Tuesday 1 December 2009

Farm Radio International founder Atkins dies at 92

Former CBC farm commentator George Atkins died of kidney failure early Monday 30th of november in Wiarton, Ont. He was 92.

Atkins, who owned and managed a small farm after graduating from the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, Ont., was CBC's farm and gardening host in the 1950s and 60s. He was also the founder of Farm Radio International, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last May 2009.

The Ottawa-based non-profit organization, formerly the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network, collects advice from farmers and farming experts, produces radio scripts based on the information and distributes them to other broadcasters who reach millions of Third World farmers every month.

Dr. George Atkins reflects back on 30 years of Farm Radio International: Dr. Atkins tells us the story of how he founded Farm Radio International (formerly Developing Countries Farm Radio Network)