Farmers Post Radio uses a combination of traditional (local radio) and modern (the internet) ICTs as tools for helping farmers and communities in the valleys of Santa Cruz improve their income. The idea is that access to information can foster more optimal planning of production and marketing of agriculture products, spurring economic development. The system works as follows: Every morning a few ICO staff members visit the markets in Santa Cruz to learn of the daily prices of various types of produce. (The focus is on the marketing and production information on the principal products produced in the region of Vallegrande). They then email this information to the radio production facilities at ICO headquarters in Villegrande. After the information is edited, it is sent to the local radio stations in the valley; these stations then air the contents. Technology convergence is a key programme strategy: Radio broadcasts, the internet, 2-way civil band radio, and satellite connection are all used to convey the relevant contents to people who need them.

The project operates from one central office in Santa Cruz and 3 rural information centres. A radio programme promotes the information services provided through these centres; organisers say that most farmers in the region listen to the programme on a daily basis, using it to enhance their negotiation power with market intermediaries. Farmers and other community members have reportedly used the centres to teach themselves how to use new ICTs. In particular, they are using the internet to seek information beyond market data, keeping themselves updated on health, educational, political, and economic issues, as well as on farm and animal raising techniques.

The centres are initially managed by ICO, but over time local communities are expected to take over this role as part of an effort to secure self-sustaining sales of services to the farmers and the wider community. ICO works directly with a small producer organisation called CAPA, which is part of a strategy for guaranteeing strong participation of the small farmers in the region.

Agriculture, Economic Development.

Prior to the launch of Farmers Post Radio, Pancrasia Gutierrez - one of more than 14,000 small farmers scattered in 3 provinces of western Bolivia (Vallegrande, Caballero and Florida) - commented, "We were not able to sell our produce to the market by ourselves, we had to wait for the buyers, we even did not know the right prices, we did know nothing; nobody could give us any help, no information was available."

This project builds on the experience gained in the earlier IICD project Ondas Libres. Farmers Post Radio has deepened/expanded over time within the region, such that price information on national markets (actual prices and trends) provided by other organisations and information on local production volumes and production inputs are offered as well. The goal, again, is to allow for a better planning of production and marketing on local level.

The project has gained interest abroad, placing in the finals of the ICT Stories Competition.