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We are reaching rural poor farmer listeners living in remote communities of Imo State, Nigeria with appropriate and sustainable agricultural development information in Igbo Language through The Smallholders Farmers Rural Radio.
We impart sustainable agricultural, environmental conservation and agri-business management skills on young people through the establishment of modern school gardens in primary and secondary schools.
We develop informative and educational radio broadcast scripts, jingles and drama which informs, educates and improves the economic development of smallholders in south eastern and south southern Nigeria.
We have educated and demonstrated to poor rural farmers modern approaches in crop cultivation, livestock rearing and sustainable environmental conservation.
The Smallholders Foundation is a non-governmental organization which promotes sustainable agricultural development and environmental conservation beneficial to rural poor small farmers, through educational radio programs and on field practical demonstrations.
Listen Africa is excited to establish a strategic alliance with Smallholders radio. The aim of Listen Africa is to encourage radio every way possible for change. One of the ways we will be encouraging radio among farmers and market people in Imo State is through our strategic partnership with Smallholders Foundation. We have agreed to jointly host radio competitions exclusively for listeners of Smallholders radio.
The competition will kick start in January 2012 and Listen Africa will donate solar-powered and wind up radios covering all twelve months of the year. For a start, we will donate twelve radios for 2012, one radio per month [and per winner]
The aim of this competition is to encourage participation/interaction in radio. Monthly winners of the competition will be selected by the Smallholders team. Criteria for winning could be entirely up to smallholders foundation
Listen Africa cannot influence whom will win these competitions neither can we suggest how the Smallholders Foundation will chose to select the monthly winners. Smallholders foundation can decide to give out the radios to 'farmer of the month' or how best they chose.
Having stated before, Listen Africa will donate 12 radios to Smallholders, but this is subject to change as our sponsorship gets better. In the same year, we might chose to upgrade to weekly competitions and donate more radios.
Listen Africa might also donate portable radios[world receivers] for the young [high school] listeners and participants of smallholders radio and agricultural activities.
From time to time, Listen Africa will chose to distribute radios to our target audience [the people Smallholders Foundation work with] on special occasions aside this competition. This is not herewith entailed, but shall communicate with smallholders, should we set out for this.
Courtesy of our friend Ms. Sarah Revi Sterling, Director of the Masters in ICT4D at the University of Colorado at Boulder, we hosted 2 engineering students of the university, Mahmoud Alhujani and Kevin Mcgregor.
The highly professional students installed the new 2 way feedback device Asterix, at the Smallholder Farmers Rural Radio.
With Asterix which operates over a wifi communication connection and configured mobile telephones, listeners can listen to radio broadcasts, record and send feedback to the rural radio free of charge!!
Dr. Kevin Starr, Executive Director of the prestigious Rainer Arnhold Fellowship program and Mulago Foundation visited The Smallholders Foundation and the Rural Radio in company of the Programs Manager of the Foundation Ms Mahri Holt.
Nnaemeka is a Fellow of the Rainer Arnhold Fellowship Program, a social entrepreneurs grooming program of Mulago Foundation. During their 2 days visit Kevin and Mahri interacted with smallholder farmer listeners of the rural radio and the staff of the Smallholders Foundation.
After a long and strenuous work conducting baseline survey, we are happy to announce that we have established 95 "Climate Change on Air Farmer Listener Clubs" in 95 Local Government Areas of the entire south-eastern region of Nigeria of radio drama coverage. The listener clubs will listen to radio drama and make feedback to The Smallholders Foundation.
They will also receive solar powered radios and feedback devices to listen and make the feedback.
