If science is to have a far-reaching impact, research results must be effectively communicated to end users. This is the philosophy behind the Rice Rural Learning Initiative of the Africa Rice Center (WARDA).
Since 2005, AfricaRice has been using farmer-to-farmer videos and other educational tools to increase the impact of good practices and research. Besides being more cost-effective than farmer-to-farmer extension, the videos have the power to better explain agricultural processes to African rice farmers.
The videos build on the farmers’ existing knowledge and increase awareness of relevant rice technologies that relate to land, water, crops, and postharvest management. The Center has also developed two videos with women rice processors to stimulate technological and institutional innovations, and improve rice quality and marketing potential. To view these videos, please click here.
In 2007, the Center taught partners to produce rural radio scripts, which, in turn, taught farmers about rice production, while also advertising video distribution points. By 2008, 20 educational radio and video programs had been produced.
The videos were distributed to 80 partners in 28 African countries. Subsequently, these partners shared the videos with more than 300 local organizations. The videos are available in more than 30 African languages and have been broadcast on national television in The Gambia, Guinea, Nigeria and Uganda. Copies of the videos can be found here.
The videos helped train more than 2,500 trainers and have benefited more than 100,000 rice farmers and processors across Africa. The radio programs’ had the potential to reach millions of farmers.
To assess the videos’ impact, 200 women were surveyed in Benin. After watching a video on parboiling rice, more than 90% of the women cleaned and dried their rice properly (compared with 20% in a group who did not watch the video), and 42% adopted improved rice parboiling (compared with 5% in the non-video group). Not only did rice quality improve, allowing the women to obtain a higher price for it, but they also learned to work better as a group.
The videos continue to be used to help bridge yield gaps in farmers’ fields and raise rice production in Africa.
Dr Paul Van Mele, leader of the Rice Rural Learning Initiative, was awarded the 2009 CGIAR Outstanding Communication Award for his work communicating research results to farmers.
Read the full story in this AfricaRice publication.
Photo credit: CGIAR