Farm Radio Broadcast is the core area of service best suited for India and gradually offering other services for personal and intellectual development

The Union Government is accepting application forms from recognised central and state government academic institutes like universities and residential schools to operate a Low-Power (50-Watt) Frequency Modulated (FM) Radio Station (LPFMRS) (The Hindu, December 18, 2002). Eighty two universities and 233 colleges accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (February 2003) could apply for the license to operate LPFMRS. Of these, State Agriculture Universities (SAU) would benefit the most out of these radio stations in their off and in campus extension programmes for farmers and use radio as an effective communication tool. Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), responsible for training, research and demonstration of improved technologies through Farm Radio Broadcast (FRB) will have greater outreach, providing value addition to conventional method it uses, to reach out to the farmers. Government has issued 16 letters of intent as on July, 2004, and unfortunately not a single SAU or KVK is still listed, the most potential bodies with years of experience in agriculture development. Both SAUs and KVKs can team up to support and run a radio station, as on board they have subject matter specialists and scientists to spearhead the activities benefiting farmers.

About LRFMRS
The objective of the LPFMRS could be manifold, covering health, education, general awareness entertainment, infotainment services or a combination of all of these. If the main objective of the radio station is school education, then Interactive Radio Instruction approach would be ideal and in this case, the LPFMRS would serve as education radio (shiksha radio in Hindi) to a small geographical area. If agriculture related programmes are to be broadcasted, best applicable to India, it can better be known as farm radio (krishi radio in Hindi). The cost of running a 50-watt radio station is just half if it is compared with other Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) that are expensive and dependent on multiple infrastructures. Radio is available with rural folks even if they do not use it. A hybrid approach of development, wherein radio station being the core technology, along with other ICTs can harmonise the overall development that may not be possible through radio alone. This article focuses on FRB as the core area of service, best suited for India and gradually offering other services for personal and intellectual development.

Farm Radio Broadcast
India, being an agrarian country, for the farmer folks nothing concerns more than crop production, fertilisers, rainfall, and bank loan to buy agri-tools or animal stock in addition to other needs. It makes sense to use radio as basic ICT tool to broadcast programmes that informs, educates, trains, and share concerns, problems, and solutions related to farm, livestock, environment, weather forecast in coastal regions, and non-agriculture related activities. FRB can pass on the information on training, opportunities, and schemes and facilitate local networking with government institutes, universities, banks, forestry departments and panchayats (body of rural governance). Farmers within 15 to 20 kms (if terrain is flat) radius around the radio station can listen to FRB by a 50-Watt transmitter. In hilly terrain, repeaters can be used to reach the last mile.

FRB can strengthen small-scale farming, rural communities, and rural communication. Of the 31 State Agriculture Universities (SAUs), Directorate of Extension of some