how to cope with the undesirable effects of the drought.”

Farmers turn to their local radio station because it is their source of regular and reliable agricultural information.

Dimtsi Weyane Tigray radio station airs a regular farmer program. As usual, the station had planned its upcoming broadcasts, which would include information on environmental conservation, micro-irrigation, growing vegetables, animal husbandry, beekeeping, nutrition, and marketing.

Gebrehiwot Tesfay is a broadcaster with Dimtsi Weyane Tigray. He says that, after hearing from many of its listeners, the station decided to change its programming to address the impact of the drought.

Gebrehiwot Tesfaye

Mr. Tesfay says a recent program had focused on water harvesting and the proper use of harvested water. He explains: “But then listeners, especially farmers, started to call and suggested that the agriculture program that had been broadcast wasn’t helping them address the existing seasonal situation of the region, because the summer [main season] rain was not satisfactory in most parts of the region…. For farmers without rain, the programs we planned were kind of senseless.”

During a drought, there is little need to discuss micro-irrigation or water harvesting. Farmers were more concerned with saving their remaining crops and animals, while preventing the spread of plant and animal diseases.

So, based on listener feedback, Dimtsi Weyane Tigray changed course.

The station aired programs on ways to cope with the drought, such as early harvesting, and ways to manage failed crops, such as using them for livestock feed. The programs also broadcast livestock prices for farmers looking to sell their animals. The broadcasters took care to discuss the weather forecast and the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Dimtsi Weyane Tigray is one of four radio stations working with Farm Radio International to develop demand-led interactive farm radio services in Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. But, given the recent drought in Ethiopia, Farm Radio International supported the station to adapt their programming and create a 10-week-long initiative on the drought and the resulting humanitarian response.

Because Dimtsi Weyane Tigray changed course, its listeners know they can continue to rely on the station for the agricultural information they need—rain or shine.