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Rural radio and community media: Empowering rural youth for resilient livelihoods and improved food security and nutrition

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is celebrating this year’s World Radio Day [1] on February 13 by convening a discussion on the role that radio and community media play in the lives of rural people. Their particular focus is West Africa, but everyone is invited to join the discussion!

Radio is the most accessible way to share information among the poor, especially in remote areas, as anyone can receive a signal with a basic set and a couple of batteries. One of radio’s strengths is that it can easily convey information in local languages, which strengthens community values and the sense of belonging.FQ2 [2]

Local and community radio stations in particular often broadcast content contributed by listeners, and use it for a variety of purposes, including sharing knowledge, building capacity, and mobilizing communities. Also, combining radio with other media, especially the internet and mobile phones, creates a wide variety of new approaches to communication for development.

FAO is calling for the public to:

1) respond to specific questions on their website, and;
2) share food and agriculture stories and programs that either target youth or are created by young radio-makers.

Don’t hesitate to make your voice heard and to highlight your favourite radio stations and programs in this online discussion!

For more information, go to: http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/west-africa/rural-radio [3]