| December 7, 2009

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    Greetings to all!

    We begin this week’s issue by sharing some sad news. Dr. George Atkins, Farm Radio International’s beloved founder, has passed away. As we mourn his loss, we are also proud to continue his legacy. We invite you to read about his life’s work as a broadcaster and farmers’ advocate in the Farm Radio Action section.

    We know that George was proud of FRW, and the growing community of people involved in broadcasting and agricultural work who subscribe to FRW. We extend a warm welcome to Farm Radio Weekly’s newest subscribers: Kana Aline, from the NGO Jeunesse Verte du Cameroun, in Cameroon; Bouhoyi Arielle Teddy, from the organization Projet de développement Rural (PRODER), in Congo Brazzaville; Taiwo Adewole, from Taiwo Adewole and Associates, in Nigeria; and Catherine Njuguna, from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, in Tanzania.

    The United Nations Climate Change Conference begins today in Copenhagen, Denmark. This conference will draw the attention of the world to the issue of climate change. This week’s FRW is also focused on this pressing issue. Our first news story explains why the topic of farmland grabbing, in Africa and beyond, will be raised at the UN conference. In the Upcoming Events section, you’ll find out how to access audio reports by a delegation of journalists from the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) in Copenhagen. And in the Radio Resource Bank, you’ll learn about a free, online course for journalists who want to better understand the science and policy issues around climate change.

    Next week, we will continue to look at climate change, as we share the responses of FRW subscribers who were asked: “Does your radio organization produce programs on climate change.” We’ll also offer a sneak peak at the next Farm Radio International script package, which focuses on climate change and small-scale farmers.

    Finally, we would like to thank all those who participated in the 2009 FRW Subscriber Survey. More than 130 subscribers completed the survey, and we thank each one of you for taking the time to provide us with feedback. In the coming weeks, we will carefully compile and review your responses, and look at ways to improve FRW to better meet your needs. As promised, we held a draw on December 4 for all those who completed the survey. The winner of a Sansa MP3 player was Ernest Kayanja from Radio Simba, in Uganda. Congratulations Ernest!

    Happy reading!
    -The Farm Radio Weekly Team