Issue #91

Greetings to all!

We begin this week’s issue by sharing some sad news. Dr. George Atkins, Farm Radio International’s beloved founder, has passed away. As we mourn his loss, we are also proud to continue his legacy. We invite you to read about his life’s work as a broadcaster and farmers’ advocate in the Farm Radio Action section.

We know that George was proud of FRW, and the growing community of people involved in broadcasting and agricultural work who subscribe to FRW. We extend a warm welcome to Farm Radio Weekly’s newest subscribers: Kana Aline, from the NGO Jeunesse Verte du Cameroun, in Cameroon; Bouhoyi Arielle Teddy, from the organization Projet de développement Rural (PRODER), in Congo Brazzaville; Taiwo Adewole, from Taiwo Adewole and Associates, in Nigeria; and Catherine Njuguna, from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, in Tanzania.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference begins today in Copenhagen, Denmark. This conference will draw the attention of the world to the issue of climate change. This week’s FRW is also focused on this pressing issue. Our first news story explains why the topic of farmland grabbing, in Africa and beyond, will be raised at the UN conference. In the Upcoming Events section, you’ll find out how to access audio reports by a delegation of journalists from the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) in Copenhagen. And in the Radio Resource Bank, you’ll learn about a free, online course for journalists who want to better understand the science and policy issues around climate change.

Next week, we will continue to look at climate change, as we share the responses of FRW subscribers who were asked: “Does your radio organization produce programs on climate change.” We’ll also offer a sneak peak at the next Farm Radio International script package, which focuses on climate change and small-scale farmers.

Finally, we would like to thank all those who participated in the 2009 FRW Subscriber Survey. More than 130 subscribers completed the survey, and we thank each one of you for taking the time to provide us with feedback. In the coming weeks, we will carefully compile and review your responses, and look at ways to improve FRW to better meet your needs. As promised, we held a draw on December 4 for all those who completed the survey. The winner of a Sansa MP3 player was Ernest Kayanja from Radio Simba, in Uganda. Congratulations Ernest!

Happy reading!
-The Farm Radio Weekly Team

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African Farm News in Review

1. East Africa: Farmers concerned about land grabs urge leaders to promote food sovereignty at climate change talks (The Globe and Mail, Jeune Afrique, Daily Monitor)

2. Senegal: Rural women demand improved access to farmland (IPS)

3. Uganda: Community group turns banana peels into inexpensive animal feed (Various Sources)

Upcoming Events

-December 7-18: Download reports by community radio journalists at COP15

Radio Resource Bank

-Free online course helps journalists explain climate change

Farm Radio Action

-Farm Radio International founder will be deeply missed

Farm Radio Script of the Week

-Promote gender equality and empower women

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For centuries, farmers like Berhanu Gudina have tended tiny plots of maize, wheat, and barley amid the lush green plains of Ethiopia’s central lowlands. But now, Mr. Gudina says he sees people from India and China farming these lands. He says before, it was just locals. “What do they want here?,” he asks. “To steal everything? Our government is selling our country to the Asians so they can make money for themselves.”

Ethiopia is not the only East African country negotiating land deals. And India and China are not the only countries ones vying for land in East Africa. Last month, the first Saudi-East African Economic Forum was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city. Officials and entrepreneurs from Saudi Arabia met with heads of state from seven East African countries to discuss increased economic cooperation.

Saudi Arabia and other food-importing countries have been eyeing East Africa because the region offers rich agricultural land, cheap labour, and a favourable agricultural climate. These foreign countries can produce food to export back to their homelands. At the same time, they maintain that they are increasing food security for local populations.

Eseyas Kebede is head of the Agricultural Investment Agency in Ethiopia. He suggests that “small-scale farmers are not producing the quality they should, because they don’t have the technology.” Because of this analysis, the Agricultural Investment Agency is talking about offering foreign farmers three million hectares of Ethiopian land over the next two years.

The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, or AFSA, disagrees. AFSA represents smallholder farmers, pastoralists, hunters and gatherers, and indigenous people across Africa. They urge African leaders to reject what they call “the corporate takeover of African land and food production systems.” AFSA claims that African governments are not doing enough to protect the food sovereignty, biodiversity, and livelihoods of its peoples.

There is a concern that the large-scale farming practices typically pursued by foreign land investors will not only diminish local food security, but also increase carbon emissions, driving climate change. AFSA is also concerned that some proposals to reduce climate change could encourage more land grabbing and further erode African food sovereignty. These include: carbon trading, biofuels, and biochar. AFSA called for real action toward prioritizing small-scale agriculture at the climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, this week.

Click here to see the notes to broadcasters on land grabbing

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The community of Thiénaba is located in western Senegal. Here, as in other Senegalese communities, most of the farmland is controlled by men. But there are five acres under the control of women. A women’s group called Fass Jom (which means “make do” in the local language of Wolof) has secured this land for its members.

Nogay Sow is the secretary of Fass Jom. She says poor access to land is one of the problems preventing women from fulfilling their potential as farmers. Her group includes 250 members. Together, they cultivate five acres of land. Local authorities granted the land to the group in 2008, after they lobbied for it with the help of an NGO called Green-Senegal. It placed the women in a rare position.

Only about 10 per cent of the land in Senegal is owned by women. This is despite the fact that women are responsible for 70 per cent of food production.

Mariétou Dia leads a women’s rights program for the NGO Action Aid. She says that when women gain control of land, it is usually small plots of little value. Ms. Dia adds that women are the bedrock of family farming, so governments should reserve a quota of land for women.

Women’s advocates across the country want laws changed to make it easier for women to access land.

Ibramima Sène is an agroeconomist. He explains how current laws and cultural practices prevent most women from controlling land. Under the laws, agricultural land is considered family land. However, Mr. Sène stresses that the lower status of women in families prevents them from exercising equal access. Wives only have access to land through their husbands.

In October, rural women presented authorities in Dakar with a charter. They demanded that the government provide better access to land and other productive resources. They are still awaiting a formal response from the government.

Click here to see the notes to broadcasters on women’s land rights

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Banana peels can be found rotting in many corners of Kampala: in the streets, sewer outlets, and water channels. Sometimes, a chicken is seen pecking at banana peels, or a pig rooting through the waste. These sights inspired an innovative community group. They have found a way to reduce city waste while producing inexpensive animal feed.

Moses Nadiope is coordinator of the Kasubi Parish Local Community Development Initiative. His group wondered if banana peels could be dried and used as animal food. It turns out they can. Banana bran is a good substitute for maize bran. It is also less expensive.

Mr. Nadiope explains the process for making banana bran. It starts with the peels. These are easy to come by, since more than half of local garbage is banana peels. The community group buys dried peels from residents at 120 Ugandan shillings per kilogram (about six American cents or four Euro cents).

The dried banana peels are ground in a mill. The mill was given to the community group on credit by an environmental NGO called Environmental Alert. Over time, the group will repay the NGO with the money they make selling banana bran.

Each day, the community group churns out one tonne of banana bran. They sell the bran to livestock farmers for 250 Ugandan shillings per kilogram (about 13 American cents or nine Euro cents). This is a good deal for farmers, since maize bran costs up to twice as much.

Tests carried out by Makerere University confirmed that banana bran is highly nutritious. It contains protein, phosphorus, and calcium. The scientists also noted two safety precautions. Banana peels should be dried on polyethylene sheets. And banana bran should be stored in a dry place. These precautions prevent bacterial growth.

To make a good feed for chickens, pigs, or other animals, the banana bran should be mixed with cotton seed, silver fish (also known as mukene), and sunflower.

Members of the community group were the first to buy banana bran because they understood its nutritional value. Now, Mr. Nadiope says, other farmers are realizing the “magic” of banana bran.

Click here to see the notes to broadcasters on banana bran

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Farm Radio Weekly has been following the issue of farmland grabbing in Africa since November 2008, when it was announced that a South Korean company intended to lease half of Madagascar’s arable land. Since then, there have been countless media reports on the issue of farmland grabbing. It is not uncommon for “land-grab attempts” to be encouraged by local governments, as we saw in this story published in December 2008: “Ethiopia: Hundreds of thousands of hectares of land available for foreign investment, prime minister says.”

Over the same period, there has been a growing protest against farmland grabbing. These protests include local people who will be affected (in many cases, removed from their land), as well as a variety of NGOs interested in farmers’ rights, environmental considerations, and other issues. The following FRW reports describe cases where protests have been effective in halting land grab attempts:
-“Africa: Angola land deal announced; Madagascar land deal on hold” (FRW #52, January 2009)
-“Kenya: Local resistance to land grab captures government, investor attention” (FRW #70, June 2009)
-“Republic of the Congo: Land deals on hold” (FRW #71, June 2009)

There has also been research on how land transactions could be carried out in a way that is beneficial to everyone, including local people. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) recommends the following to ensure that local people are protected in land deals: transparency in negotiations; respect for existing land rights; equitable sharing of benefits; environmental sustainability; and abidance with national trade policies. The entire IFPRI report, entitled: “Land grabbing” by foreign investors in developing countries: Risks and opportunities, is available online, here: http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/bp/bp013.asp.

The following questions may serve as a starting point for investigating farmland investment in your area:
-Who are the investors (company, government, or other) who have leased or bought land (or are interested in leasing or buying land)?
-Did the national government consult local, small-scale farmers about the negotiations? If yes, what was the process? If not, what was the outcome?
-What sort of agriculture (commercial, subsistence, etc.) is being practiced on the land in question and what sort of crops are being grown? What type of agriculture do the foreign investors wish to practice?
-Who will control the land? Who will profit?
-Will the local community benefit from the land investment? What guarantees do they have that the investors will deliver any benefits promised?
-If rural people have been or will be displaced by the land grab, where will they go? How will they meet their food needs?
-Are there alternatives to permitting the sale or lease of local land that would benefit rural communities?

You may also wish to review the following FRW articles, published as part of our series on land grabbing. Each of these stories highlights how local people are affected, and how they have mobilized to resist land grab attempts and/or ensure a better deal for their communities:
-“Land grabbing in Africa: An overview” (FRW #69, June 2009)
-“Sudan: Madi community fights land grab attempts” (FRW #69, June 2009)
-“Malawi: Villagers lose land to sugar plantation” (FRW #70, June 2009)
-“Uganda: Urban farmers fight eviction” (FRW#72, June 2009)
-“Ghana: European biofuel company meets resistance after clearing forests” (FRW#73, July 2009)

For regular updates on the issue of farmland grabbing, or to upload your own reports on the issue, visit the following website, created by the NGO GRAIN: http://farmlandgrab.org/.

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The human rights of African women are often violated. The right to land remains one of the most pressing issues because it has a direct impact on food security of each African rural woman’s family. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women recognizes that rural women have an important role to play in ensuring the survival of their families, but that they face discrimination in terms of their access to the land that provides their livelihood.

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: 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

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)

Farm Radio Weekly stories on the issue include the following:
-“South Africa: Women farm workers say ‘no justice, no vote’” (Issue# 62, April 2009)
-“Kenya: New National Land Policy would mark important step for women’s rights” (FRW# 77, August 2009)
-“Africa: Women fight for equal land rights” (FRW# 50, January 2009)

You may wish to produce a call-in or text-in show in which callers answer the following questions regarding women’s land rights:
-Do you know women who have been evicted from their land? If yes, how were they expelled?
-Did the evicted women go to court to defend their right to land? If so, what was the outcome? If not, what happened to the women and their families?
-After the eviction, how did the women ensure their family’s food security? Did they have any support from their parents?
-If an evicted woman is living with HIV and AIDS, how does the community help her? Are there any organizations that have helped evicted women regain their land and/or livelihoods?

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There are so many examples of resourceful farmers and community groups taking something that is considered “waste” and turning it into something useful – and even profitable. Earlier this year, an FRW story looked at how farmers in Nigeria are transforming cassava scraps into goat feed: “Cassava ‘waste’ is good food for goats.” FRW stories have also explored how urban farmers in Kampala collect household scraps and transform them into compost: “Turning trash into treasure”; and how banana peels are being turned into an innovative fuel source: “Handmade banana briquettes could replace firewood.”

We suggest the following program ideas to explore how people in your area may be putting food scraps, or other “water” products to good use:
-Host a call-in/text-in show in which listeners share ways they have put food scraps to use.
-Prepare a news story about an innovative farmer who uses food scraps as feed.
-Record a field interview with a farmer who offers a step-by-step guide on how to compost food scraps.
-Invite farmers or other experts to an on-air discussion of the many uses of food scraps. Allow time for listeners to call in with any questions.

You may also be interested in these Farm Radio scripts, which provide more examples of alternative feed sources for livestock:
-Trees provide fodder for livestock (Package 74, Script 5, March 2005)
-Alternative feeds for poultry and pigs (Package 51, Script 5, February 1999)
-A farmer practices zero-grazing (Package 51, Script 3, February 1999)
-Groundnut (peanut) hay is good feed in the dry season (Package 34, Script 10, October 1994)
-Improve straw for livestock feed (Package 34, Script 4, October 1994)
-Good cow feed for all seasons (Package 30, Script 6, October 1993)

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A delegation of journalists from the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) will cover the United Nations International Conference on Climate Change (COP15), in Copenhagen, December 7-18.

Radio programs produced by these journalists will be available for download, beginning December 7. Each day of the conference, there will be three hours of programming in several languages, as well as interviews, reports, and other recordings. The AMARC website also offers documents and other resources to help community radios produce programs what’s happening in Copenhagen. It’s all available on this website: http://www.amarc.org/index.php?p=AMARC_cop15_2009.

AMARC invites community radios to use the recordings and resources to produce their own local programs. Stations that use the resources are asked to send their comments to AMARC: ricardo@si.amarc.org.

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Covering Climate Change, a free online journalism course, is now available online, courtesy of Internews and News University. The course aims to give reporters and citizen journalists clear, accurate information about climate change and related global policy negotiations.

The course includes approximately four hours of self-guided material. It was launched in advance of the COP15 climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, which begin on December 7, when journalists around the world will be tasked with explaining the intricacies of climate science and policy.

Here is a sample reporting tip from the course: “Never, ever forget that the climate change story is ultimately about people, so make sure to humanize your stories. Do not lose sight of the fact that first and foremost, climate change has the potential to cause a great deal of human conflict and suffering.”

The Covering Climate Change course can be found online, here: http://ow.ly/%20IhLf.

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George Atkins leaves legacy of ‘serving agriculture, the basic industry’

With deep sadness we announce the death of our founder, Dr. George Atkins, on November 30, 2009. George was 92.

George listened to farmers. We don’t think George ever met a farmer he couldn’t learn something from. And his best advice to broadcasters was just that: listen to the farmers.

As a young man, George graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College and managed a small farm. Through the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, he was well-known as a farm broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Always an advocate for farming and the family farmer, he signed off his radio reports with: “Serving agriculture, the basic industry. This is George Atkins.”

In retirement, George created the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (now known as Farm Radio International), in 1979. He found the inspiration to begin an organization dedicated to supporting farmers through radio while travelling on a bus in Zambia, seated between agricultural broadcasters from Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

Since then, George has sustained Farm Radio International with his leadership, vision, and boundless energy.
Our thoughts are with his wife Janet, their four daughters, and their families, as they come to terms with the loss of a loving partner, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

At Farm Radio International, we will miss his regular encouragement, good humour, and sense of celebration. We are strengthened by the example of his persistence, and we will honour his memory in our work every day.
We know that George will also be missed by the many Farm Radio International partners who were touched by his life’s work. We received these kind remembrances from the field shortly after George’s passing:

“We thank God for the vision and charisma he gave him to bear such wonderful fruits such as Farm Radio International in this world. May God grant him eternal rest.”
-Emily Arayo Arineitwe, National Research Coordinator-Uganda, AFRRI

“We feel that farm radio throughout the world has just lost a library. In Mali, the elders usually say that ‘death may eat a man’s body and bones but it can never eat his name.’ The messages George left mean a lot to us. I add my voice to all those hoping for peace and justice for family farming in Africa and for Farm Radio. George, we love you and we are committing to pursuing your fight. Though victory may take time, we will get to it, through our efforts. Rest in peace.
-Modibo G Coulibaly, National Research Coordinator-Mali, AFRRI

Notes of condolence may be sent to George’s family through Farm Radio International. To do so, please contact Blythe McKay at bmckay@farmradio.org.

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Our news story from Senegal describes some of the laws and customs that limit women’s access to land in this country – and steps that rural women are taking to promote change.

This week’s script looks at similar issues in the Siaya district of Kenya. It features an interview with a women’s activist who offers advice on how women can secure their land rights, as well as information on how women’s land rights can be promoted in a community.

This script can also be found online, here: http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/78-3script_en.asp.

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Notes to Broadcaster

Gender inequality continues to cause serious problems in Africa and elsewhere. When women lack control over resources such as land, they are unable to make decisions which improve family income. Without control over family income, for example by growing cash crops, women contribute their time and labour only to maintain subsistence levels, and are more severely affected by poverty than men. And cultural traditions, which bar women from activities such as tree planting, limit their ability to conserve and promote environmental sustainability.

Land and property rights, in particular, are slowly taking centre stage in almost every public forum convened by government officials or civil society, and women are taking a leading role in the fight against discrimination. Gender equality is a human right and at the heart of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It is a must before overcoming hunger, poverty and disease. Gender equality means equality at all levels of education and in all areas of work, equal control over resources and equal representation in public and political life. This script looks at eliminating gender disparity in all sectors of life because we cannot enjoy development without security, we cannot enjoy security without development and we cannot enjoy either without respect for human rights. One way to adapt this script for your local audience is to interview someone in your community or region that is an activist for gender equality.

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Fade up signature tune 10 seconds then under host.

Host: Welcome dear listener to today’s programme on women and property rights. This is not only a national but also a global concern. On the air is your host Rachael Adipo, reaching you from Ugunja FM. With me in the studio is today’s guest, Miss Jessica Odima, a women’s rights activist in Kenya. Stay tuned.

Fade up signature tune 2 seconds then out.

Host: Welcome again. Today we will focus on women and property rights as a way to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of promoting gender equality and empowering women, especially in Siaya District. Welcome Miss Jessica. Would you shed some light on some of the rights that women are entitled to?

Jessica Odima: Thank you. To start with, women are entitled to land access, security of tenure and the right to own property. Both women and men have recognized these issues as the main points of debate. Although Kenyan national laws do not discriminate against women’s right to inherit property, the customs and traditions of individual communities continue to prevent their access to that property.

Host: How are you and your fellow activists in the Siaya region trying to help women change discriminatory laws and customary practices regarding inheritance, women’s direct ownership and control of land, and women’s co-ownership of family land?

Jessica Odima: As Siaya District activists, we have helped women to become aware of their rights through popular education, legal aid clinics, media campaigns on women’s access to land and property, and celebration of “International Women’s Day” every year on the eighth day of March.

Host: I have heard that, in Siaya District, a community meeting is incomplete without a women’s rights advocate or even the chief stressing the need to involve women and even children in property matters.

Jessica Odima: Yes, and all this has raised women’s spirit to fight for their rights and deal with greedy relatives who make women suffer by kicking them out of their matrimonial home and taking all their property.

Fade up signature tune 2 seconds then under and out.

Host: Now, Miss Jessica, could you tell our listeners some of the women’s stories that you have heard in the community?

Jessica Odima: Yes, of course. Let’s listen to the story of Agnes Apiyo from Siaya District.

Narrator: Immediately after successfully going through the Luo cultural rite passage, which required the removal of six lower teeth, I was approached by one of our neighbours who was looking for a suitable wife for his nephew. Soon, I was to meet the young, handsome man who was to be my husband and the father of my five children, three boys and two girls.

I lived happily with my husband for close to eighteen years when tragedy struck. My husband Daniel Omollo died of malaria. Suddenly, the whole world crumbled, including my joy at having been the darling of my in-laws. Everybody turned hostile. From my husband’s brothers to his parents, everybody demanded a share of the property.

Jessica Odima: Agnes is not alone. During awareness meetings conducted by a local non-governmental organization called Ugunja Community Resource Centre in collaboration with a national body called Kenya Land Alliance, disturbing stories were told of how widows had been forced from their homes following the deaths of their husbands.

Host: So these awareness meetings have really opened people’s eyes?

Jessica Odima: Yes. Now women want to be the masters of their own destiny. Now they want to say: “These are our activities and the development plans we have for our future,” not, “These are our activities and the development plans that have been prepared for our future.”

Host: Thank you Miss Jessica. Now we see that diversity among women is a source of richness, strength, knowledge and energy.

(Pause) We learned many things today: the kinds of women rights, how discriminatory practices can be actively eliminated, and how activists in Siaya District are creating awareness. We heard that even those who have been discriminated against can regain hope. (Pause) Listener, this brings us to the end of today’s programme. Today we focused on women and property rights as a way to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of promoting gender equality and empowering women. We do hope that you learned something. Till we meet again. Bye.

Signature tune for 10 seconds then fade out.

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Acknowledgements
Contributed by: Rachael Adipo, Ugunja Community Resource Centre, Kenya.
Reviewed by: Carole Houlihan, International Development Consultant, Canada.

Notes:
There is no single formula for recommendations on tenure types for women’s access to land and property. Registered titles may be appropriate in some situations and customary titles for others. Provision of legal security and equal access to land and property for women requires action not only by governments, but by all sectors of society, including the private sector, non-governmental organizations, communities and local authorities, as well as by partner organizations and entities of the international community.

Women need an equal voice in decisions that affect their lives – from within the family to the highest level of government. This is a key element in women’s empowerment. For a long time men have dominated decision-making at the highest levels. Preventive and corrective measures for the expected undermining of women’s land and property rights due to current trends of economic policies must be prepared.

Information sources:
-Kofi Annan. Africa’s Green Revolution (A call to action).
-UN Millennium Development Goals. United Nations Environment Program. United Nations Development Goals.
-Phillip Onyango. Land and Property Rights. Ugunja Community Resource Centre, 2005.

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