This edition’s stories from Ethiopia and Tanzania show the benefits of conservation agriculture. Our Script of the week goes into more depth on the topic.
Conservation agriculture is an approach to farming that aims to produce high yields and reduce production costs, while maintaining and improving soil fertility and conserving water.
Conservation agriculture is based on three principles or practices:
- Little or no tillage so that the soil is minimally disturbed.
- Keeping the soil permanently covered.
- Crop rotation and intercropping, also called crop association.
This script focuses on how minimum tillage can benefit farmers and minimize soil erosion.
This script is based on actual interviews. You could use this script as inspiration to research and write a script on a similar topic in your area. Or you might choose to produce this script on your station, using voice actors to represent the speakers.
You could also use this script as research material or as inspiration for creating your own programming on the benefits of practicing conservation agriculture. Talk to farmers, agricultural officers, and other experts.
You might ask them:
- What kind of farming problems could conservation agriculture solve in our area?
- How can frequent tilling affect the soil quality and structure?
- How can farmers who practice minimum tillage manage weeds and pests?
- Apart from speaking directly to farmers and other experts, you could use these questions as the basis for a phone-in or text-in program.
The estimated running time for this item, with signature tune, intro, and extro, is 20 minutes.
This script is also available in Amharic: https://scripts.farmradio.fm/am/radio-resource-packs/110-farm-radio-resource-pack/benefits-of-conservation-agriculture-amharic/ [1]
This script is also available in Amharic: https://scripts.farmradio.fm/am/radio-resource-packs/110-farm-radio-resource-pack/benefits-of-conservation-agriculture-amharic/ [1]