Notes to broadcasters
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Transporting goods to market can sometimes be difficult for a farmer. Even excellent farmers may have difficulty supporting their families if they are unable to get their goods to market without incurring large expenses and consuming a lot of time. Sometimes a farmer is forced to make two or more trips to the market, because pack animals cannot carry all the produce in one trip. Unsold produce must in many cases be thrown away because of the long distances and the time involved.
Well-designed animal carts are one answer to this problem. Organizations such as Practical Action help farmers by arranging for the local construction of specially-designed animal carts to meet their need.
This script tells the story of a Sudanese farmer who works with Practical Action to design an animal cart which allows him to successfully bring his products to market and support his family.
The addresses of Practical Action offices in Kenya, Sudan and Zimbabwe are given in the notes at the end of the script. If these offices are in or near your broadcasting range, please provide the addresses to your listeners at the end of the script. If not, try to find out whether there are local groups like Practical Action or commercial suppliers of carts that can be mentioned during the program. Some other organizations who are working on transport issues are also mentioned in the notes at the end of the script.
Script
Host #1:
Hello and welcome to our program.
Host #2:
Yes, welcome to all. Today we want to talk to you about the issue of transport.
Host #1:
Yes, transport can be a big problem for some farmers. Even if the weather is good, even if your crops are healthy and you have a big harvest…
Host #2:
…if you can’t get your crops to market, you’re in big trouble!
Host #1:
Yes, transport can be a problem. But we want to show you a positive attitude this morning. So we’re going to tell you about a success story.
Host #2:
Maybe this story will give you some good ideas and inspire you to find some solutions to your own transport problems, or those of your neighbour.
Host #1:
We’ll be back in a minute to tell you our story.
Short musical break.
Host #1:
Welcome back. Today we’re going to tell you the story of a very good farmer.
Host #2:
Absolutely. This farmer had a wife, four children and elderly relatives to support. He grew vegetables and fodder crops, and took them to market on the back of his donkey.
Host #1:
But he had only one donkey, and his donkey couldn’t carry everything in one trip. He had at least ten large sacks and five smaller bags of produce that the donkey had to carry to the market. And the market was open twice a week.
Host #2:
So he and his donkey had to make several trips to the market twice a week.
Host #1:
This caused the good farmer several problems. First, he lived ten kilometres from the market, so it took a long time to get all his vegetables and fodder to market.
Host #2:
This meant that he had less time at the market to sell his crops.
Host #1:
And if he didn’t sell any of his goods, there was simply no time to carry it all back home after a long day at the market. This meant that he had to throw away any unsold goods.
Host #2:
Our farmer was very worried. Even though he was a very good farmer and got very good yields of quality vegetables and fodder, he was losing money.
Host #1:
Each time he couldn’t sell all his goods, he faced a loss of $12 U.S. dollars (use local currency).
Host #2:
This couldn’t go on! He had to find a better solution.
Host #1:
He thought about moving to another area.
Host #2:
He thought about keeping his products on his farm and selling them to wholesalers. He thought about selling his products to a single truck-owner. But this would have meant much lower prices, and he wouldn’t have covered the costs of production.
Host #1:
Finally, he came upon a solution that worked. A special animal cart!
Host #2:
Stay tuned. After a short break, we’ll tell you all about it.
Short musical break.
Host #1:
Our farmer was smart and he kept his eyes open. He knew that an organization called Practical Action was working in his part of the country.
Host #2:
He had heard that Practical Action worked with farmers who had his kind of problems.
Host #1:
So he approached Practical Action and told them his story.
Host #2:
Together, the farmer and the organization worked out a solution.
Host #1:
The organization agreed to build the farmer a special animal-drawn cart and sell it to him on credit.
Host #2:
This animal cart was large enough so that the farmer could take all his products to market in one trip.
Host #1:
Any unsold goods could be taken back to the farm in just one trip as well. He didn’t have to throw them away because he could get them home in good condition. So he could take them to the next market day. Or to another market!
Host #2:
And do you know what happened? It worked!
Host #1:
This excellent farmer made enough money each market day to pay back the loan in a short period of time.
Host #2:
Now he makes up to $56 U.S. dollars each market day.
Host #1:
He is a much happier man. He has been able to support his family well and pay for his children’s school fees.
Host #2:
That is the end of our story and the end of our program for today. Thank you for listening.
Host #1:
We will see you next time. Goodbye for now.
Acknowledgements
Contributed by: Cuddeford, managing editor, Developing Countries Farm Radio Network
Reviewed by: Mohamed Majzoub Fidiel, Country Director, Sudan Country Programme, Practical Action – Sudan, Khartoum.
