Our Talking Book pilot began in early 2009 and focused on spreading health and agriculture information in a
remote village in Ghana in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
We began
by collaborating with local experts in agriculture, health, and education to
produce content for Talking Books. Experts included officials from the Ministry
of Food and Agriculture, Ghana Education Service, and Ghana Health Service.
In January, we delivered 21 Talking
Books to the small village of Ving Ving.
The devices were managed by a group of local leaders who were given two
hours of training by a local Literacy Bridge volunteer.
Residents of Ving Ving immediately began sharing Talking Books to allow each family to spend time learning how to fight disease and improve their crops, which is described below.
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| Jirapa District in Upper West Region of Ghana |
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Agriculture Use of Talking Books
There is only one rainy season per year in northern Ghana. Just before the rainy season began, farmers prepared their fields using the advice provided on the Talking Books. The following excerpts come from those recordings:
- "We need to start clearing our farms in March and finish by May."
- "You should not burn the stocks that you clear in the farm."
- "You should start sowing beans in May up to June. Even after you finish sowing the beans you’ll have some land left to clear and the weeds will be growing."
- "We at the Agric office would like you to stop making mounds and make beds to plant your crops because you can plant more crops on beds than you can on mounds. If you make beds across slopes in your farm, you will notice that they slow down the movement of water and the water doesn’t cause erosion. And when there is a short period of draught, you’ll see that the water that pooled in the gutters kept the beds moist and therefore nourish your crops but those crops planted on mounds may even start to die."
In August 2009, towards the end of the rainy season, a team of Literacy Bridge staffers and volunteers returned to Ving Ving to conduct user interviews about their experience with the Talking Books, to evaluate their agriculture knowledge, and to observe their crops.
As the rainy season ended, farmers listened to recordings of more agriculture advice, such as:
- "Harvest your produce on time so that they’re not destroyed by pests or fire."
- "You should always make sure your crops a well dried before you store them."
In December of 2009, Literacy Bridge staffers returned to Ving Ving to conduct surveys of their 2009 harvest results in comparison with their results from 2008. Farmers who had used Talking Books were compared with those who had not used Talking Books or heard about their recordings.
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Please help us expand this program!
We rely on your tax-deductible donations to make this possible.
Or, mail a check to the address below.
Thank you for helping to end poverty.
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