A National Conference on Agricultural Journalism is currently ongoing in Abuja intending to put agriculture in its pride of place through the influence of Agricultural Journalism for the socio-economic development of the country.
Speaking at the two-day conference, Dr Adewale Kupoluyi, Esq., Chairman, the National Conference Planning Committee, said the gathering was put together to discuss the major challenges facing agriculture to proffer sustainable solutions to using journalism and communication media, to promote food security and a safe environment.
The conference with the theme, “Agricultural Journalism in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects,” Dr Kupoluyi said, is seeking to improve the knowledge and skills of media practitioners and journalists in modern agriculture reporting, deepen participants’ understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the Nigerian agriculture sector.
The gathering is also expected to connect participants for collaborations using news coverage to promote food security, identify key issues for media advocacy in the sector, and develop an action plan to respond to them.
He said the importance of agriculture in the life of the nation cannot be over-emphasised, adding that, “Agriculture brings food to the table. It provides jobs for the people. It is a veritable source of income for the nation. It also offers the economy a good avenue for growth and diversification. Simply put, agriculture is perhaps the most important sector because there is no life without food.
“Journalism, which simply involves the use of the communication media, is certainly a good match to promote agricultural production in terms of the acquisition, processing, and dissemination of information for the use of stakeholders in the agriculture value chain to ensure that the identified importance of this critical sector is achieved. It is on this basis that we have decided to pay more attention to what many people have agreed to be largely under-reported when compared to other sectors of the economy.”
The conference was jointly organised by Farming Farmers Farms; Prime Progress newspapers; and Journalism Communication and Media Centre (JCM Centre); with technical support from the Nigeria Media Innovation Programme (NAMIP), which is implemented by the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF); affiliated to the MacArthur Foundation, United States of America, as well as other supporters.
Among those attending the gathering are editors, correspondents, and reporters from the print, electronic, and online media, covering agriculture and the environment in Nigeria; government officials, global media experts, students, researchers, academia, farmers’ networks, development partners, lawyers, lawmakers, and captains of industry, among others.
Kupoluyi said from the prevailing situation, organisers want deep knowledge and rich training for journalists and participants from the cohort media organisations covering agriculture and environment, to perform better on their job and also expose them to how to better deploy digital technology to the gathering and dissemination of information in the reportage of agriculture and environment.
An experienced and knowledgeable keynote speaker and guest speakers invited to deliver papers at the conference include Dr Olufemi Oladunni, Executive Director, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Nigeria.
Mr Obinna Chukwuezie, Founder, Journalism Communication and Media Centre (JCM Centre), Jos, who will be discussing ‘Mainstreaming value-chain approach in #AgReporting’ and Dr Ijeoma Chibuogwu of the Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, would handle ‘Diversifying the Nigerian economy from oil to agriculture: The role of agricultural reporting’.
There is also the duo of Ivor Price and Kobus Louwrens, Co-founders of Food for Mzansi, from Western Cape, South Africa, who are already on the ground to take the special session on ‘Utilising technology to elevate agricultural journalism: A case study from Food for Mzansi, South Africa’.
Kupoluyi said the special session would showcase how Food for Mzansi, a leading agricultural news outlet in South Africa, has successfully incorporated digital technologies to promote its content to boost South Africa’s agriculture sector.
There is also Dr Gabriel Nyitse of the Department of Mass Communication, Bingham University, Abuja, to speak on ‘Media coverage of agriculture: Underreported issues in Nigeria’ among others.
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