When our M&E visit revealed that our climate communication failed to reach rural farmers in Kawu, Igu, and Zuma communities in Bwari, Abuja, we knew we had to change our approach, and we did.
We dropped the digital graphics and social media buzz. We moved away from radio talk shows on 93.9 Jordan FM, Abuja. Instead, we embraced indigenous communication approaches, anchored by local voices.
We began organizing community gatherings. We made space for storytelling. We listened to elders. We allowed the communities to define climate change in their own words.
One elder told us:
“You don’t talk to farmers about climate from a distance—you listen to them and learn from them.”
This shift changed everything.
✅ Storytelling over press releases
✅ Local languages over English
✅ Community influencers over outside experts
✅ Listening before planning
The result? Real engagement. Farmers took ownership. Peer-to-peer learning spread. The message became theirs, not ours.
The biggest lesson?
Communication must not just be about people, it must be with them.
What local approach has worked for you recently? Let’s build a knowledge bank we can all learn from