- Barza Wire - https://wire.farmradio.fm -

Good advice changes fortunes: but is it always taken?

Welcome to Farm Radio Weekly issue #246. This issue has an East African theme, with stories and news from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Many farmers in central Tanzania are suffering the effects of drought. Crops have failed for lack of water, and many people are affected by the resulting rise in food prices. Did the government not try hard enough to change farmers’ cropping habits in light of decreasing rainfall, or are farmers to blame for not taking government advice?

Ugandan farmer Josephine Acen started growing on land owned by her uncle. After attending courses run by Uganda’s National Agricultural Advisory Services, she discovered that growing cash crops helped her boost her income, providing extra money for housing and her children’s education.

Kenyan farmer Joshua Nyaruri decided five years ago to switch from his drought-affected wheat to a new variety of beans. The beans are ready to harvest in half the time and yield twice as much as traditional bean varieties, with a much lower requirement for water.

Search for Common Ground has published the fifth module in its series of guidebooks intended to build the capacity of independent rural radio stations in Africa. Find out how to get your copy in the resource section.

Keep broadcasting!

-the Farm Radio Weekly team