Issue #101

After celebrating our 100th edition last week with some of your (and our) favourite news stories, we return to a regular edition featuring some noteworthy current events. We also welcome the following new subscribers to this edition, and to the Farm Radio Weekly community: Ulrich Vidjingninou, from the NGO APRETECTRA in Benin; Lyman Ad, from Samaritan Touch Multimedia Ltd. in Nigeria; Fall Madior, from the USAID Wula Nafaa project in Senegal; Virginia Jekanyika, from Dicomm in Zimbabwe; Anthony Appiah, from the Fisheries Commission, and John Imoro Amoro, from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, both in Ghana; Moses Opondo, from Pambazuka News, and John Nene, from Pamoja FM, both in Kenya; and Jean Armand Bokally Dande, from the Cameroonian Association of Agricultural Journalists, Richard Ndi Tamnjong, from Donga Mantung Community Radio, and Austin Ngenge, from SEYDEV, all in Cameroon.

Our first news story of the week comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where some innovative rural residents have discovered a type of livestock that is easy to raise and difficult to steal. You may be surprised to learn the animal they are rearing for meat and income! Our second news story reports on the continuing process of land registration in Rwanda. You’ll learn how this process is resolving disputes among neighbours, though some criticize the process.

Read on to find out what’s happening at the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s General Conference in April, and how you can be entered in a draw for a Flip camcorder just by registering for free courses at News University. Finally, check out the Farm Radio Action section. We present the results of our survey about the online social networking community that we are working on.

Happy reading!

-The Farm Radio Weekly Team

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1. Democratic Republic of the Congo: Guinea pigs make their way into homes and diets (AFP, CIAT)

2. Rwanda: Land registry aims to reduce conflict (Syfia Grands Lacs, New Times)

Upcoming Events

-April 17-21, 2010: Commonwealth Broadcasting Association General Conference

Radio Resource Bank

-News University offers online training for journalists, editors, and managers

Farm Radio Action

-Summary of survey results for Farm Radio online social networking community

Farm Radio Script of the Week

-Raising rabbits for meat and profit

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Small, furry rodents have been found in some Congolese homes. They eat kitchen scraps and breed often. But don’t worry, they’re not pests. They’re guinea pigs. And they can be an important source of protein for families.

Guinea pigs are native to South America. In many South American countries, guinea pig meat forms a major part of local diets. It has been compared in taste to pork, dark chicken meat, or rabbit.

No one knows how or when guinea pigs arrived in Africa. But, last year, an international research group discovered them in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Now, rural people in North and South Kivu districts are raising the rodents as “micro-livestock.”

There are many reasons why guinea pigs are well-suited to this part of the country. As part of ongoing conflicts, larger livestock are frequently stolen. But guinea pigs are small and easy to conceal. They are also hardy animals. They can survive off scraps. And they suffer from fewer diseases than pigs, chickens, or rabbits.

Guinea pigs reproduce often and grow quickly. A female can give birth to as many as 15 pups per year. The offspring reach one kilogram in about three months – ready to be eaten or sold at market.

Researchers at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, or CIAT, were looking for ways to boost livestock production when they found locals raising guinea pigs. The group had originally focused on pork and poultry.

Michael Peters leads the Forages Program at CIAT. He says no one had contemplated guinea pigs when the program started. Now, he believes the rodents could prove indispensible.

CIAT hopes to assist rural communities to improve animal feeding practices. This will result in larger, healthier animals. For example, they hope to identify periods when animal feed is in short supply, and find ways to fill the shortage. CIAT will also investigate which forages encourage guinea pigs to grow more quickly and produce more nutritious meat.

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In rural Rwanda, trees and hedges commonly grow along farmers’ fields. They are used to indicate property boundaries. But these boundaries can change. By moving trees, a farmer can try to extend his or her property at the expense of a neighbour. This is one of the problems that the Rwandan government hopes to fix through a national land registry.

Conflict over land is an ongoing problem in Rwanda. Population density is high. In southern Rwanda, there are as many as 1,000 people per square kilometre. In the village of Ruhango in southern Rwanda, a man killed his neighbour last year in a bid to take over his land.

Through the process of officially demarcating and registering land, land disputes are being settled. It’s not always easy to determine boundaries. So each owner is invited to show the borders of their plot. When the neighbours agree, the plots are officially measured and land certificates are granted.

To date, more than 20,000 plots of land have been registered. Evode Ngombwa is a spokesperson for the National Land Centre. He says the need to solve disputes has slowed the registration process. The government expects the process will take at least three years.

Mr. Ngombwa believes that land registration will help people greatly. With documents to confirm land ownership, farmers will be able to use their land as collateral for bank loans.

The land registration process is also a chance for women to assert their land rights. A local organization for the defense of genocide survivors is calling for its members, especially widows and children, to receive special protection through the process.

But not everyone is confident that land registration will resolve their conflicts. Tensions have been brewing since the return of refugees from the 1994 genocide. A resident of Ngoma in eastern Rwanda complained that authorities forced villagers to share land with returning refugees. But, over time, some returnees have been able to purchase more land. The resident argues that those refugees who have acquired more land should return the land they were originally given.

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In past editions of FRW, we have looked at African farmers who experiment with all sorts of “micro-livestock,” including rabbits, snails, butterflies, and even silk worms. Some alternative livestock, such as rabbits and guinea pigs, are reportedly easy to raise, compared to others that are difficult to control or highly vulnerable to disease.

Still, for every kind of livestock, a specific set of skills is required to breed, rear, and maintain them in good health. You may wish to prepare a program or series of programs featuring one kind of alternative livestock that is raised in your area. Consider featuring successful farmers and other local experts who can explain what someone needs to know to successfully raise and market the livestock.

For more information on micro-livestock, visit the following:
-From The Overstory, The Agroforestry E-journal: http://www.agroforestry.net/overstory/overstory41.html
-From The New Agriculturalist: http://www.new-ag.info/99-3/focuson.html

Farm Radio International has produced many scripts about raising livestock, large and small. Follow this link for scripts on topics such as feeding animals through the dry season, preventing and treating animal disease, and alternative livestock such as snails and bees: http://farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/livestock.asp.

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Land rights are an issue of top concern to farmers and a justifiable focus of agricultural news. The threat posed by land-grab attempts by large corporations and foreign governments captures a great deal of attention. But concerns such as land rights for indigenous people and women, and conflict over land at the community level, also demand media attention. Here, we present some resources and programming ideas for exploring some of these land rights issues: http://www.afrik.com/article14727.html
-Resources for Journalists, produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute, on land rights in Africa: http://www.ifpri.org/media/20060518Land.asp

Indigenous peoples’ land rights
-Are there peoples in your country who have been displaced by former regimes and are now resettled, or wish to resettle, on ancestral lands?
-Are there national laws, policies and procedures to return land to those who have been displaced? If so, are they being implemented? If not, why not?
-If peoples have been resettled, through what process did they obtain the right to return to the land?
-What challenges did the people face after resettlement and how did they overcome them?
-If people have been resettled on farmland, do they have the skills and financial resources to make a living as farmers? Have retraining programs been put in place? What national or local organizations – governmental or NGOs – are working on this issue?
-Are resettled people discarding traditional land uses in favour of new uses? If so, why?
-If legal proceedings are underway to resolve a land claim, what are some of the arguments being considered?

Women’s land rights
Here are some resources that can help you expand your knowledge on African women’s struggle for land rights:
-Land rights: The struggle of African women:

Here are some Farm Radio International scripts that deal with women’s land rights in Africa:
-Promote gender equality and empower women (Package 78, Number 3, July 2006)
-Women, property, and inheritance (Package 73, Number 4, January 2005)
-Land ownership rights: Access denied – Why women need equal access to land (Package 57, Number 9, October 2000)

Community conflict
The following Farm Radio scripts describe fictionalized – though realistic – community conflicts. They suggest reasons why conflict over land and water resources can become so contentious, and some ways that such conflicts can be resolved:

-Conflict over natural resources: A short story (Package 67, Script 7, June 2003)
-Dispute over a sacred stream: Villagers describe the conflict (Package 67, Script 6, June 2003)

Whether the communities in your broadcast area are experiencing a violent conflict, or are simply subject to tensions that can occur wherever resources are shared, consider the role your radio organization can play in reducing conflict. The following resources, taken from previous instalments of FRW’s Radio Resource Bank, may help you to get started:

-Using radio to help communities talk by the Straight Talk Foundation
-A checklist for conflict-sensitive journalism by the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society and International Media Support

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The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s (CBA’s) bi-annual conference will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from April 17-21, 2010. The theme of the conference is “Broadcasting Scores!” Sessions will deal with aspects of sports coverage as well as issues related to the use of sport in development. There will also be workshops on management, regulatory issues, media and health, and media and social justice.

The cost for CBA Members from developing countries is 150 British pounds (approximately 230 American dollars or 170 Euros); the cost for non-members from developing countries is 250 British pounds (approximately 380 American dollars or 280 Euros). Delegates are responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs.

For more information on the conference, including an online registration form, go to:http://www.cba.org.uk/conferences_and_events/2010_Johannesburg.php.

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News University offers online courses for journalists, editors, and newsroom managers interested in honing their craft and learning new techniques. More than 85 courses are available, including Telling Stories with Sound; Reporting Global Issues Locally, and Twitter for Journalists. Technical guides for many common software programs are also included.

Internews, an international media NGO, is offering a special incentive for media professionals who register for News University. New registrants will be entered in a draw for a Flip Video Ultra 60-minute camcorder. To be entered in the draw, go to the News University website and register for a course. Be sure to choose “Internews” as the answer to “How did you hear about NewsU”? The deadline for the last draw is March 15, 2010.

-To register for News University, go to: http://www.newsu.org/profile/.
-To browse News University’s courses, visit: http://www.newsu.org/courses/course_list.aspx.

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From January 26 to February 2, Farm Radio International surveyed its broadcasting partners, Farm Radio Weekly subscribers, and participants in the scriptwriting competition on smallholder farmer innovation. The objective of the survey was to understand which tools respondents would like to see in an online community.

Thank you to all who answered the survey. As we said before, your opinions matter! Now, we would like to share a summary of the survey results. Many respondents expressed an interest in playing an even larger role, by contributing to a volunteer advisory group that will help develop ideas and test early versions of the online community. We will be in touch with those who expressed interest soon with more details about this advisory group.

Now for the survey results:

The first question asked was: “If you could create an amazing website for networking with others involved in rural radio and agricultural development, what would you wish to see included? Be creative! Give us examples and tell us why you think they are important to you. This is the time to dream up whatever you would like to have in an online community.”

The answers included the following features and tools: Upload/download of broadcasts, forums to exchange information, script uploads, downloadable manuals, event calendars, e-mail alerts, and the ability to upload images and videos. Survey respondents also wanted the site to increase their networking capabilities by providing lists of qualified resource people, training possibilities, and information on extension services, classified by geographic area.

The second question suggested some tools that might be included in the online community and asked the respondents to choose their top five.

The top five choices were:
1) Ability to upload audio files
2) Professional agricultural advice/ expert resource list
3) A forum where you can ask and answer questions
4) Phone-casting
5) Interactive map

The third question focused on facilitated discussion groups on the social networking site. Respondents were asked to select their preferred topics amongst the following:

-Environment and agriculture (climate change, biodiversity, land grabbing, seeds, soil fertility, etc.)
-Health and nutrition
-Broadcasting issues (broadcasting tips, equipment reviews, etc.)
-ICTs and agriculture
-Gender and development

The top three choices – with the first being by far the most popular – were:
1) Environment and agriculture (climate change, biodiversity, land grabbing, seeds, soil fertility, etc.),
2) Health and nutrition
3) Gender and development

Finally, respondents were asked whether they would check the site once daily, twice a week, once a week, or once a month. The majority of respondents said they would check Farm Radio’s online social networking community once daily.

Thanks again to all and stay tuned for more details!

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As our first news story of the week explains, guinea pigs are a new type of “micro-livestock” that hold promise for rural communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and likely in other African countries. Another type of micro-livestock that is popular in many countries is rabbit rearing.

This week’s script is divided into two parts. Part one explains some of the benefits of rabbit farming, including the relative ease of caring for rabbits and preparing their meat. Part two provides more information on raising rabbits, such as how to house and feed them.

Both parts of the script can be found online at:
http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/80-1script_en.asp
http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/80-2script_en.asp

For more information on rabbit care, see:
Common rabbit diseases and how to treat them successfully (Package 88, Script 6, July 2009): http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/88-6script_en.asp

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