Climate Change Radio Drama
For small-holder farmers in Nigeria, climate change is not some distant threat – it is having an impact right now. While Nigerian farmers are developing some coping strategies independently, there is a need for information that helps them adapt their farming methods to lessen the impact of climate change. A major challenge facing governments, research institutions, civil society organizations and donors is to find an affordable way of providing such information to large numbers of people, many with limited literacy. Radio may be the answer.
Farm Radio International, in collaboration with its Nigerian Partner, The African Radio Drama Assocation (ARDA) received funding from the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) program, a joint initiative of Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) to study and improve the usefulness of radio drama as a tool for helping Nigerian farmers cope with climate change. Through this initiative, which began in April 2007, ARDA, Farm Radio International and the University of Guelp collaborated to produce a 26-episode radio drama on climate change adaptation. Broadcast by several radio stations, it has been heard by at least 200,000 listeners in northern Nigeria.
