Vasundhara Krishi Vahini @ 90.4 FM

Contact Person: Mrs. Asha More 

Broadcasting Language: Marathi

Genesis:  Vasundhara Krishi Vahini 90.4 MHz, Community Radio Station started on 1st April 2004. It is situated at Vidya Pratishthan campus, Vidyanagari, Baramati, District Pune. The transmitter capacity is 50 Watt and a transmission range of about 30 Km, the CRS covers an area  with a population of about two lakh people. It is a well equipped station with facilities for recording, editing and transmission. In addition, there is a good waiting and conference hall, for a capacity of about 150 people. 

The CRS continues its effort to impact the lives of people in its target community through its interventions and programmes. 

Thematic Focus: Vasundhara Krishi Vahini was established to provide communication support for the social, economic and cultural development of the community within geographical location, and is owned and operated by the community on a non-profit basis. This community radio is catering exclusively to farmers and other communities within a 30 Km radius of the tehsil Baramati. This is a state-of-art radio station which has standard recording, editing and transmission facility. The primary focus area of the CRS is agriculture. The CRS also focuses on other areas that are crucial for the welfare of the community. 

Sustainable Development Goals: Vasundhara Krishi Vahini is progressively working towards these goals:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 17: Partnership for Goals

Primetime Programmes: The following are the primetime programmes that are broadcast on Vasundhara Krishi Vahini. 

• Krishi Sandesh – Daily weather forecast and agricultural advisory.
• Sheti Pathshala – From planting to post-harvest technology in agriculture, information from 
•  seed processing to market is disseminated to the farmers. Information on fertiliser management, soil-water testing, grain storage, etc. is given to farmers through this 10-minute programme every day. 
• Pashudhan  – Informative programmes are aired which will be useful in the animal husbandry industry, which is useful to farmers as a side hustle. 10-minute programmes are aired daily on animal breeding, animal management, and disease management. 
• Masti ki Pathshala –.Every day the 15-minute programme features songs, poems, stories, skits performed by young children. 
• Dhanwantari – This is a series of interviews with expert doctors discussing the diagnosis and treatment of diseases ranging from manageable to incurable diseases 
• Arogy Sampada – It offers health advice based on Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Allopathy and home remedies. The programme is aired for five minutes every day.  

Innovations in format or any other way: Vasundhara Vahini is an active proponent of narrowcasting because most of the people in the community are farmers who spend most of their day in the field and seldom find time to tune in to radio programmes. But the farming community is an integral part of the nation and their welfare is a priority for the CRS. Information related to agriculture is shared with the farmers to help achieve the best yield. 

The CRS has formed a women’s forum called the Vasundhara Mahila Manch, and presently has 55 members. The CRS hosts events like local get-togethers and traditional ceremonies for these women to come together. 

Core Team: Vasundhara Vahini has a small but dedicated team of five members which includes the radio jockeys, technical support staff, operators and other personnel. The CRS is also supported by its community volunteer groups who contribute to the activities of the CRS.

Major Projects Undertaken: Vasundhara Vahini has been part of the International Day of Yoga campaigns in 2021 and 2022, in association with the Ministry of Ayush and CEMCA. The CRS worked in association with UNICEF and CRA for ‘Swasthya Sankalp’, and ‘Poshan ki Potli’ in association with SMART. Swastha Balak Spardha was organised in collaboration with the Government Women’s Hospital, Baramati, and ‘poshan’ kits were distributed by the CRS. ‘Climate Countdown’ was another initiative in association with SMART. The CRS also collaborated with SBC3 for ‘Gender Equality’, and with DataLEADS for Factshala.

Sustainable Strategies: Vasundhara Vahini generates enough revenue to be a self-sustained independent entity without having to rely on its parent organisation for funds. The CRS collaborates with different organisations like government authorities and schools in the areas to raise funds for its operations. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: The potential outreach of Vasundhara Vahini is about two lakh people. 

Major concerns in the Community: The major concerns in the community are gender inequality, health issues in children due to lack of proper nutrition, saline water, and the increasing uses of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture. The local art forms are fast disappearing and they need to be preserved for the future generations.