Nelly Bassily | May 6, 2013
In this week’s story from Zimbabwe, a farmer switches from growing maize to growing small grains, including sorghum, because small grains tolerate drought better than maize. Many farmers across Africa are faced with a similar decision.
Our script of the week focuses on a dry area of Karamoja in northeastern Uganda, where drought and hunger are regular features of life. Sorghum and millet provide most of the community’s nutrition.
In this script, we hear from a farmer who reports that his usual variety of sorghum is not doing well. He decides to plant a new, drought-tolerant variety. The switch proves to be a success! With the new variety, the farmer can feed his family and buy needed household goods. The new and improved quick-maturing type of sorghum is called Sekedo. Using Sekedo and other drought-tolerant varieties can help farmers adapt to shorter rainy seasons.
http://www.farmradio.org/archived-radio-scripts/?rscript=84-1script_en