Episodes
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Bushfires are both a way of life, and threaten the way of life, in communities in northern Ghana. But one community, Shelanyili, made a bold change: they banned bushfires outright. The consequences of that ban ranged beyond their community, sparking conflicts, and forcing both themselves and their neighbours to reckon with what it means to change your lives to adapt to climate change.
Meet Baba Salifu, a community elder who has watched the impacts climate change have made on his community and Ayi Abdulai, a farmer who has had to protect her community from bushfires and the people who spread from. But you’ll also hear from their neighbours in in Karaga, a community chose not to follow the bushfire ban, instead using fire to hunt and clear land — until they faced devastating consequences.
Shelanyili and Karaga are two communities who could be any communities in the world right now. One changed their way of life to adapt to climate change – and had to physically defend that change, while the other strove to find ways to keep their way of life — one born out of hundreds of years of tradition — in the face of a planet that was forcing them to change.
The season finale of Nature Answers asks the question: what does it take to protect nature, and in doing, protect ourselves.
This episode was produced by Chris Edwards and edited by Tara Sprickerhoff.
Transcripts and pictures are available at farmradio.org/
More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
This is a Farm Radio International podcast produced thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.
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When Morungatuny in Uganda realized the essential need to start replanting trees in the face of their ever-depleting forests, they realized something stunning: not only was nature becoming healthier, but the trees were reducing gender-based violence and improving the community as a whole.
Trees are the looming lifelines of our planet, and their roots run deep in rural Uganda. But in Morungatuny burning them for charcoal was the main economic driver of the economy. And trees were needed for firewood for cooking and building.
The rates of consumption soon outpaced the availability of trees. This resulted in extra difficulties faced by women, from the long distances they had to travel for firewood, to higher rates of domestic violence caused by economic stress.
So the community was faced with a question: what could they change to make life better for everyone – and for future generations especially. Community members like Jethro and Aliba Mary came to the community with answers — answers pulled from nature itself.
This episode was produced by Izzie Helenchilde and edited by Tara Sprickerhoff.
Pictures from Morungatuny and a transcript are available at https://farmradio.org/five-trees-for-every-child/
More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
This is a Farm Radio International podcast produced thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.
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Missing episodes?
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A 100-year-old mango tree grows in the heart of Kikandwa, Uganda. But not long ago, the community considered cutting it down for charcoal. Instead, everyone from school children to elders have been part of a community environmental effort.
John Kaganga founded the Kikandwa Environmental Association in memory of his grandfather, who would walk hundreds of kilometers for seeds to plant trees. But it’s taken community members like Vincent Lutalo to make John’s dream of a green future a reality. Vincent teaches at the community school, where children are not only taught their letters, but how to grow seedlings and the fundamentals of beekeeping. It’s a change Kikandwa hopes will spread as the children grow up and travel outside the community.
Transcripts and photos from the episode can be found at https://farmradio.org/taking-the-classroom-outside/
This episode was produced by Alex Dines and edited by Tara Sprickerhoff.
More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
This is a Farm Radio International podcast produced thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.
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What are Nature-based Solutions actually? We talk alot about them on Nature Answers, but what makes a Nature-based Solution a nature-based solution? What does it mean to have both human and ecological benefits? And why are they so important anyways?
These are the questions we answer in Episode 5 of Nature Answers. Instead of a documentary episode, this week we sit down with Sareme Gebre, Farm Radio International's Nature-based Solutions Advisor.
For more about Nature-based Solutions visit the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) website at https://www.iucn.org/our-work/nature-based-solutions.
For more on the IUCN standards, click here.
A transcript is available at https://farmradio.org/e5-what-are-nature-based-solutions/
More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
This is a Farm Radio International podcast produced thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.
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How mangrove rehabilitation can save a community’s future
What can you do when the resources that pay you stop growing back? That’s the question asked by residents in Agbledomi, a coastal community in the Volta region of Ghana.
Mangroves are environmental heavy hitters – they sequester carbon, prevent coastal erosion and contribute to biodiversity in intertidal areas. But they’re also an important part of the community’s economy after the construction of the Akosombo dam reduced fish populations. And overharvesting is threatening them. But a Community Resource Management Area model led by community members like Major Kamasah and Gabriel Ahianyo is providing a path to sustainability.
They and other community members are actively involved in planting mangroves – some to restore the estuary, others for the promise of an economic future for them and their children. They highlight the intertwined relationship between environmental conservation, community development, and social equity, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts to address climate change impacts effectively.
This episode was produced by Morgana Abdy and edited by Tara Sprickerhoff.
For a complete transcript, photos and other stories about Agbledomi, visit farmradio.org/mangrove-rehabilitation/
More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
This is a Farm Radio International podcast produced thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.
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After years of civil war and the challenges of restoring their environment, this community has found an innovative solution—a sustainable fish farm. Meet Betty Achen and Dennis Obote, two community members whose work, land and passion have turned fish into a future.
In this episode, we visit Balwalwa, a community in the Artwotngo Parish in Northern Uganda. We hear into what it takes to establish a sustainable fish farm, the setbacks faced due to drought and market access, and the unexpected return of nature's predators. Through it all, the community remains hopeful and determined, using their learnings to build a better future.
Discover the intricate balance of aquaculture, wetland restoration, and sustainable farming practices that the Artwotngo community employs. From tilapia and catfish harvesting to the challenges of running a restaurant, Betty Achen shares her hopes for her community.
Learn how the Artwotngo community has navigated both environmental and economic recovery post conflict, and how they are embracing nature-based solutions to adapt to a changing climate, overcome challenges, and build a future for each other.
For pictures and a transcript, visit https://farmradio.org/fish-mean-recovery-from-war/
More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
This is a Farm Radio International podcast produced thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.
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When wind blew off roofs in Gagbiri in northern Ghana, the community made what turned out to be a fruitful choice: they planted mango trees!
Discover how the community planted over a thousand trees, growing windbreaks and economic empowerment. Learn how women played a pivotal role, breaking cultural barriers and contributing to the project's success – and reaping the rewards of its progress as well.
The thriving mango plantation not only shields homes but transforms lives, boosting income, funding education, and even addressing healthcare challenges. Gagbiri's story exemplifies the resilience of nature-based solutions to climate change and equitable community development.
This episode was produced by Christopher Edwards and edited by Tara Sprickerhoff.
A transcript is available at farmradio.org/how-mangoes-grow-economies-and-wind-breaks/
More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
This is a Farm Radio International podcast produced thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.
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Inconsistent rainfall and a lack of reliable water are no small challenge for rural farmers, but two innovative communities in Ghana have found creative solutions to their water issues. The thing they both have in common? Trees!
Join us in the surprisingly green landscape of Mem, where we learn about the community’s unique approach to securing rainfall—planting teak trees. Teak trees, with their towering canopies and ability to absorb carbon dioxide, have become a vital part of the community's strategy to combat heatwaves and unreliable rains. Yaw Donko, a local resident, takes us back to the beginnings of Mem's tree-planting initiatives and how the community rallied together for this nature-based solution.
Journeying Ghana's Upper West Region, we also learn how Pieng used trees to stabilize slopes and filter the water around a crucial pond. The collective effort highlighted by Gbentie Mariama and Bakoo Tia has helped fortify the community against future drought.
Both Mem and Pieng showcase the resilience and innovation of rural communities in Africa as they face water-related challenges head-on. Join us on this episode of Nature Answers to see the power of nature-based solutions in action and the incredible stories of communities adapting to a changing planet.
This episode was produced by L. Manuel Baechlin and edited by Tara Sprickerhoff. Sounds were recorded by L. Manuel Baechlin, Christopher Edwards and Morgana Abdy. Translations were voiced by David Addo and Laurentia Adabio.
The transcript, photos of the people we interviewed, and more about the nature-based solutions implemented in Mem and Pieng are available at farmradio.org/what-do-trees-have-to-do-with-rain/
More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
This is a Farm Radio International podcast produced thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.
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Facing down climate change seems like an enormous task. But some of the most rural and remote communities on earth are up for the challenge – and using lessons learned from nature to do it. In Nature Answers, you’ll hear stories of individuals who have come together in the face of a changing planet and learn from the rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa who are turning to nature to adapt.
These are the stories of people looking to nature, about how to save nature.
Hear the hopeful side of climate change. And learn from the people on the front lines of climate change who are making a difference in their own communities.
The first episode will be out on February 8th.
More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
This is a Farm Radio International podcast produced thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.
