Radio can be a group activity, encouraging discussion of educational issues after the broadcast. In many rural areas radio is the only source of information about market prices for crops. It is used both for formal and informal education such as agricultural extension information for farmers and agro-food processors. It plays an important role in the preservation of local language and culture. It can be used in calling for emergency medical assistance.
Many people lack sufficient access to electricity, and batteries are expensive to obtain.
However alternatives in solar and windup technology have been developed and are gradually making their way to the village level. In order to empower disadvantaged groups as equal partners in development, the limitations of formal and non-formal education are now being challenged. New ways to achieve mass education, that can be both efficient and effective, are being sought. In this context, radio, an effective telecommunications medium, was proposed at Jomtien in 1990, as the solution most likely to address this great need. Radio can cut across geographic and cultural boundaries.