The Cuvelai Basin is an immense area consisting of drainage channels that are dry for a large part of the year. During the rainy season, flooding is common because the terrain is very flat. Roads are few and barely transitable, hindering communication and movement. This lack of access to the remote and disperse communities of subsistence farmers who populate the region mean services, including health and agricultural extension services, are few and far between. This leaves the farmers and their families, who rely on seasonal rains, highly vulnerable.
Radio is a powerful communication tool that is highly cost effective and does not discriminate in terms of its audience, whether young or old, men or women, rich or poor, literate or illiterate. ADDP is making the most of this form of mass media to increase awareness about the impact of climate change, furnish information on conservation farming techniques, encourage horticulture, and advise on disease prevention including Covid-19. Local languages are used to ensure the broadest possible audience, and the broadcasts are backed up by theatre performances that drive home key messages in an entertaining yet clear way.
The broadcasts are popular and effective, as are the theatre performances that attract large and enthusiastic audiences.
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