We are RadioIITA!
About Us
Despite radio being a primary and frequently used source of information by smallholder farmers and a highly preferred medium of information among rural and agricultural communities, its full potential is yet to be fully unleashed. There is a dearth of stations exclusively aimed at tapping into this tool for transformative change in the agricultural sector.
Radio IITA, 88.5 FM, is set to change all that.
Radio IITA, 88.5 FM, started as an Internet agricultural radio facility to promote farmer awareness and literacy about improved agricultural technologies, agribusiness, health, nutrition, and gender. The platform is mainly used to disseminate IITA research-validated knowledge and reach the millions of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa with no or limited access to agricultural information.
Our programs are focused on information on agriculture and sustainable rural development that will improve farmers’ livelihoods, health, and incomes.
Radio IITA, 88.5 FM, broadcast operations are based in Ibadan, Nigeria, the headquarters of IITA. We work with other IITA stations outside Nigeria to fill the growing demand for agricultural radio content for farmers and stakeholders in Africa and beyond.
We are RadioIITA!
Our History
More than a thousand listeners tuned in to the Radio IITA launch held on 14 August 2020 at the IITA headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria.
The launch program featured a live talk show called “Good morning, IITA!” during which the IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga and Director of Development and Delivery, Dr Alfred Dixon were interviewed. Sanginga said, “Today is a historic day for IITA. Launching Radio IITA is a dream come true. Communication using radio should become a powerful avenue for extending knowledge across Africa, not just Nigeria.”
The duo discussed how the project came about and their vision for Radio IITA. Dixon said implementing Radio IITA is a step closer to realizing the DG’s vision of “making IITA the CNN of Africa.”
Anchored by Dajie Odok and Toyo Olufisayo, the talk show was aired live via Radio IITA and also streamed to audiences across the globe via Facebook and YouTube https://bit.ly/3aIiRrV.
We are RadioIITA!
The Future
At inception, the landmark Radio IITA started as an Internet radio facility that IITA established to reach farmers, policymakers, and young people going into the business of farming, entrepreneurs in the agricultural value chains, and the public. IITA has more than 50 years’ worth of research knowledge that could help transform agricultural communities and revive agriculture as a business.
Future plans include ;
- Establishing a terrestrial community 2-KW FM radio station that can be used as a base to reach the last-mile farmers in the remote parts of Nigeria.
- The on-station transmission at IITA in Ibadan will be complemented by outside broadcasting (OB) using a mobile or remote broadcast studio
- Location-based repeaters (substations) and beyond.
- Continued use of Internet radio, and partnerships and linkages with local radio stations as content carriers.
- Further penetration into the hinterlands will be achieved through the use of OB vans and public address (PA) system.
A community radio outreach is also being established in partnership with local rural and state radio networks, which includes the possibility of expanding the initiative to include an Internet TV station in the near future.
Online broadcasts will expand the reach, taking advantage of the growth in use of mobile phones and devices within Nigeria and beyond. Starting with the online radio set-up, IITA is providing access through a portal on the IITA website and a mobile app developed for this purpose to stream content.
Because it covers the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, Radio IITA is currently airing a mix of programs and content suitable for farmers in the savannas of Nigeria to the big, commercial farms in Southern Africa, and using diverse languages, including Swahili, French, and other local languages.