This paper presentation is aimed at identifying
challenges and opportunities in reporting agricultural value chain crops to all
stakeholders with to researchers, farmers, processors, input providers, service
provider, transporters, foreign donors, government and financial institutions.
Introduction
One of the
functions of the media is to inform the citizens about local and foreign
affairs. As a result of this role most
people tend to rely on media as their major source of news.
The history of agricultural
reporting has been with us since the time immemorial right from human creation
as it was stated in the holy bible in Genesis chapter 2 verse 8 that “ the Lord
God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he created”.
Despite this
divine ordinances given by our creator, man has not maximally harnessed the
given opportunity in the sector which is very obvious in all the facets of the
sector with evidence of poor funding cum other associated challenges which does
not spare the appropriate reporting of agricultural value chain crops as the
sector is big enough to sustain accommodate it if so desired.
There is no doubt that Agriculture
is being relegated on the development agenda despite the promises and rhetoric
from governments worldwide, investment in agriculture and rural development is
still lagging just as communication of the sector is also not seen as a major
priority at either national or international levels thereby constraining the
role of the journalist as an effective player in agricultural and rural
development, or is being undervalued.
Reporting on agriculture is largely
restricted to natural disasters, food shortages and rising food prices because
it seems to tandem with breaking news natures of mainstream media’s demand.
However, I believe the media has a potentially broader role in raising the
profile of agriculture amongst decision-makers as well as the wider public and
farmers in particular along the value chains of crops and even animal
production.
Although there are some level of variances at the challenges and
opportunities that are available to agricultural reporting from one country to
another as this cannot be totally ruled out just like individual’s differences.
In line with this topic, it may not
be out of place to remind ourselves who is an agricultural reporter for proper
appropriation of his or her challenges and opportunity especially in the
reporting of the value chains of this sector.
Who is a reporter?
According to Wikipedia a reporter is
type of journalist who researches, writes and reports based on information from
sources, interviews and research engagement as the case may be.
The information
gathering aspect of a journalist’s job is sometime called reporting as there
are ethics and standards that reporters are required to exhibit in carrying out
their reporting activities which includes-objectivity and unbiased story.
What are media platform available
for agricultural reporting?
1.
Electronic-: radio, television,
social media (twitters, face book, instagram, blog, Youtube, Linkedlin, skype,
drone i.e using robots to cover events. etc.
2.
Print Media- Daily publications,
Farm News papers or magazine, fliers, newsletters, posters, billboards etc
In all of these, the dynamics of
technologies availability is very germane to reporting agriculture especially
in the face of food security with the youth engagement in agriculture cum
dwindling prices of crude oil every day as finding has revealed that radio
platform, newspaper and specialized papers are mostly preferred in information
dissemination to farmers.
Challenges
1.
Lack of skill to properly report agriculture
as it is supposed to be from the holistic point of view where various
stakeholders at the crops value chains are given fair consideration -
Scientists or Researchers, farmers, processors, inputs providers, and
marketing, donor agencies, financial institutions etc. how many special
publication do we have on each value chain crops-like groundnut voice or G/N
news.
2.
Most stakeholders in the sector do
not have enough confidence in journalists for the fear of being quoted out of
context even when such reporter is skillful.
3.
Most agricultural projects do not
always make budget provision for journalists’ honourarian because some
developmental partners believe they are doing you favour by giving out information as they see
it as free service forgetting a reporter too has financial obligations to meet.
4.
There are many hotline news
contending with agricultural news which always lead to dropping some of the
sector’s news especially when there are breaking news at the main stream media.
5.
Agricultural sector is not properly
structured especially at the rural level for a reporter to easily get
information that will enhance his report. Emphasis is concentrated at the top
why there is neglect at where local production of agricultural produce is
coming from.
6.
The challenges are more on
specialized agricultural publications like Food Farm News as both public and
private stakeholders that suppose to embrace and see the medium as effective
communication tool never see the green light opportunity as maximally expected
but few do see the opportunity whereas in Uganda, the use of specialized
agricultural publication has increased the reporting of the sector.
7.
The public sector of Agriculture always frowns
at any report or news that did not soothe their organization thereby forgetting
the standards and ethics expected of a reporter. Many information officers go
to the extent of refusing to invite such reporter to any of their function as
way of showing their resentment.
A Alternatively in such occasion a rejoinder may
have better solved the issue that is if there is any. For example, David Mowbray, BBC World Service Trust, United
Kindom at the 2009 annual seminar of Centre for Technical Agriculture and Rural
Cooperation (CTA) submitted that “journalist’s job is not to be the public
relations tool of the development organization, of the Ministry of Agriculture
or of the farmers' organization, rather the journalist's job is to find and
tell good stories and if people don't understand that distinction they are
never going to be satisfied with what journalists do”.
8.
Reporters are being short- changed
by information managers of many organizations especially the government
officials at MDAs at any slightest opportunity (through editing).
Low
remuneration affects journalists’ morale which is being occasionally
complimented by rewards from stakeholders. For example a political beat reporter
is more buoyant than any science based reporter. Daniel Aghan, Media for
Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture, Kenya said that when a journalist goes to a farmer he is paid less
than US$10 for his story.
Yet a politician somewhere is waiting for him in a
very posh hotel, he is going to buy him a drink, he is going to give him taxi
home, he is going to give him some money for the family. Why will he chase
after farmers?
There are little or no availability
of much information materials about agricultural activities thereby
making it compulsory for a reporter to personally generate news. Most states
and national libraries have little or no
much material.
Conflicting roles of MDAs coupled
misplacement of some agencies in a ministry when they are actually supposed to be. For example NACGRAB in the Ministry of
science should have been better placed
under agric for easy connectivity by the any reporters.
Language barrier- there many
situations when a reporter will have to look for an interpreter who one may not really get the exact message
they way one would have understood.
Incompetency of the many information
of communication officers of MDAs as regards dynamics
of reporting the value chain agricultural sector.
Discrimination against media
organization
Opportunities for agric reporters
In the face of the aforementioned, one cannot but agree that
there are bound to be benefits for a reporter who is ready to pay the
prize as there is no opportunity without
a challenge.
1.
Reporting of agricultural news will
expand the marketing frontier of any electronic and prints media in terms of
advertisement from the stakeholders, and this will be an edge over those who
give the sector no reporting attention, just as special report on a particular
crop value chain can be carried out at a cost. For example during the 50th
celebration in 2010, food farm news made a special edition for challenges and
achievement of the country where some Research Institutes were feature at a
cost.
2.
There is high tendency for business
opportunity to undaunted journalists as agricultural revolution in Nigeria and
other African countries is already going through repositioning that a reporter
in the sector may soon be enjoying like any other sector. For example in
Nigeria, the sector is day by day expanding as the country has potential for
exportable produce that are not yet optimized. For example in UK farming
contributes over nine billion pounds to the economy. Food and drink is her
largest manufacturing sector, the whole supply chain is worth nearly 100
million pound employing four million people.
3.
Reporters stand the chances of being
given consultancy service as media communication on the course of reporting
this sector, I have been privileged to enjoy this opportunity as country
communication representative, FAO Nigeria on CountryStat of which is aimed at
synchronizing the agricultural produce data from the local, states and Federal
Government in a well harnessed way without contraction. Nigeria today is
signatory. It was a well paid service.
M Many reporter have been sponsor for one
training on the other Nationally or Internationally.
4.
You meet reliable people -
researchers, scientists, farmers, processors and producers of drinks and foods
Conclusion
The level of agricultural reporting in the country can be
enhanced if especially the stakeholders who are the owners of this information
are ready to see the media as development partners and not just being seen as
special invitees during a launch or release of any new materials. But rather
involving them like the case of the Avian Influenza outbreak in 2007 where
Nigeria was well adjudged best in the world in the fight against H5N1 spread at
the time.
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