Empower Communities to Adapt to Climate Change

After listening to the radio drama, I started talking to my friends and colleagues about how to preserve the mangrove and the environment. Something I didn't care about [before]. - Ahmed*, Chinde, Mozambique 
 

The locally crafted stories that are foundational to PCI Media’s work are empowering communities to change behaviors today that improve the planet's health and resilience to the climate crisis.  

In coastal regions of Mozambique, where severe storms pose a frequent threat, mangrove forests are critical to human and ecosystem survival. These forests prevent coastal erosion and protect food sources. However, these forests and the protections they provide are being depleted because many coastal communities rely on mangrove wood for cooking.  

Working with communities and national and local partners, PCI Media developed a radio drama that promoted new behaviors to protect these forests.To ensure we prioritized the voices and needs of the community, our research included conversations with community members to learn about their daily lives, their dreams and aspirations, and most importantly, their relationship to the mangroves-- which the program aims to restore.   

Based on community input, our radio drama and community theater scripts weave in local stories and mythology — like magical women who can control crocodiles and ceremonies that control the weather. This input, when combined with research insights, creates narratives that resonate with audiences and enable them to adopt behaviors that protect mangrove forests.

As a result of the radio drama, over 70% of listeners reported learning something new or changing their behaviors.  

Listeners also reported increasing their knowledge on environmental protection and mangrove conservation, changing the way they behave in conservation areas and discussing what they learned with friends and community members. 

As we see again and again, when stories are created by and within communities, change has a lasting impact.  

Thank you for being a partner with PCI Media in programs like this one that improve the health and resilience of our planet as together we work for a healthier, more sustainable and just world.  

*Name changed for privacy 

Thanks to supporters like you, our radio programs are educating farmers with the latest knowledge and techniques to produce more plentiful crops that build resilience against climate change. 

Central American Farmers and the Climate Crisis 

Central America faces increased food insecurity due to the impact of the climate crisis. An estimated 74% of land in Central America is degraded, and conventional farming techniques on steep hillsides negatively impact soil health and water resources. Droughts and hurricanes have caused crops to fail in a region where most people rely on agriculture for food and livelihoods. Widespread shifts in farming practices are needed for farmers to adapt to the new climate realities and for a healthy farming-reliant economy to continue.   

PCI Media continues to partner with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) on, ‘Con los pies en la tierra’ (With Our Feet on the Soil), a radio drama that promotes sustainable farming practices in 4 countries in Central America: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. 

By focusing on sustainable farming practices,“With Our Feet on the Soil”engages farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices that improve crop yields. 

Now in its 3rd season, the radio drama follows the story of the Rodríguez family, three generations of farmers as they continue to overcome family tensions as the younger generation learns new farming practices. 

In season 1, the main characters Nelson, Yamileth and Cresencio learn how to improve their farming practices through six mini-dramas, focusing on: crop burning; correct use of fertilizer; green manure; crop diversification; soil acidity and mixing crops with trees. 

Season 2 follows two of the younger characters Keyla Rodriguez and Adalberto (her boyfriend). Adalberto is not a farmer and wants to leave the country for the city. As he gets more emotionally involved with Keyla, he knows that if he wants to marry her, he needs to learn about farming as she is rooted in her community and tied to her family life. 

Now in Season 3, the story of the first two seasons continues and includes themes on personal and economic recovery from COVID and coffee harvesting. 

Impact among Surveyed Listeners: 

• 95% learned something new from the radio program 
• 85% of listeners surveyed adopt sustainable farming practices. 
• 4.2 million listeners across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua 

What Listeners are Saying 

“I really like the program. I've never listened to a program where a story is narrated in a way that reflects how we live day-to-day in the countryside. Many thanks for such a beautiful program. We are learning a lot and putting into practice all the expert advice [on sustainable practices].”  
- Farmer & Listener, Nicaragua 

“Good morning. My comment about the program is that it is very important to learn about crops. It keeps my attention—the beautiful dramatization, how the characters connect us with the field. Many thanks.”  
- Farmer & Listener, Nicaragua 

Thank you for being a partner in critical programs like this one that build the planet's resiliency as together we work for a healthier, more sustainable and just world.  

Best wishes for a prosperous new year!