Transcript
Studio
It's Saturday mid-morning, and in northern Uganda the women members of three farmer groups draw close to their radio sets and listen carefully. As usual, the programme is offering a range of farming tips and useful information. The results of these broadcasts are to be seen in the farms and households of Kole County, as farmers Betty and Fatuma explain, they have used what they learned from the radio.
Fatuma
(Vernac) The information, more especially the radio, has helped them where to get the feeds for these chickens and how to treat the diseases for these chickens.
Okello
My name is Betty Okello. Keeping these animals has helped me to maintain my home, here you can see. Some of my girls, they have gone to school; they are now working. Even farming, I have got knowledge.
Studio
The programmes help groups too, as I find out when I visit Obang Atwero women's group.
Sawa
We are in a very big cassava plantation here. Who is the owner of this?
Ochan
This is for our group. We pay for the land. For example this one we hired at 15,000 shillings.
Sawa
And how do you use the radio to market your crops and improve it?
Ochan
They showed us how to get markets through the telephone. Then we take our advert to the radio and then from there we get the market.
Studio
The radio programme is linking the farmers to the markets but is also linking them to all types of ICT: phones, mobiles, text and the internet. At the Apac District Local Government Headquarters I meet with the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Ateng Francis, to see how enthusiastic local government is for ICT and agriculture.
Sawa
How do you see the future of Information Communication Technology in the farming sector for the people of Apac?
Ateng
Production minus ICT is as good as useless. We really need to have our farmers linked to the market. And to that effect we have even gone ahead with Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Industry and we are piloting the ICT. And we have already installed in town an internet facility, whereby our farmers can come and by a click on the computer they can be able to really look at the prices of commodities across the country. So that one can know what is selling best and where and at how much.
Studio
Internet access sounds promising for those who can visit the town. But many farmers don't go to town very often and may live in areas where the radio signal cannot reach. But they don't need to feel left out. The Kubere Information Centre copies the information programmes on to something which can get to where it's needed: audio cassettes.
Apio
We are listening to audio tape. So what we do is we bring these audio tapes back to them, to the villages or to parishes where we have our group members. Then we listen together with them. Where they do not understand they ask questions. Then we take it back to the district, they answer and we bring it back and disseminate to them.
Omoho
I am called Betty Omoho from Kok Can Ikweri Women group in Bala, Agege Parish. When the KIC started working with us they taught us how to plant our seeds in a good way, how to weed it and now we are getting better yields. They are also assisting us with a small amount of money which will also help us in our farming system.
Sawa
And when you are talking about radio we know there are batteries to buy and put into that radio and again we have like airtime. How do you afford these things?
Omoho
The money which we are having in our group because now we are not even very poor, we have small amount in our account.
Studio
The whole initiative is not just about using ICT to reach as many farmers as possible but also expanding the range of income-earning ideas. These include adding value to crops, growing high value crops outside of the main season - and even new, non-farming ventures.
Ingura
I am making a mat. We call radio and we tell them the products we have, then they come and buy. We always make our things as a group, then we sell it also as a group and that is why I have continuously kept on making pots in groups.
Ochan
I am called Susanna Ochan and I am knitting. We get information on radio that you can knit and also sell it, if you want your life to be easier.
Studio
All these channels and ideas are complementing what is being done by the local agricultural advisors. They could reach not more than 100 farmers a week in person. Now through the radio and the audio tapes they can reach many more, including those in remote areas that would be difficult to visit regularly.
Ogwang
My name is Yovani Ogwang the District Agricultural Officer. So we are public officers and we cannot reach everywhere. And there is no way we can reach these farmers, the population is so big. You find maybe just one extension worker covering one sub county. So ICT will help, actually passing this information. We just advise by making a follow up on what has already been heard.
Studio
Caroline Awoma is a radio presenter at Radio Apac. She hosts the weekly live talkshow programme, where she invites a successful farmer and an agricultural expert on different topics. Her long time experience has brought her closer to her listeners, making her not just a radio presenter but virtually an expert in agriculture too.
SFX
Music on radio programme.
Awoma
I am called Caroline Awoma. I host the programme from 4pm up to 5pm. Every Monday I go outside because some farmers may ask me with a question. When I say, No, I cannot answer, then we go and get the expert.
Studio
At the radio station, the local government and of course in the fields and homes of the women farmers who benefit, there is a lot of satisfaction at what has been achieved so far. But those involved do not think their job is done. They want to do better and are evaluating the programmes and the progress to see what they can learn and improve.
Apio
I am going to conduct an evaluation. (Vernac) We are assessing, since they started collaborating with us, what are some of the achievements, challenges and what do they want us to improve on.
Studio
At Agege village in Bala sub-county, more than 70 people are gathered at one of the evaluation meetings. I sit at the back with Stephen from Kubere Information Centre, to listen on what is being discussed.
Sawa
Can you just tell me in a summary what are the issues they are raising about?
Stephen
Some of them are saying that they lack knowledge about proper ways of weeding their crops and also some diseases do come and affect their crops. So that one is saying that Kubere Information always brings them the radio tapes like that one, so the rest of the community who are not group members also come and borrow these tapes. So they are also getting the same knowledge as the group members. So it is also helping the other people who are not in the group to also uplift their standard of farming.
Studio
Coming to Apac has been very inspiring. It has shown me how new technologies are bringing information and advice to new groups of women farmers, enabling them to earn money in new ways, and make the best of their land and resources. And as you can hear, it's something they are celebrating.
SFX
Singing. End of track.
