Farmers learn to improve productivity through video and radio
Region: Africa
Having access to up-to-date information on planting methods, market prices, weather and disease is crucial for smallholder farmers in Africa. Through the Fostering Agriculture Competitiveness Employing Information and Communication Technologies (FACET) project, FHI 360 is demonstrating how existing technologies can be used to share timely and accurate information to improve productivity and earnings. In May 2012, FHI 360 launched a low-cost video toolkit to share agricultural information and trained nearly 200 people from 11 countries in Africa on its use, including farmers groups, government ministries, local and international nongovernmental organizations and agribusinesses. By the end of 2012, the video toolkit had been accessed online more than 1,500 times. FACET also published a second toolkit to help practitioners leverage mobile phones to transform rural radio from a one-way information source to a two-way exchange of sharing and learning. FHI 360 is now looking to apply FACET’s successful strategies in other areas, such as health, civil society and education.
Funder: United States Agency for International Development
