Crop adaptation to climate change requires accelerated crop variety introduction accompanied by recommendations to help farmers match the best variety with their field contexts. Existing approaches to generate these recommendations lack scalability and predictivity in marginal production environments. We tested if crowdsourced citizen science can address this challenge, producing empirical data across geographic space that, in aggregate, can characterize varietal climatic responses. We present the results of 12,409 farmer-managed experimental plots of common bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) in Nicaragua, durum wheat (Triticum durumDesf.) in Ethiopia, and bread wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) in India. Farmers collaborated as citizen scientists, each ranking the performance of three varieties randomly assigned from a larger set. We show that the approach can register known specific effects of climate variation on varietal performance. The prediction of variety performance from seasonal climatic variables was generalizable across growing seasons. We show that these analyses can improve variety recommendations in four aspects: reduction of climate bias, incorporation of seasonal climate forecasts, risk analysis, and geographic extrapolation. Variety recommendations derived from the citizen science trials led to important differences with previous recommendations.

No abstract

No abstract

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges and opportunities in the use of radio for development in Ethiopia. Radio is found to be the most preferred mass medium to support development efforts in Ethiopia simply because the majority of Ethiopians are farmers while the country's level of illiteracy is significantly high. To serve the purpose of the study secondary analysis was employed.The analysis and interpretation of data reveal that ownership of radio receivers in Ethiopia is very low. The other major finding of the study discloses that using radio broadcast mainly as a tool of propaganda rather than as a tool of development is one of the impediments and threatening aspects of the growth of broadcast system in the country. According to the present study the state owned radio broadcasters, both federal and regional, have employed the Open Broadcasting Strategy, which follows "a shot-in-the-dark approach" to radio programming. Though it is a very recent phenomenon, regardless of the problems it has encountered, the expansion of community radio in Ethiopia is very encouraging.[CSA], 2010) and the infrastructure is significantly very poor. Farmers' agricultural productivity is often low, which in turn oblige the preponderance farmers to lead a povertystricken life. It is evident that poverty is the main challenge not only for the ruralists but also among the urban dwellers though relatively the problem is much severe in the rural areas of the country. "It is confirmed that there is a severe poverty in the urban areas of the country. However, rural areas are places of too grave poverty" (Ministry of Information, 2001). Social development has ever been taken as the most excellent solution for the major problems of Third World countries, like Ethiopia, including poverty and poverty related problems such as backwardness, hunger, diseases, injustice and exploitation (Hartmann et al, 1989: 1). On the other hand, social development cannot be achieved only by transferring capital and technology. It strictly necessitates "the communication of ideas, knowledge and skills to make possible the successful adoption of innovations" (Melkote and Steeves, 2008).Thus, as transfer of capital and technology, which is a basic requirement for development, is not possible without communication, communication that is significant for behavioral and attitudinal change is not possible without adequate information. As it is commonly said by communication scholars, 'Information is knowledge and knowledge is power'. Owing to this, the use of mass media is a prerequisite for communication and attitudinal change which are very crucial in the process of social development. Coronel (2011: 6) asserts that "addressing poverty requires not just a transfer of economic resources to the needy but also making information available to the poor so that they can participate more meaningfully in political and social life". Statement of the ProblemThe attainment of social development goals is very dubious without ample opportunity not onl...

No abstract