Backgrounders
Backgrounders are brief introductions to important and technical topics and Answers to frequently asked questions share key information on a topic.
Use this information to plan an episode or series of episodes on the topic, to prepare for an interview, or to answer questions from callers.
- All
- Agriculture
- Aquaculture
- Children and youth
- Climate change
- Community development
- Crop production
- Energy
- Environment and climate change
- Gender equality
- Health
- Hygiene and sanitation
- Land issues
- Livestock and beekeeping
- Marketing and market information
- Nature-based Solutions
- Nutrition
- Post-harvest activities
- Social issues
- Soil health
- Trees and agroforestry
- Water management
Clean your saltwater using solar energy
Save and edit this resource as a Word document. Water is as important to life as air. Unfortunately, not everyone has clean, drinkable water. Some areas only have saltwater, which you cannot drink without getting sick. But there is a way you can purify salty water using the heat from the sun. This heat is called solar energy.…
How much soil are you losing?
Save and edit this resource as a Word document. A farmer in Guatemala suggests a small experiment to calculate approximately how much land we lose to soil erosion every year. Soil erosion losses vary from field to field, so this experiment does not indicate exact losses. Some soils are resistant to erosion, some streams cause…
Good sanitation can help control bilharzia (schistosomiasis)
Save and edit this resource as a Word document. With a better understanding of bilharzia everyone in your village can learn how to control it. Bilharzia is a disease which comes from flat worms called flukes. These flat worms spent part of their life in snails and the other part in people. They burrow through your skin when…
Vaccinations protect your children from six serious diseases
Save and edit this resource as a Word document. When your baby is sick you take care of her. But, you can stop your baby from getting sick in the first place by vaccinating her against certain diseases. Vaccinations protect our babies from disease. You may recognize some of the diseases we can vaccinate our…
Use half-moon ditches to prevent soil erosion
Save and edit this resource as a Word document. You may live in a place where the land is dry and cracked. No trees, plants or crops grow there. Animals barely survive. You worry you will have to move to find better land for farming. You are not alone. Infertile land is spreading like a…
Save your Own Seeds, Part Two: Seed Storage
Save and edit this resource as a Word document. Saving your own seeds saves money. It is also the best way to make sure that traditional crop varieties do not disappear. The traditional crops that have grown in your region since before your grandparents’ time are well adapted to the local climate and soil. And…
Save your Own Seeds, Part One: Seed Selection
Save and edit this resource as a Word document. Saving seeds from your own crops saves money. And it also helps to preserve the traditional crop varieties which grow in your region. Farmers always used to save seed from their crops to plant the next season. But many farmers now buy seeds from stores in…
Live Fences Protect Crops and Plants
In Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa, deforestation and soil erosion are having a disastrous impact on the environment. Reforestation programs have been introduced to reverse the damage. But many of these programs are expensive and the newly planted trees are often destroyed in the first year by village cattle. It is estimated that…
Anemia, A Sickness of the Blood
Have you felt weak or dizzy lately? Does even a little bit of work make you tired or breathless? These are just a few of the symptoms of a sickness called anemia. But feeling fatigued does not have to be a normal part of your life. You get anemia mainly from not having enough of…
AIDS Part 3 : You Can Stop the Spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Do you want to have a sexual experience that is wonderful, satisfying and, more importantly, SAFE? Please listen for the next few minutes. We want to share information with you that will make it easier for you to have a healthy and safe sexual relationship! Have you heard of sexually transmitted diseases? These diseases are…