Getting closer

The word is out and the word is 'proximity': nearness, closeness, in the neighbourhood. Applied to meeting the information needs of farmers' organisations, proximity is a key condition for successful communication. In Burkina Faso, the national federation of farmers' organisations, FENOP, has developed a strategy for its communication services to member organisations, especially for information on production techniques, marketing, and management. With support from CTA, FENOP has worked through several phases of surveys and consultation, which culminated in a workshop in Ouagadougou, in June, attended by all its members and related bodies such as the Burkinabé association for funding farmers' organisations. As a result, a decentralised network is starting to grow, and it plans to set up farmers' centres in each province and region. These centres will be managed locally and will collect and provide information locally, using the most appropriate media for rural areas in Burkina Faso (local radio and newspapers in national languages). A central fund will support local initiatives, and central facilities will be set up to produce and distribute 'proximity products' such as radio tapes, videos, booklets and manuals, a database distributed electronically, and an Internet site. The latter will benefit from the partnership between government and private sector bodies, which has ensured access to Internet throughout the country.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Format:	News Item biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation 1999
Online Access:	https://hdl.handle.net/10568/46507 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99585
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