Sanday Chongo Kabange, AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, Zambia
Two African Journalists have been awarded with the continent's presitgious agriculture awards at a ceremony held in the Mozambique. Patricia Oyella of WBS TV in Uganda and Wandera Ojanji of the East African Standard in Kenya were winners of the CGIAR-FARA 2008 Award for Excellence in Agricultural Science Journalism in Africa.
Oyella won the prize for outstanding broadcast story while Ojanji received the outstanding print media prize. Each award, carrying a cash value of US$5,000 recognizes journalists’ efforts in effectively communicating agricultural science issues to the general public.
This year’s prize was jointly offered by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA).
“We received an impressive array of entries from about 20 countries in Africa. Oyella and Ojanji impressed the judges most for thoroughly exploring the issues without losing their audience in the complexity of science. We recognize and applaud their efforts in showing how agriculture research contributes to development in Africa,” said Catherine Mgendi of the CGIAR.
“Extensive and well-researched coverage of these important issues contributes to the mission of the CGIAR and FARA, and we are grateful for their contribution.”
Saving the Cooking Banana
Patricia Oyella, editor and reporter at WBS TV in Uganda, received the award for her broadcast feature, “Saving the Cooking Banana,” shown on WBS TV and on Business Africa, a program broadcast on a network of more than 45 African and five European partner channels.
Combining powerful, captivating imagery with precise narratives, the feature demonstrated the importance of this food crop in Africa, the problems faced by banana farmers, and the solutions offered by researchers.
The panel of judges comprising senior journalists and editors across Africa applauded her entry as “a brilliant story well told with strong human interest.” The judges commended Oyella for a story well-researched that also employed unforgettable images and experts who explained the issues clearly.
Endangered Species
Wandera Ojanji, science and environmental writer at the East African Standard newspaper in Kenya, received the outstanding print award for his article, “Endangered Species,” published on September 2, 2007.
In his article, Ojanji effectively highlighted the plight of diminishing indigenous livestock breeds in Kenya and neighboring countries, and advocated strongly for the conservation of their genetic diversity through research, local breeding programs, and policy
interventions.
“‘Endangered Species’ is a good agriculture research story and the journalist has done proper justice to a difficult theme,” said the judges.
The CGIAR-FARA 2008 Award for Excellence in Agricultural Science Journalism in Africa attracted 49 print and broadcast entries on issues affecting Africa’s key crops (banana, cassava, maize, rice) and livestock, namely biofuels, climate change, the role of biotechnology, food safety, access to fertilizers, pest management and efforts to control noxious weeds such as striga.
“In this day of information overload, journalists have to be concise, accurate and relevant. They additionally have to present agricultural information attractively and innovatively. Their choice of words and images sometimes has more impact than loads of scientific evidence,” said Francois Stepman, Communications Specialist for the Accra-based Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa.
“We truly laud the efforts of journalists to inform and educate the public about the
importance of issues affecting agriculture in Africa, and solutions offered by research.”
No comments:
Post a Comment