COMACO’s Farm Talk gives conservation a boost

Broadcast three times a week from three different radio stations in local languages every month of the year, COMACO Farm Talk reaches families across much of Luangwa Valley.  Small-scale farmers share stories about how they are learning to care for the land and the resources they live with.  Through the radio and reaching over 800,000 people, they explain how farming with a special tree called Gliricidia increases yields without expensive chemicals or the need to clear forests in search of fertile soils.  They describe a special stove that requires only twigs for cooking, saving trees and protecting mothers and children from inhaling toxic smoke.  Others explain how raising bees are earning them extra money and others talk about wild mushrooms that are giving them new market opportunities through COMACO. 
Again, and again, their message is clear: Nature is the solution if we can only learn to live with it, and above all, not destroy it. COMACO is rich with stories about people who believe in conservation, and Farm Talk gives them the chance to share their knowledge. Our own Filius Jere pioneered COMACO Farm Talk to build this discussion over the airwaves.  With a small team of dedicated radio producers, Filius has helped to make COMACO a household name and perhaps the real “Green Revolution” for Zambia.
In his words…
“Farm Talk reaches into the homes in the evening or beneath a mango tree during the day when farmer groups gather to tune to Farm Talk with one of COMACO’s 20,000 radios from Lifeline Energy.  From the programs we air, they’re learning how to avoid past mistakes that have cost them their soils, forests, and wildlife.  Farm Talk gives them the skills and the confidence to bring back what they have lost.  Nature is now our life and our future.”

Dale Lewis, CEO |Connect with me on LinkedIn