1. Joel Sam & Lucy Dzandu (Mrs.)
Presentation at 3rd IAALD Africa Chapter
Conference, Emperors Palace, Johannesburg,
South Africa, 21-23 May 2012

2. * A network of agricultural libraries and information centres in
Ghana
* Established in 1991 – GOG/World Bank NARP
* Brings together the creators, disseminators and users of
agricultural research information in Ghana
* Increase information sharing and collectively address their
common needs
* Revitalize library and information system in the agricultural
sector
* Make information easily available and accessible to research and
academia

3.  Research scientists, lecturers, research managers, policy managers,
students, extension agents and farmers
 International Partners: CORAF/WECARD, CTA, FAO, FARA, KIT
• Question and Answer Service, Institutional Repository, ICM
Policy/Strategy, Knowledge sharing, Database subscription,
Technical backstopping
 Undue focus on researchers and lecturers to the neglect of farmers,
fishermen and extension agents
◦ QAS – farmers, fishermen and extension agents

4. • Agricultural information dissemination channels - libraries and information
centres, radio and television; posters and the informal channel of oral
communication
•Challenges and lessons learnt in the provision of agricultural information to farmers
under the CTA supported QAS project in Ghana
• Radio - medium through which the information needs of farmers could be met
• Many peasant farmers who live in the rural areas of the country
• Illiterate and lack the formal skills to read and understand technical research
findings
• Partnership with community radio stations with CTA’s support
• to reach more Ghanaian farmers in their own local languages
• to disseminate agricultural research findings to them
• to help them identify solutions to their farming problems

5. • Started in 2003/2004 with Radio Peace, Winneba, Central Region
• serves 7 out of ten districts of the Central region of Ghana
• est. 5,000 people listen to the agricultural programme
• broadcast in the local language (Fante)
* Royals FM – a community Radio station, Wenchi, Brong Ahafo Region
* broadcast in Asante Twi known as Kua Pa Ye (Good Farming Practices)
* Thirty three community information centres in Wenchi & Tain districts linked
to the programme
• Rite FM is a commercial radio station based in Somanya in the Eastern region
• broadcast in Twi and Krobo (the local dialects)
• streamed on the internet (www.ritefmonline.com) to get feedback from a wider
audience
• Lorlornyo FM is also a commercial radio station in Hohoe in the Volta Region
• The broadcast covers over ten districts in the Volta region, parts of the Eastern
region and part of Togo
• Ewe and Akan are used to air the radio programme

6. •Live broadcast for one hour once a week with a repeat broadcast
• Issue for the week advertised prior to the broadcasting
•Topic chosen based on an analysis made of the questions received either by the radio
station or the coordinating centre and the FAQs form the basis for the broadcast series
• The resource person(s) introduce the issue, discuss it for about thirty minutes
•Listeners are then allowed to phone-in or send text messages (literate farmers) to ask
follow-up questions, seek further clarifications, access information, and share knowledge
with other listeners
•Those who phone-in have their contact details and questions registered by the
receptionist of the radio station – follow-up

7. • The phone-in facility and sending of text messages
• provides a good feedback mechanism to evaluate the programme
• receive follow-up of related questions
• makes the programme more participatory
• interesting and widens the listenership
• Farmers who do not have the means or know how to call into programmes are encouraged
• to visit the radio stations with their problems or
• success stories so that it can be shared with a wider community
• Align programming with the various farming seasons
• farmers can be provided with timely and pertinent information for the farming season
* Role of coordinating centre and radio stations in developing content
• Resource persons – Lecturers, Research Scientists, Extension Agents and Farmers

8. ◦ Radio Peace (2009): 477 farmers improved livelihood
 improved production practices
 adoption of improved technologies
 new businesses - agro-chemical shops - off season activities
 Rite FM (2011) - 400 respondents, scattered in 13 communities,
located in 7 districts from 3 regions.
◦ Programme relevant to the agricultural information needs of
respondents
◦ Majority of the respondents gained new knowledge
◦ Improved agronomic practices
◦ Modifications in terms of time of presentation

9. • Reduced level of catch:
• primarily because of foreign fishing vessels encroaching on the 3 kilometer
zone protected under international law.
• reefs were also being destroyed as well
• action taken to address the problem when the issue was broadcast by Radio
Peace, Winneba
•Farmers no longer use intense labour to clear their fields, mostly depend on
weedicides
• challenges regarding the proper application of the product
• experts provided by Royals FM - farmers applying half of what was prescribed
• special programme was aired to deal with the situation
• farmers later called to the programme to report of improvement in clearing
their fields
• Problem with his cashew production
• very little cashew on maturity
• experts provided by Royals FM - problem with spacing and thick canopy
• advised to prune
• production increased significantly

10.  Duration of the programme – one hour per week
 Language barriers – some resource persons not
fluent in the local, speaks in English and
translated by the host
 Communication skills –programme not
interesting
 Road network – the poor road infrastructure, very
difficult for follow-up activities to be undertaken

11. • Enriched the work of the farmers and extension agents
•Phone-in facility resulted in issues of concern to the listeners being
addressed on the spot by experts
•Variety to the programmes due to the varied nature of the resource
persons and their background knowledge
• Improved information sharing among farmers
• Increased the outreach of responses to FAQs
• More people have answers to issues of concern to them
• Increased listenership
•Record keeping and community entry in all the radio stations improved
significantly

12.  Farmers have improved their production practices, through adoption of new
technologies
 Positive impact on the lives of the rural community
 Increased knowledge sharing among farmers, improved livelihood, food
security, and enhanced rural development
 Collaborate with all the district agricultural information centres (AICs) of the
Ministry of Food and Agriculture
 Collaboration will assist greatly in reaching majority of the farmers and
fishermen in a cost-effective manner
 Exchange of radio programmes among the radio to use. This could help
increase farmers and extension agents’ access to agricultural information

13. • Instead of a repeat broadcast, the previous
broadcast be discussed by the same resource
persons briefly and the rest of the time given to the
listeners to ask questions
•Direct linkage between the GAINS and the
Community Information Centres
• Thank You