Pitch
The project empowers women small farmers to produce and broadcast climate change adaptation and management strategies using radio dramas.
Description
Summary
Over 1.5 million small farmers especially women living in Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria knows very little about the risks associated with climate change, it’s impact on their agricultural productivity and income. Ironically they are presently facing visible changes in weather patterns. Small farmers can only mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change when they are educated to understand its impacts and starts implementing micro adaptation initiatives that will make them resilient against climate change.
The challenge has always been to bring such information to large numbers of people in a context of limited literacy. Radio is widely available, affordable and not constrained by illiteracy. This application is to empower 30 women small farmers to produce and broadcast a 10 episode radio drama on climate risk management strategies in the local Igbo Language. The drama will be broadcasted once a week for a 36 weeks (9 months) period on Heartland FM 100.5 Owerri.
The radio drama will be broadcasted twice a week for a period of 18 weeks (5 months) through the Heartland FM Owerri. This radio drama will reach an estimated 1.2 million farmers listeners across the state. We will establish 10 listeners club with at least 20 members each, in the community. Each group will be empowered with a Smart Phone to enable us generate immediate feedbacks based on the series of topics learnt per week. The groups on their own shall discuss transparently on topics broadcasted and led climate change adaptation initiatives based on lessons learnt to their members respectively.
Through this approach we will strengthen the climate risk management capacity of smallholder farmers in Imo State and stimulate them to develop indigenous micro climate risks management techniques to secure their livelihood.
Is this proposal for a practice or a project?
Project
What actions do you propose?
Selection of Women smallholders broadcast team
The project will select and establish a team of 30 women smallholder farmers drawn from the entire local government areas of broadcast coverage through a competitive process that will underscore the importance of having women perform the entire broadcast delivery.
Training Workshop
5 days training exercise will be conducted for the small team of 30 women smallholders to equip them with skills in writing an entertaining radio broadcast script, developing radio serial drama, performing radio drama and operating radio simple broadcast equipments.
Discussion and itemization of drama key components
The 5 days training will be followed with 5 days radio drama development sessions. This will be facilitated by The People and Planet Life Foundation and 2 trainers who are a renowned climate change scientist and a radio drama communication expert. The trainers are drawn from Imo State University, Owerri. The radio drama development session will draw up and animate the 10 episode drama, with each drama lasting for a broadcast period of 13 minutes.
Animation and recording of drama
10 episode climate change radio drama will cover a specific climate risk management topic that will secure the livelihood of smallholders. They will be in sustainable water and soil management, mixed cropping, minimizing bush burning, constructing contour bunds around farmlands to prevent erosion and flooding, recycling water, enacting and enforcing laws to protect community streams and rivers, water storage and using drought-resistant plants. Others are on growing salt-tolerant crops or varieties where soil is contaminated with salt, growing heat-tolerant crops , growing cassava where rains are uncertain, livestock management practices , reducing livestock density, changing the mix of browsers and grazers , restoring degraded areas, developing new fish harvesting technologies , planting multi-use trees, coping with extreme weather events, withstanding strong winds, avoiding using slash and burn methods to clear land, pest and diseases and on using renewable energies. Radio drama will cover stimulating social/community responses, enabling community preparedness and on lobbying methodologies for local, state and national policies that support farmers’ adaptation to climate change.
Production of radio drama
The women will take charge of adding jingles and sound effects to each of the 10 drama at the studios of Heartland FM Owerri. Animation voices will be sharpened and final editing would be done at studio. Advertisement airtime would be sold to willing buyers and slots created during the drama for such adverts.
Establishment of smallholder’s listeners clubs
Smallholders who are targeted audience for listening will be mobilized in all the 27 local government areas of broadcast coverage. 27 Smallholders Listeners Clubs will be established across the 27 local government areas. A smart phone will be given to each for immediate feed backs.
Broadcasting of radio drama
An episode of the climate risk management drama will be aired once a week on Heartland 100.5 FM Owerri, a community radio owned by Imo State and Federal Government of Nigeria. The radio drama will be aired for the first time 15 minutes every Wednesday of the week for a period of 4 and 2 weeks months. It will be aired for the second time 15 minutes every Friday of the week for another period of 4 and 2 weeks months. This makes the entire radio drama airing period a total of 9 months.
Production of Interim reports
Mid-term reports on the implementation of the project will be produced and submitted to Climate Colabs.
Monitoring and evaluation
Though monitoring of the project will be an ongoing after every activity to assess input and output. There will be a final evaluation of the project to assess the entire project input and output.
Compilation and dissemination of Final project report
To fully document lessons learnt the mid-term report, the results of the entire project monitoring and evaluation, videos, pictures and media clips will be compiled into a single comprehensive report. This report will be submitted to the Climate Colab and other interested organizations for the purposes of refining the idea, scaling up and replication.
Who will take these actions?
The Executive Director of The People and Planet Life Foundation (PPLF) Mr. Chukwudi Anyanaso will be responsible for the coordination of the entire project. Miss Chinonyerem Ethel and Dr. Mrs Lucy .M. Apakama will be in charge of the selection of the women using our Climate Women Selection Template (CWST). Mr. Chukwudi and Head of Heartland FM 100.5 Owerri Radio station and with the women will develop the drama section edit it and add animations. Heartland FM 100.5 Owerri shall ensure weekly broadcast of the drama, collection of feedback messages from the audience as well as lessons learned.
Mr. Chukwudi, and the entire People and Planet Life Foundation (PPLF) members will be responsible for continous monitory and evaluation of the entire project and will be making interim and final narrative reporting to the coLABS team. Voice feedback from smallholder’s listeners clubs, test forms, monthly qualitative and quantitative field surveys, local print and electronic media coverage, photos and videos will be used to document activities for the purposes of accountability and learning. PPLF team will employ indicators that documents a monitoring and evaluation analysis and answers:
- Has the target audience heard the radio programs? How many of them have heard them? How frequently did they hear them?
These questions will measure reach (the percentage of the target audience reached) and frequency (how often they were reached).
- What have they learned from the spots? What do they remember from what they have heard? How relevant do they think this is to them?
These questions measure recall—what rural households remembered—and how important they think it is.
- Is the targeted audience doing what the radio program has suggested? Why or why not? Have they tried to do it?
These questions measure to what extent listeners have tried to change behaviour and to what extent those who have tried it have adopted it.
- Has local and state government officials reacted? In what ways have they reacted? Has state-wide policies been developed? Which ones have been developed?
These will answer questions of effective policies developed by state and local government as a result of the radio program.
Where will these actions be taken?
The Actions will take place in Imo State Southeast region of Nigeria. Imo State, Nigeria is an agrarian state inhabited by over 4.5 million smallholder farmers. Indigenes of this state shares similar language – Igbo Language, customs, cultural identity and local government areas that make up the state are within close proximity to each other. The state a single ecological feature with fast disappearing rainforests, semi-hot, humid equatorial temperature, high relative humidity and intense rainfall. With a state population of 4.5 million, agriculture accounts for over 80% of the local employment workforce. The agricultural production is subsistence agriculture of smallholders mostly women. Popular local crops are maize, pumpkin vegetables, cassava, yam and livestock reared are poultry, pigs, goats and sheep. The local land system is based on traditional land tenure system which in some cases does not encourage the farming expansion of the rural poor. This system includes individual and family land ownership. The state is blessed with immense oil wealth. But paradoxically in spite of this wealth is one of Nigeria’s most poor states. According to the UNDP Nigeria 2008 Human Development Report, 71% of the state’s total population lives below $1 per day and 92% of the entire population lives below $2 per day. 80 % of those living below the poverty line are rural dwellers who are smallholders. The high incidence of poverty is as a result of years of neglect of the smallholder’s agricultural production and the lack of efforts to partner with smallholders in efforts for their development.
In addition, specify the country or countries where these actions will be taken.
Nigeria
Country 2
No country selected
Country 3
No country selected
Country 4
No country selected
Country 5
No country selected
Impact/Benefits
What impact will these actions have on greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?
1.0. Our project will strengthen the climate risk management capacity of smallholder farmers in the targeted local government areas and stimulate them to develop indigenous micro climate risks management techniques to secure their livelihood.
2.0. The project will increase smallholder’s knowledge of climate change, enable them prepare effectively for mitigation and adaptation, analyze the effects of climate change on women’s and men’s agriculture, their abilities and capacities to cope.
3.0. The action will increase women smallholders’ confidence in their ability to make changes in the community and of the value of organizing themselves to take action against climate change. It will build a regional momentum that leads to government at all levels to take action that will reduce the vulnerability of smallholders to climate change by engaging them and empowering local communities to implement mitigation strategies.
In summary Climate Change on Air Program was created to bridge the information gap between emerging knowledge, lessons learned and guidance on Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Smart Agriculture and rural farmers. The project focuses on training, capacity development and awareness creation of Climate Change Adaptation to rural poor smallholders Farmers in Nigeria. It does this by selecting and training smallholder’s farmers who are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change in the design, production and broadcasting of serial educational radio dramas on selected topics on Climate Change Adaptation in their local Languages.
Our approach promotes the participation of women in advocating for climate justice and take part in the climate justice to influence global climate change negotiations and be key decision makers to matters as such as they are most affected and displaced by climate change effect. Through this program women will learn how to amplify their voices and get their messages across the international policy makers. as well as build a network were the can share knowledge and protect their interest.
What are other key benefits?
- The project will empower through information and education of smallholders farmers in the South-south Region of Nigeria to adapt to climate change that threaten their farming activities and living condition
- It will promote wide campaign and preparedness for climate change impacts among smallholder farmers in the region.
- Will integrate women participation in climate change adaptation policy making and advocacy into national, sectoral, state and local government planning and into the plans of universities, research and educational organizations, civil society organizations, the private sector and the media.
- The project will enable smallholder farmers engage and initiate communication and public voices on climate change adaptation that will improve their livelihood conditions.
- As rural women smallholders leads community driven development projects it will translate to cross-sectional resilience across hazards
Costs/Challenges
What are the proposal’s projected costs?
Activity 1: Selection of women Smallholders
Amount: 1000 USD
Indicator 1: Selection Templates, List of Women Selected,
Activity 2: Organization of Training workshops
Amount: 3000 USD
Indicator 2: Receipts of Hall rentage, Training manuals, Workshop Training Photos and Videos,
Activity 3: Discussion and Itemization of drama Key points
Amount: 1300 USD
Indicator 3: List of topics developed
Activity 4: Animation and Recording of Drama
Amount: 3200 USD
Indicator 4: Daily climate change adaptation topics recorded
Activity 5: Production of Radio Drama
Amount: 2000 USD
Indicator 5: List of daily productions
Activity 6: Establishment of Farmers Listeners Club
Amount: 3400 USD
Indicator 6: Feedback forms, Voice Feedbacks, List of Listeners Club and their names,
Activity 7: Broadcasting of Radio Drama
Amount: 4100 USD
Indicator 7: Weekly broadcast bills, Voice Feedbacks, list of questions asked by Listeners Club, Monthly meetings with Listeners Clubs
Activity 8: Production of Interim Report
Amount: 500 USD
Indicator 8: Photos and Videos, Feedback forms, Pre-project questionnaires and Post project Questionnaires, Baseline Survey Sheet.
Activity 9: Monitoring and Evaluation
Amount: 1200 USD
Indicator: Photos and Videos, Feedback forms, Pre project questionnaires and Post project Questionnaires, Baseline Survey Sheet
Activity 10: Compilation and Dissemination of Final Project Report
Amount: 300 USD
Indicator: Photos and Videos, Feedback forms, Pre project questionnaires and Post project Questionnaires, Baseline Survey Sheet
Total Amount= 20,000 USD.
Timeline
Selection of women smallholders 1 week
Organization of training workshops 1 week
Discussion and Itemization of drama key components 1 month
Animation and Recording of Drama 2 months
Production of Radio Drama 1 months
Establishment of Farmers Listeners Club 2 months
Broadcasting of Radio Drama 5 months
Production of Interim Report 1 week
Monitoring and Evaluation-Throughout the entire project activities
Compilation and Dissemination of Final Project Report- 1 week
Total project duration= 12 Months
About the author(s)
Chukwudi Anyanaso – Executive Director, The People and Planet Life Foundation (PPLF)
Mr. chukwudi ANYANASO is a leading social entrepreneur, a farmer and an engineer, WAFA Award winner 2018 and a Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni 2016 were he was placed at the Appalachian state university Boone North Carolina under civic leadership education. Mr. Chukwudi is also rural ICT development expert and the founder of the FarmBracket a social venture that enables smallholder farmers sell their produce on time and avoid spoilage through the utilization of timely and relevant low cost tools for information, communication and trade transaction with buyers. He is responsible for strategic leadership. He also manages the operations, mobilizes and sensitizes the communities about climate change women economic empowerment.
Ms. Chinonyerem Ethel .A. - Programs Manager, The People and Planet Life Foundation (PPLF).
Conservation biologist and communication specialist with a Bachelor Degree in Biology from Federal University of Technology Yola Adamawa State, Nigeria. Has managed several international donor supported livelihood projects. Develops agricultural and environmental conservation radio broadcast programs and field capacity building curriculum.
Related Proposals
Not Applicable
References
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