We know that a thriving tea and herbs industry depends on a thriving environment.
Using the Power of Radio to Train Farmers on More Sustainable Practices
Smallholder farmers in rural communities around the world often lack access to information on topics such as health, gender equity, more sustainable farming practices and income diversification. Many live in remote areas with limited internet coverage and are juggling farm work with household responsibilities, leaving little time for formal training. Through our Twinings Community Needs Assessment (TCNA) programme, we identified this issue in our smallholder tea supply chain in Kenya.
Radio provided the ideal solution. Research by BBC Media Action shows it is the most trusted way to reach rural communities, with 95% of people having access at home and 70% listening daily.
In 2022, we partnered with the Lorna Young Foundation’s Farmers’ Voice Radio programme and local partner NOPE (National Organisation of Peer Educators) to launch a radio show in Kenya on farming, health and gender equality.
Regularly reaching more than 8,400 households, the 50 episodes were so well received that we extended the series for a further 10 months focusing on climate resilience.
Additional funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW) initiative enabled us to expand the series to two local language stations.
Programmes were co-created with farmers and experts, covering a range of topics including soil health, fertiliser use, pest management, clean energy and income diversification. Topics were chosen by listeners, and farmers discussed their own challenges and solutions with experts, which kept the content engaging and relevant.
A striking success
More than 300,000 people working for our suppliers and within the local community tuned in weekly, with over third of them women. Listeners reported adopting new practices to help mitigate climate change, improving tea yields and quality, and increasing their incomes – feedback corroborated by local tea factories. Farmers also reported reducing deforestation: for example where previously trees had been cut for timber to generate income.
Radio rollout
Building on our success in Kenya, we launched a radio series in Nigeria in 2024 for ginger and hibiscus farmers. Over 10 months, 64 episodes aired in local dialects across three radio stations, reaching an estimated 200,000 farmers in the north of the country.
Next, we are taking the programme to Sri Lanka, with the aim of reaching 60,000 smallholder tea farmers.
By bringing vital knowledge to farmers in a format that works for them, Farmers’ Voice Radio is helping build more resilient livelihoods and communities – and shaping a more sustainable future for tea.
