By Adrian Bell
Attendance figures – and feedback from members – reflect the success of IFAJ’s webinar programme as one of our most popular initiatives.
That’s why we’re hoping to fill 2026 with an even wider range of webinar topics, with greater regularity, than ever before. Our intention this year is to generate interest and appeal amongst as many members as possible, with topics that add value, understanding and knowledge.
Whether it’s creating opportunities to craft and tell stories, through unique access to subject-matter experts, or insight and appreciation of the tools and approaches that can help us hone and develop our skills, we’re trying to cover all bases.
The schedule begins next month. November’s COP30 summit in Brazil saw agriculture take on a more prominent role in climate change talks, where it’s positioned as a solution rather than a problem. We’ve invited a panel – drawn from IFAJ partners Alltech, CGIAR, ISF and Syngenta, all COP30 participants – to present and discuss the implications, expectations and obligations that might arise. Look out for this in March.
Syngenta, IFAJ’s Global Network Partner, will also continue to support the webinar programme through our ‘Sharing the Knowledge’ initiative. This series, which has included topics on plant breeding, soil health, and illicit trade, has seen some of the best-attended webinars IFAJ has ever run. We’ll be looking to continue that trend through 2026, with further subjects where we can tap into Syngenta’s own in-house expertise and its extensive network.
Meanwhile, thanks to conversations held at the 2025 Congress in Kenya, we’re hoping to bring CGIAR into the webinar programme as a new partner. The world’s largest publicly funded agrifood research network, CGIAR’s work is wide-ranging and – with 13 global centres serving a variety of research interests in agriculture – vital in addressing climate change mitigation and food security.
A further new webinar partner, under wraps for now, is a well-known global association with regional representation. Previously involved in IFAJ programmes, we’re hoping to use its regional expertise in the sector to equip IFAJ members with accurate, up-to-date knowledge to support evidence-based agricultural journalism, improve understanding of regional challenges and opportunities, and to address the growing threat of misinformation and disinformation through expert-led insight.
But we’re not stopping there. Also in the schedule for 2026 are ‘Big Topic’ webinars to cover subjects such as regenerative agriculture and the cocoa crisis, and a Professional Development thread addressing themes like the use and application of AI, investigative journalism, and digital media monetisation. We also have plans for a session on Brazilian agriculture, to support those joining the Executive Committee’s mid-term meeting in Sao Paolo; and an expert-led examination of the EU’s stance on biofuels in light of the Mercosur deal.
Finally, in the year that we celebrate IFAJ’s 70th anniversary, there’ll be another thread – IFAJ at 70 – looking at both the organisation’s achievements as well our future, as we continue to support the creation of new guilds, add new members, and move into ‘IFAJ 2.0’ with the Global Foundation for Agricultural Journalism and the establishment of IFAJ Ltd.
As ever, our webinars are run by our members, for our members. If there are specific topics you’d like to see covered, please tell us about it. Email me at adrian.bell@agromavens.com with ideas, requests and suggestions.
All webinars will be announced through the website, eblasts and our social media channels.