Radio Bundelkhand - CDKN Shubh Kal Programme on 'Less Water Intensive
Crops’ – Final Radio Script
Programme starts with Shubh Kal signature tune (1 – 15 secs)
Radio anchors in conversation (Male anchor - Jagrup and Female anchor –
Anuradha) (16 secs – 59 secs)
Jagrup - Hello friends and welcome to your favorite show Shubh Kal! I am Jagrup.
Anuradha - I am Anuradha.
Jagrup - In our today’s programme, we will be interviewing a few farmers who will
share their experience with us and give information about water conserving methods
of farming that they are using to help them adapt to the changing climate.
Anuradha - You mean the new variety of seeds that are coming up which use less
water and still give a good yield?
Jagrup - Yes, those seeds which are less water intensive. Let’s hear what farmers of
Dhikoli village have to share.
Music Transition (01:00 – 01:03)
Radio Reporter in conversation with farmers in Dhikoli Village, Pahuj District
Farmer Charan Singh - I grow more barley than wheat as it requires less water,
manure and effort. I only grow enough wheat to meet food needs of my family. As
compared to wheat, production and market price of barley is more. So the input costs
and investment in barley is more and it gives better yield and income as compared to
wheat.
Reporter - How much water do these two crops require and how do you think barley
cultivation is good for our environment?
Farmer Charan Singh - Barley crop requires 3 cycles of irrigation. Wheat require 6 - 7
irrigation cycles. Similarly manure and the quantity of seeds sown for barley is 50%
less as compared to wheat. With a reduction in water requirement, our need for
starting water pumps has also reduced thereby cutting air pollution caused by its
smoke.
Music Transition (02:51 – 02:54)
Radio anchors in conversation (Male anchor - Jagrup and Female anchor –
Anuradha)
Jagrup – To cope with the changing climate which is also resulting in less water
being available for farming, farmer Charan Singh has shifted to barley cultivation as it
requires less input in terms of manure, water and effort. Growing barley instead of
wheat has turned out to be very profitable for Charan Singh as not only his input cost
has reduced, his production has increased. Other farmers too can think of similar
alternatives. Let us now hear farmer Ramcharan who is from Dhikoli as well.
Music Transition (03:33 – 03:36)
Farmer Ramcharan – Rainfall patterns have undergone quite a change over the last
few years. The rainfall has become very erratic and we face drought situations many
times. To deal with the vagaries of the changing climate, I grow less water intensive
crops like chana, barley, onion, coriander, garlic and chillies.
Radio anchors in conversation (Male anchor - Jagrup and Female anchor –
Anuradha) (04:11 - 04:37)
Jagrup - Apart from these two farmers, we also spoke to other farmers of Dhikoli
village about how they are coping with climate change and what new techniques of
farming they are adopting to help them adapt better.
Anuradha - We will listen to them but before that let us entertain our listeners with a
song!
Music Transition (04:38 – 04:41)
Song (4:42- 5:29)
Music Transition (05:30 – 05:32)
Radio anchors in conversation (Male anchor - Jagrup and Female anchor –
Anuradha) (05:33 – 05: 44)
Jagrup - After this entertaining song, let us proceed to Dhikoli village.
Anuradha - Yes let’s meet our fellow farmers.
Music Transition (05:45 – 05:48)
Radio Reporter in conversation with farmers in Dhikoli Village, Pahuj District
Reporter – I can see that you have grown so many crops on your farm. There is
mustard, wheat and so many different types of vegetables as well. What are the
benefits of growing this wide variety of crops?
Farmer 1 - It is very profitable growing so many crops. Onion, garlic and vegetables
fetch good returns for a farmer.
Music Transition
Anuradha - In India, women play a major role in the agriculture sector. Till now, I
have heard only male farmers. Didn’t you meet any female farmers there?
Jagrup - Yes Anuradha, we did! Lets hear how they are adapting to the changing
climate .
Music Transition
Reporter - How many crops do you grow in a year?
Woman farmer – We usually grow 3 crops in a year.
Reporter - What order do you follow?
Woman farmer – Last year, I first grew corn in June. After harvesting the corn, I
sowed peas when the winter season started, followed by vegetables in February.
Reporter- Why did you choose corn?
Woman farmer - I do not grow only corn in the Kharif season (summer time). I
sometimes grow peanuts or any other crop depending on the requirement.
Music Transition (08:06 – 08:09)
Radio anchors in conversation (Male anchor - Jagrup and Female anchor –
Anuradha) (08:10 – 09: 33)
Anuradha - After listening to all the farmers you spoke to, I feel they are all making
efforts to increase their resilience to the changing climate by growing less water
intensive crops.
Jagrup - Water is life and must be conserved.
Anuradha - Rightly said Jagrup. We often read about increasing water scarcity
especially in summers.
Jagrup - Now that we have heard our farmers, why not listen to what the experts
have to say?
Anuradha - Yes, of course!
Jagrup - So let’s talk to Mr. S.B. Pandey who is working as a Programme Manager at
Development Alternatives.
Music Transition (09:34 – 09:36)
Radio reporter in conversation with Mr. S. B. Pandey, Programme Manager at
Development Alternatives
Reporter - Sir, which seeds do you suggest our farmers should select in these times
of climate change keeping in mind the fact that Bundelkhand is a drought prone
region?
Mr. S.B. Pandey - Farmers must firstly alter their farming according to the gradual
changes in climate. It has been shown through a demonstration that growing barley
is more beneficial than growing wheat in water deficient areas. Its demand is all
across India and not just in Bundelkhand. Narendra 7, a drought resistant variety of
barley is a good option for farmers. Not only does it give 25% more production, but it
also uses 30% less inputs in terms of manure and water. Wheat requires 5-6 cycles
of irrigation whereas barley only requires 2. I would therefore highly recommend
barley to our farmers in Bundelkhand which is extremely drought prone.
Reporter - How can growing barley help in this situation of climate change?
Mr. S.B. Pandey - Farmers should not stick with a particular crop, but keep shifting
according to the changing climate. Adapting their agricultural practices according to
the changing climate is the strategy that farmers need to follow.
Music Transition (12:15 – 12:18)
Radio anchors in conversation (Male anchor - Jagrup and Female anchor –
Anuradha) (12:19 – 13: 24)
Jagrup - That was our expert Mr. S.B. Pande from Development Alternatives.
Anuradha - Our farmers would definitely gain benefit if they follow his advice. With
this we have come to the end of our show. I would request our listeners to send us
their feedback of our show.
Jagrup - Our address is Radio Bundelkhand 90.4 MHz, TARAgram, near Orchcha
Tagela, Orchcha.
Anuradha - Our phone number is 07680252826
Jagrup – Another number is 09425813646. We will air our next episode of this series
with your suggestions. We will now take your leave.
Jagrup and Anuradha - Goodbye!
Programme ends with Shubh Kal Signature Tune (13:25 – 13:40
