In many rural communities in the developing world, disease and extreme weather can quickly threaten their livelihoods in farming and raising livestock. Many were isolated with no access to education and government agencies until Feba began broadcasting radio programmes on agriculture and animal husbandry, giving advice and information, and enabling communities to better provide for their own needs. Watch the new This is Feba video to see how.
Preventing disease
“My main occupation is farming. I want to know which type of disease occurs in what crops, and what is the remedy?”
Feba Delhi broadcasts the Advancement in Farming programme in the evenings when farmers like Shakti are available to listen. They discuss a wide range of topics by asking farmers’ questions and interviewing experts for the answers — information on herbal plants, new type of seeds, soil treatment to prevent disease, fertilisers, harvest tips, dairy industry, fishing industry, honey industry, seasonal flowers, animal care and much more.
“Our camels are dying.”
In northeast Africa camels in one of the clans were dying at an alarming rate, with others becoming sick. Desperate for help the clan leader called the Christian radio programme producer, and a vet was brought to the clan to vaccinate the camels, saving them. This clan listens regularly to our radio programmes at night.
Through our radio programmes God has opened a door for our partners, the only non-governmental organisation in the area, to help start a mobile school and develop a camel watering project. Together with radio broadcasts on herd protection tips and community health guidance, help is at hand that is life-saving and quality-of-life enhancing.
Living in extreme weather 
“During the rainy season we are broadcasting how to cultivate, how to plant rice paddy. Not only the rice planting but at the same time, we broadcast for other agriculture products,” say Vijay, CoRIN Project Coordinator.
Aafno FM in Nepal decided to help better educate the community on agriculture, so they go to different agriculture offices and collect information that will help the farmers. The government sponsors some airtime in the programmes to communicate information from the government agriculture department directly to those in the community. A listener says: “I have learnt many news things through the radio’s agriculture programme.”
“There is a shortage of tents and provision for livestock, no winter shelters and no seed for crops,” says Hazeen with FIRST Response Pakistan. He’s been working with FM partners in the aftermath of the Pakistan floods to gather information from people in the community and broadcast it on air. He shares the information at government cluster groups, helping get aid to those who don’t have it yet. Radios are being distributed in relief camps and house to house so that families and villages can listen to the information and then act on what they’ve heard to improve their conditions.
In improving people’s quality of life – Feba is working to bring positive change.