Resources -sustainable practice -gardening

Thu, 2009/10/15 - 08:31 —

hkapi

09 Oct 09

Small Change Fund | because there is no such thing as small change

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funding garden

06 Oct 09

Radio
Spots: Protect Your Health And The Community From Agricultural
Pesticides And Fertilizers / Radio Scripts / Farm Radio International

"Radio Spots: Protect Your Health And The Community From Agricultural Pesticides And Fertilizers
Notes to Broadcaster

Farmers
sometimes use pesticides to control pests. They also use synthetic
fertilizers to improve crop yield. The types of pesticides used by
farmers include avicides for bird pests, insecticides for insect pests,
fungicides for plant diseases, herbicides for weeds, and rodenticides
for pests such as rats, mice, and rabbits. When not carefully used,
chemicals and fertilizers are harmful to human health, and even deadly.
According to a recent World Bank report, an estimated 350,000 people
die every year from pesticide poisoning. The following radio spots
advise farmers on how to use agricultural pesticides and fertilizers
safely.

These spots can be separated by musical interludes, and
used together in a series. Or they can stand alone and be played
separately, at different times of the day, week or month.

For
further information on using pesticides and fertilizers safely, consult
the information sources at the end of the script. You might want to
find out if farmers in your listening area have had accidents with farm
chemicals. Or you could ask doctors and other health professionals in
your community if they have treated farmers with symptoms of pesticide
poisoning, and whether they have particular advice for farmers. Farm
chemicals can be wonderful tools, but they are very dangerous if not
used with great care.
Spot # 1: It is dangerous to store fertilizers and foods in the same place

This
is the sad story of Ahungur. Ahungur kept powdered fertilizer and salt
in her kitchen. When she returned from the farm for the day, tired and
worn out, Ahungur cooked soup to eat with pounded yam tubers for the
family. She tasted the soup to make sure it was just right. Not finding
it tasty enough, she reached for more salt to really give the soup an
extra boost. By mistake, Ahungur fetched urea, the white crystalline
powdery fertilizer which she had placed in the same corner of the
kitchen where she kept th

www.farmradio.org/...83-4script_en.asp

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farming fertilization garden storage julien

A Local Plant Prevents Pest Damage to Stored Seeds / Radio Scripts / Farm Radio International

"A Local Plant Prevents Pest Damage to Stored Seeds
Notes to Broadcaster

The
African Rice Centre (WARDA) recently coordinated a contest in which
prizes were awarded to top local agricultural innovations from Gambia,
Ghana, Guinea and Mali. On April 20, 2007, representatives from each of
the countries involved in the competition took part in a one-day
scriptwriting workshop at WARDA in Benin. In this workshop they learned
how to share the winning agricultural innovations through radio scripts.

This
script looks at an innovative solution for pest damage to stored seed.
It is based on information about a method developed by farmer and
village chief Mr. Mamadou Dembele from Mali.

Theme music fades up then under host.

Host: Dear listeners, welcome to today’s show.

Theme music fades up then under host.

Host:
Listeners, today we have great news! In today’s program we are going to
tell you about a local plant which can prevent pest damage to stored
seeds. Stay tuned and a local expert will tell you all about it.

Theme music fades up then under host and out.

Host:
Pests cause huge damage to stored seeds. When faced with the loss of
seeds, farmers often use chemical controls. This can lead to health
problems and to pollution of the environment. Fortunately, there are
good local solutions against pest nuisances. (Pause) Today’s guest is
Mr. Mamadou. He is a farmer and chief of Zeguesso village in Mali.
Today, he will tell us about a plant which controls these kinds of
pests. He will introduce us to this plant and tell us how it works.
Welcome, Mr. Mamadou.

Mamadou: Hello.

Host: Please tell us about this plant and how it can be used for seed storage.

Mamadou:
The scientific name of the plant is Hyptis spicigera. It is known as
abbah in the Minianka language, benefing in the Bambara language, and
Dai fadama in the Hausa language. This plant has a repulsive smell and
a bitter taste. The odor is what repels pests. To use it for protecting
stored seeds, there are three simple steps. First, you pick the plant’s
leaves;

www.farmradio.org/...81-1script_en.asp

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farming fertilization garden storage julien

Protect Stored Grain from Beetle Damage / Radio Scripts / Farm Radio International

www.farmradio.org/...72-7script_en.asp

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farming fertilization garden storage julien

Powder of Little Pepper Protects Stored Rice / Radio Scripts / Farm Radio International

"Powder of Little Pepper Protects Stored Rice
Notes to Broadcaster

This
script looks at an innovative solution for controlling pest damage in
stored rice seed. It is based on a technique used by Mr. Bamba, a rice
farmer from Guinea. Mr. Alhassane Pendessa, a researcher from Mali,
brought this technique to the WARDA contest.

Theme music up, then slow fade and under host.

Host:
Welcome to the programme. You may know that insect and microbe pests
cause serious damage to rice crops in West Africa. But did you know
that there are local solutions? Today, we will listen to Mr. Bamba, a
rice farmer from Guinea. Mr. Bamba uses pepper powder to preserve rice
crops. Stay tuned to hear him explain his recipe for protecting stored
rice.

Theme music up, then fade under speaker.

Mr. Bamba:
Unfortunately, the quality of rice crops in Guinea is worsening because
of insects and microbes. If we farmers are to make a living growing
rice, we need new ideas. Fortunately, we have a new technique for
protecting stored rice crops: the powder of little pepper
(Broadcasters: use common local name for “little pepper” throughout the
script). A powder made from this plant produces a repulsive smell that
stops insects from attacking crops.

Theme music up, then fade under speaker.

Mr.
Bamba: It is very simple to make the powder. First, you harvest ripe
little peppers from the fields. Then you sun-dry the peppers. Once they
are dry, you crush them completely. Remember to completely dry the rice
before you treat it. To treat stored rice, add one tablespoon of pepper
powder to a 50 kilogram sack of rice and mix it well. It

www.farmradio.org/...81-2script_en.asp

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farming fertilization garden storage julien