Boosting restoration through the airwaves

Radio programs are spreading the good work of the Regreening Africa project in Senegal

‘Good evening, dear listeners, this is your friendly team from the Regreening Africa Project on the number one talk show.’

This is a familiar phrase to the residents of Fatick, Kaffrine and Kaolack regions in Senegal, where the Regreening Africa project is implementing activities. Because of COVID-19, adjusting to the ‘new normal’ has required ingenious thinking. Community radio remains a simple and reliable means of reaching populations to ensure continuity of services.

This ‘old school’ medium with a presenter in a stuffy room housing a wooden table and chair, two microphones and protection equipment against COVID-19 is proving to be essential for this European Union-funded project that aims to expand the scale of previous efforts while also encouraging adoption of regreening techniques by more farmers. Implemented by World Vision Senegal with technical support from World Agroforestry (ICRAF), the project targets restoration of 160,000 hectares to improve the resilience of 80,000 households in the above-named regions.

Thanks to the flexibility and efficiency of being spoken in ‘indigenous’ dialects and powered through portable devices such as phones that double as torches at night, community radio is curating space for discussion on the airwaves to build back better.