Notes to broadcasters on grain amaranth:

    | March 29, 2010

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    Adaptation to climate change is a pressing issue for small-scale farmers, and a subject on which Farm Radio International has provided many resources. Adaptation takes many forms. It can mean choosing hardy, fast-growing crops, as the Kenyan farmers from this week’s news story have done. It can also involve water and soil management to cope with changing weather patterns.

    To find Farm Radio scripts on climate change topics of relevance to your audience, we invite you to browse through the online script bank: http://farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/climate.asp.

    For assistance in producing local stories about climate change and climate change adaptation, see the issue pack on Awareness of Climate Change, from our latest script package: http://farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/89-1script_en.asp.

    Finally, here are some ideas for producing a call-in and text-in show, or a locally researched news story,
    on climate change:

    1) Local climate change observations:
    -What differences in seasonal temperature and rainfall patterns have people observed?
    -Have floods and/or droughts been more frequent in the last 20-30 years than in previous decades?
    -What differences in the properties of soil have been seen in recent decades?
    -What differences in vegetation have been seen, including crops, pasture, and wild plants?

    2) Local adaptation techniques:
    -What crops have farmers struggled with, and which have proven well-suited to new conditions?
    -What sorts of feeding and care techniques have livestock farmers used to cope with new conditions?
    -What techniques are farmers using to prevent flooding and make the best use of available water?
    -What other steps have farmers taken to maintain food security in the case of severe drought or floods?