Agricultural Journalists More Important Than They Think

_{Article by: Kedidimetse vanderWesthuizen}

After two years of not being able to convene, The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) held its annual agricultural journalists and communicators Congress this year in Denmark. The association started off with a Young Leaders and Masterclass Boot camp which was aimed at giving agricultural communicators and journalists a platform for professional development and international networking.

Agriculture is an evolving industry and journalists are very critical in disseminating all information as well as research results to farmers and all the necessary stakeholders. Addressing participants, Fredrick Thalbitzer, who is the Chairman of the Danish Association of Agricultural Journalists, stated that journalists are more important that they think. He explained that they have a major role to communicate about food and agriculture adding that, “in a few years, the world’s population will grow from almost 8billion to 10 billion people and they will all need something to eat.”

Imploring agricultural communicators and agricultural journalists to disseminate information timely, Thalbitzer explained that farmers are learning new things every day, researchers are finding new and better ways whilst animal and plant breeders are constantly making progress. “As agricultural communicators, it is our task to disseminate new knowledge timely so that it can be applied in the field as quickly as possible,” he added.

Friday Phiri who is a member of IFAJ and also ZEMA Corporate Affairs Manager, agreed with Thalbitzer, noting that agricultural journalists have a huge responsibility of ensuring active participation of all stakeholders in all agricultural spheres. He explained that agriculture is an environmentally sensitive activity which should always be undertaken in an environmentally friendly manner.

“As the global community continuously seeks sustainable solutions to producing food for a fast-growing population, it is called upon to develop innovations aimed at reducing the sector’s contribution to global warming causing carbon emissions and the ultimate environmental degradation.” He further went on to state that agricultural journalists therefore have an active role to play by providing credible information and balanced narratives.

For their part, The Young Leaders and Masterclass participants decried misinformation on social media platforms, stating that most of the articles from non-credible sources always trend more that the credible information that farmers really need. Past IFAJ President, Owen Roberts, implored participants to make their reporting “fun and attract” to readers. He stated that as an agricultural lecturer, he always encourages his students to come up with innovative and interesting modes of disseminating information to the public.

“The power is in our hands to ensure readers, farmers and all necessary stakeholders’ attention is attracted to our articles,” he said. He went on to say agricultural communicators should tell good stories, because no legislation will completely eradicate fake pages and news, and as such ag journalists should strive to be better than them.

This year’s event was held from the 27^th June to 3rd July in Vingsted, Denmark under the theme; “Smarter Farming and Food Production for Green and Sustainable Growth.”