ECOTRUST with funding from the Lorna Young Foundation (LYF) is taking lead in the implementation of the Farmers’ Voice Radio (FVR) for Mount Elgon Project from October 2020 – June 2021. Working with local partners MEACCE (Mt Elgon Agroforestry Communities Cooperative Enterprise Ltd.) and RA (Rainforest Alliance), the project aims to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices in sustainable coffee production in the Mount Elgon region (Eastern Uganda) focusing primarily on 3000 plus cooperative farmers.

The project uses participatory radio to disseminate information to targeted beneficiaries, combining farmers’ indigenous knowledge with expert advice to create free-flowing, informative radio programs, broadcast weekly over popular local radio stations i.e. Open Gate Radio – Mbale district and Elgon FM Radio – Kapchorwa district.

Topics of discussion for the radio programmes revolve around the five following thematic areas of; Sustainable coffee production, coffee quality, sustainable land management practices, access to the coffee market and creation of gender-sensitive cooperatives.

Residents of the Mount Elgon region can tune into Open Gate FM – every Monday at 2:30pm and Friday at 7:00pm and listen for “Mwikoyo Gwe’ mwanyi” or Elgon FM Kapchorwa every Thursday at 8pm and Saturday at 10 am for the Kupsabiny version.

A toolkit of Farmers’ Voice Radio resources is available online for any organisation wishing to implement its own participatory radio project. Visit www.farmersvoiceradio.org to view and download or contact hdavis@lyf.org.uk for more information.