BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Agricultural journalists from Latin America will gather in Buenos Aires for a professional development workshop offered in conjunction with the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) 2013 Congress, beginning September 1.
The Master Class, sponsored by DuPont Pioneer and British-American Tobacco and coordinated by Agriterra, aims to help farm journalists from developing countries to better communicate about how agriculture and growers can reduce hunger and poverty in their own countries – a United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal. It focuses on building dynamic professional skills, as well as a greater understanding of agricultural issues, media trends, and relationship building.
“By helping individuals build their expertise, we’re also helping them create stronger journalism sectors in their own countries,” says Markus Rediger, IFAJ President. “This often translates to greater communication between farmers, consumers and other key players, leading to more cooperation in finding solutions to pressing problems.”
The Master Class also gives IFAJ members access to contacts in countries that are often not IFAJ members, but which are intricately involved in feeding an increasingly hungry world. Five of the national associations of agricultural journalists who are members of IFAJ are helping to fund the Master Class and CHS Inc are sponsoring a booklet that will contain articles produced by the participants.
This year, with the congress in Argentina, the focus was on inviting journalists from Latin-American countries. The farmers’ organizations’ network of Agriterra guarantees the participation of professional rural journalists and communicators, preferably with a link to an organization of smallholders.
The participants include:
Fredy Gustavo Cálvez – Guatemala
Carlos Cruz Bellodas – Peru
Luis Bringas – Mexico
Sandra Marca – Bolivia
Gustavo Arias – Bolivia
Yajaira Aguirre Morales – Nicaragua
Aline Eberhard – Brazil
Francielli Macagnan – Brazil
Cesar Felicio – Brazil
For more information contact:
Owen Roberts, IFAJ vice-president
owen(at)uoguelph.ca
519-835-4744
