AGRA

AGRA’s recent media panel brought together professionals from the media and communications sectors to discuss the evolving landscape of reporting on food systems transformation. Across three panels, participants explored how traditional and digital media can better engage audiences, not only by meeting their information needs but also by delivering accurate facts and figures on pressing issues like food security and climate change.

Moderated by Siki Kigongo, Senior Regional Communications Officer at AGRA and AFSF, the first panel emphasized the importance of equipping journalists with the knowledge and skills to report effectively on food systems. Panelists, including Zeynab Wandati, Climate and Sustainability Editor at Nation Media Group (Kenya), and Hellen Mwale, Senior Editor at Daily Nation (Zambia), stressed the need for specialization within media, enabling journalists to convey complex information coherently and without political bias. The panel also highlighted the importance of simplifying data so that both journalists and their audiences can fully grasp key topics. Collaboration with farmers, policymakers, and researchers was deemed essential to ensure accurate, well-rounded reporting.

The second panel, featuring Benjamin Kojo Fiafor, Senior Country Representative at Farm Radio International (Ghana), Amy Sarr Fall, Founder and Director of Intelligences Presse (Senegal), and Katie Taft, Communications and Engagement Lead at Gates Ag One, focused on the media’s catalytic role in advancing a positive narrative around agriculture and food systems.

“Radio is far from dead. Converged with other media, it remains a powerful tool for educating communities, and addressing local languages and cultural nuances.”  Benjamin Fiafor, Senior Country Representative at Farm Radio International (Ghana)

The panelists underscored the need for positive journalism that empowers journalists to share real stories independently, free from the agendas of organizations or institutions. Amy Sarr Fall advocated for creating better working conditions for journalists, calling on media to highlight the vast opportunities in agriculture and the potential of Africa’s land. Katie Taft shared insights from her work with Dr. Agnes Kalibata, former UN Special Envoy on Food Systems, emphasizing the importance of having the right stakeholders at the table to ensure inclusive, widespread conversations on food systems. She also stressed the need for collaboration across media, organizations, and other sectors to ensure comprehensive coverage.

The final panel delved into the use of various platforms to engage youth audiences. Jean Claude Niyomugabo, a social media influencer and content creator from Rwanda, discussed how leveraging different platforms helps tailor content to diverse audience needs and makes journalism more accessible by simplifying news in a way that resonates with younger generations. Abenaitwe Cliff, Journalist and Deputy Managing Director of Water Journalists Africa, pointed out that while new media facilitates fast reporting and data-driven journalism, it is crucial to maintain journalistic integrity by prioritizing facts and truth. James Munyaneza, Managing Editor at The New Times, added that high-quality, well-structured content is key, stressing that traditional and new media should complement each other in telling impactful stories.

“To engage the youth, we must use platforms that resonate with them and present our institution’s agenda in ways that show agriculture and other sectors as viable career paths, fostering their growth.” Jean Kiarie, Head of Communications, AGRA.

Key Takeaways:

– The importance of training journalists to specialize in food systems reporting.

– The media’s responsibility to deliver factual, unbiased information, free from political or institutional influences.

– Radio’s enduring relevance in reaching diverse communities, particularly when combined with other media.

– The power of positive storytelling to showcase agriculture’s potential in Africa.

– The need for collaboration between media, farmers, policymakers, and researchers to ensure accurate reporting.

– The role of social media in engaging youth and making complex topics more accessible.

By fostering collaboration between traditional and new media, the panelists agreed that we can ensure that the transformation of food systems is communicated clearly, effectively, and inclusively.