Nigeria’s Centre of Excellence is to host the second National Conference of Agricultural Journalism (NCAJ 2024) with the theme, “Capacity Building and Agricultural Reporting in Nigeria”. Agricultural journalism is a specialised field in journalism that covers the various aspects of agriculture, including agribusiness, best practices and changing conditions for agriculture. It is part of agricultural communication, which is an academic and professional area that examines best practices for communicating about farming and farmers.
Agricultural journalism makes it possible for knowledge transfer by identifying the perspectives of agriculturalists in larger news stories such as transfers knowledge from knowledge holders, policy makers and researchers, climate change, finance, and marketing experts, to producers and those saddled with the responsibility of implementing favourable agricultural policies and programmes. This time around, the objectives of the conference are to up-scale the knowledge of media practitioners in modern agriculture reporting, and equip journalists with requite skills for unbiased coverage of food safety and consumption.
Others are to teach journalists on how to avoid legal traps in agricultural journalism, identify the risks associated with coverage of agriculture and compensation management, and promote research and development on food security in Nigeria. Expected participants include journalists such as editors, correspondents and reporters from the print, electronic and online media covering agriculture and environment; government officials; global media experts; academia; researchers; farmers’ networks; development partners; students; investors; business lawyers; lawmakers; and captains of industry.
The event, which is the second in series, is designed to give visibility to the organisers, partners and collaborators in terms of increase in their resource base, networking, and contributions to scholarship. To ensure a successful outing, the conference planning committee and sub-committees have be put in place to cater for logistics, publicity, security, secretariat, outreach, accommodation, transportation, to mention a few while resource persons comprise global media experts, academics, researchers, farmers, management experts, development partners, and legal practitioners.
It would be recalled that the maiden edition of the conference (NCAJ 2023), was held last year in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and was themed, “Agricultural Journalism in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects”. Speakers at the event were Dr. Olufemi Oladunni, Executive Director, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria; Obinna Chukwuezie, Founder, Journalism Communication and Media Centre, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria; Dr. Ijeoma Chibuogwu, Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, Nigeria; and Ivor Price and Kobus Louwrens, Co-founders, Food for Mzansi, Western Cape, South Africa.
Others are Dr. Gabriel Nyitse, Department of Mass Communication, Bingham University, Karu, Abuja, Nigeria; Ugonma Cokey, Voice of Nigeria, Broadcasting House, Ikoyi, Lagos State, Nigeria; and Prof. John Akintayo, Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. At the occasion, awards were given to recipients for their outstanding contributions to agriculture, food security, and promotion of a safe environment in Nigeria. They included Dr. Femi Oke, Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State Chapter; Dr. Priscilla M. Achakpa, Founder/Global Lead, Women Environmental Programme; Daily Trust Newspapers; Voice of Nigeria; and Nature News, while some organisations took part in exhibition at the conference.
As we reflect on the gains of the first edition of the conference, it is time to work harder and strengthen the media towards the attainment of food security in Nigeria by beaming the searchlights on the many unreported or under-reported areas in agriculture. According to the technical speakers, these neglected areas include the adverse effects of climate change on farming, plight of small-holder farmers, unsustainable government policies, paucity of information on emerging technologies, post-harvest losses and unavailable research materials, air and water pollution and consequent health issues, irrigation and land remediation concerns, poor funding, inadequate supply of fertilizers and farm inputs, and abandonment of lofty programmes like the river-basin development authority projects, to name a few.
Aside these challenges, the fall-out of the confab has elicited the need to look closer and revisit policies like the Operation Feed the Nation, Green Revolution, Agriculture Master Plan, Agriculture Promotion Policy (APP), Nigeria-Africa Trade and Investment Promotion Programme, Presidential Economic Diversification Initiative, Economic and Export Promotion Incentives, Zero Reject Initiative, Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), Action Against Desertification (AAD) Programme, the Focus Labs conducted by the Federal Government as an implementation-enabler for some aspects of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (2017-2020), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-facilitated Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, among others; to boost farming in the country.
NCAJ, organised by FarmingFarmersFarms and published by FFF Publications and Services Co. Ltd., is a specialised online newspaper that focuses on agriculture and environment. FFF is a recipient of a number of grants such as 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 the Legitimate Journalists Artificial Intelligence Empowerment Grant, among others. The second edition of the National Conference on Agricultural Journalism, would take place, between October 15 and 18, 2024, at the Caleb University, Imota, Lagos State, the nation’s centre of excellence.
