Kenya is set to host the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress in October.
Ahead of the event, IFAJ president Steve Werblow, during his brief visit to the country, shared insights on the upcoming event and what it means for agricultural journalism.
Here are excerpts from their conversation.
What will make the 2025 IFAJ Congress in Kenya unique compared to previous events?
As far as I am aware, this is IFAJ's first congress in East Africa, so the opportunity to see agriculture in the region will be especially exciting for many of us.
Kenya is a global player in export crops as well as smallholder production and that combination will be fascinating for agriculture journalists to see.
Plus, the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) network that is organising the congress has developed great tourism opportunities as pre- and post-congress tours, which is a real treat.
So many of us have only ever seen Kenya's amazing wildlife on the screen, so the chance to go on a game drive is a dream come true for us.
You've visited several African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. What key lessons have you learned from the way agriculture is practiced in these countries?
The innovation, diversity and drive of Africa's farmers are inspiring. Within a short drive, one can see state-of-the-art export operations as well as timeless smallholder operations.
But it's worth noting that even the smallholder farms are tuned into some great conservation and management practices and the interplanting and rotation on those farms can teach us a lot about biodiversity and working in a changing climate.
How is agricultural journalism in Africa compared to other countries like the USA? What unique challenges and opportunities exist here?
There's a tremendous talent pool of agricultural journalists in Africa with skill, drive and creativity. I think all of us around the world can learn from how African agriculture journalists use every tool at their disposal to reach audiences that range widely in terms of language and literacy level.
I am also absolutely amazed at how engaged audiences are in broadcasts about agriculture. Your listeners and viewers are very well-versed and delightfully opinionated about agriculture. What a treat to be able to serve such a deeply engaged audience!
With the rise of AI technologies, how should agriculture journalism evolve to incorporate these advancements? What opportunities and challenges do you foresee in the use of AI in agricultural reporting?
I am really struggling to get my brain around AI and its implications for our industry. My first reaction was fear that it would too easily replace many journalists with a cheap alternative.
I think there are ways we can combat that by injecting more of the human element into our coverage, not just quotations, but also observations and analysis that we often don't include in articles.
I also think we will find AI to be a useful tool in researching and analysing complicated topics and even planning fieldwork. I suspect, like most new tech, it won't be as bad as we fear or as great as the developers promise and we'll figure out how to use it to do our jobs better.
Innovation in agriculture is crucial for progress. How can agricultural journalism contribute to the adoption of innovative practices and how should journalists approach issues of policy in this context?
Innovation is vital to all agriculture, as is policy that encourages it. As journalists, we should be open to innovation in all its forms and eager to understand the science behind it.
With that in our heads, we can help farmers figure out what to adopt and how to best profit from it and we can communicate back up the line to policymakers about the impacts that innovation can have.
Innovation can also be the key to attracting young people to agriculture. Few are eager to just pick up a hoe because their grandparents did. In fact, that is typically a big reason young people around the world seek alternatives to farming.
But if they see agriculture as a way to tap into innovative technologies and opportunities to use innovation to produce food and fiber profitably, we may see a growing interest in farming among younger people and better returns on their time and investment.
Seed systems and GMO-related issues often create debates that impact seed production and food security. What steps should be taken to address these challenges and what role can agricultural journalists play in informing the public on these issues?
Seed systems and GMOs, as well as CRISPR-Cas [technology that enables geneticists and medical researchers to edit parts of the genome] and other technologies are complex and fraught with all sorts of political and social baggage.
As journalists, we need to make a concerted effort to understand the technology and learn to separate the science from the politics.
Farmers and policymakers look to us to help them navigate through the noise to help them understand how they could put technology to work on the farm.
With the massive need for productivity increases and environmental protection, we really need to understand and harness technology on the farm.
Whether the answer is hybrids and conventionally bred seeds, GMOs, or a combination of both, our audiences are going to look to us to help them understand and make good decisions.
