Letting Information Flow Distributing Farmer Training Videos Through Existing Networks
have projects need to identify actors who can distribute learning videos for free. countries, from radio stations in Benin to tea stalls in Bangladesh. We gave them free DVDs, with farmer learning videos, and encouraged the actors to find their own ways of sharing the information. Later we went back for follow up visits. Experiences from five countries show the power of distributing farmer training videos through existing social networks. In Benin, radio stations broadcast sound tracks and distribute DVDs. In Uganda and Bangladesh many private and public agencies show videos. In Mali, farmers and NGOs often screen videos under difficult circumstances. Malawi has a burgeoning rural business with young "DJs" copying videos from a computer onto ordinary cell phones. In all five countries, volunteer service providers helped farmers to access training videos, because the content was relevant, of good quality and the videos were in the enlightened self interest of the farmer and the agency.