Why we are organising national conference on agricultural journalism – Kupoluyi

Dr Adewale Kupoluyi is the chairman, National Conference Planning Committee of the National Conference on Agricultural Journalism (NCAJ). A seasoned journalist, public relations expert, teacher and lawyer, he holds a PhD in Political Science. In this interview, he suggests ways of addressing challenges in the agricultural sector by bridging the communication gap among stakeholders in […]

Dr Adewale Kupoluyi is the chairman, National Conference Planning Committee of the National Conference on Agricultural Journalism (NCAJ). A seasoned journalist, public relations expert, teacher and lawyer, he holds a PhD in Political Science. In this interview, he suggests ways of addressing challenges in the agricultural sector by bridging the communication gap among stakeholders in the agricultural value chain.

One of the major problems confronting agriculture in Nigeria has been a lack of effective communication between policymakers, research institutes, agricultural experts and farmers. How do you think this gap can be addressed?

We need to redefine what agriculture truly means in Nigeria as the first step to close this gap. There is a need to deliberately changing the wrong mindset that suggests that agriculture is for jobless people, old people, and something that anyone can just jump into once you have the hoe and cutlass. This is completely at variance with what we see across the globe. Farmers are successful and rich people who are well respected.

In Nigeria, the specific roles to be played by actors are not clear. Therefore, we need to get it right through proper conceptualisation, planning and integration of all stakeholders to see agriculture as a business. This is where the role of the media comes in by identifying and bringing the stakeholders to perform their roles to fill in this vacuum and situate agriculture in the proper perspective.

As a lawyer, I can confirm to you that by virtue of Section 22 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and other sections, the role of the media, whether in agriculture or national development, cannot be over-emphasised.

We understand that your group will be organising a conference on agricultural journalism. What is it all about and what do you intend to achieve?

The national conference is jointly organised by FarmingFarmersFarms; Prime Progress newspapers; and the Journalism Communication and Media Centre (JCM Centre) with technical support from the Nigeria Media Innovation Programme (NAMIP), which is implemented by the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) affiliated to the MacArthur Foundation, United States of America as well as other supporters.

The planners are drawn from these organisations, but we also have committed committee members who were invited from outside because of their pedigree and rich professional experience.

He said the 2-day programme will be held at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria, from August 31 to September 1, 2023 beginning at 10am.

The maiden edition of the conference themed, ‘Agricultural Journalism in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects’, is designed to discuss the major challenges facing agriculture with a view to proffering sustainable solutions to them using journalism and communication media, to promote food security and a safe environment.

The conference further seeks to improve the knowledge and skills of media practitioners and journalists in modern agriculture reporting, deepen participants’ understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the Nigerian agriculture sector, connect participants for collaborations using news coverage to promote food security, identify key issues for media advocacy in the sector, and develop an action plan to respond to them.

Other aims and objectives are to broaden participants’ knowledge and coverage of agricultural ecology (agroecology) for a safe and healthy environment as well as examine regulatory frameworks and enforcement for the enhanced agriculture sector.

The relevance of this conference is further strengthened by the fact that recently, the Federal Government of Nigeria made a bold move to boost agricultural production by declaring a state of emergency on food security, a development which places the media in a strategic position to stimulate the much-needed atmosphere for economic diversification, growth and national development for the country.

Who and who are you expecting at the conference and what do you expect from them?

We are expecting editors, correspondents and reporters from the print, electronic and online media, covering agriculture and the environment in Nigeria; government officials, global media experts, students, researchers, academia, farmers’ networks, development partners, lawyers, lawmakers, and captains of industry, amongst others.

We want deep knowledge and rich training for journalists and participants from the cohort media organisations covering agriculture and the environment to perform better on their jobs; we want them to be exposed to how to better deploy digital technology to the gathering and dissemination of information in the reportage of agriculture and environment.

“We equally want them to contribute their quota to national development and the realisation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and for the promotion of a safe and healthy environment through the use of media communication in farming and reportage in farming.

 How do you intend to make the deliberations during the conference beneficial to all the participants – farmers, policymakers and other stakeholders – in the sector?

Apart from the fact that the knowledge to be gained would be shared by participants through either physical or virtual attendance, we are ensuring that relevant stakeholders are present so that the communique to be issued after the conference would capture the challenges and way forward.

Not only that, decisions taken would be followed up for implementation to avoid making the conference look like a mere talk show, which it’s not. It is planned that a monograph of proceedings would be published to disseminate outcomes to all stakeholders in the environment and agriculture value chain because of the nexus between farming and the climate.

Permit me to state that in a bid to encourage individual and institutional promotion of food security in Nigeria and Africa, awards would be given to nominees, under four categories at the occasion. This would serve as a morale-booster for many to know that people are watching and appreciating what they are doing to aid agricultural production, youth employment through farming, and in preserving our environment.

How do you think agricultural journalism can be strengthened in the country vis-a-vis its challenges?

Agricultural journalism can be strengthened by appointing competent professionals to handle such beats. The educational curriculum should be enhanced such that modern media practices can be taught and deployed to reporting agriculture. Journalists should be trained and retrained to give more coverage to the challenges facing farmers such as insecurity, limited access to finance, and drudgery and what can be done to change the narrative. Even in our traditional farming practices, there are many ideas that are highly productive, but underreported.

Those engaging in agricultural journalism should also be better remunerated while there should be huge investment in the acquisition of media technology for better results, as obtainable in other African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa.

 What is your advice to the participants and those that still want to be part of the conference?

 Let me unfold the top-flight resource persons that would be coming. The keynote speaker is Dr. Olufemi Oladunni, Executive Director, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Nigeria. Dr. Oladunni’s career in the agriculture and rural sector of Nigeria over the past 29 years, has achieved an impact that spreads across the nation, the coasts of Africa and beyond.

The ARMTI executive director played leading roles in the design, curriculum development and execution of several pivotal projects both within and outside the country, having served as a resource person to the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Swiss government, the Reaching Agents of Change (RAC), West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), Helen Keller Foundation, and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), to mention a few.

Let me add that the 2-day conference is structured into five technical, one special, and two-panel sessions.

Our distinguished guest speakers will also include Mr. Obinna Chukwuezie, founder, Journalism Communication and Media Centre (JCM Centre), Jos, who will be discussing the ‘Mainstreaming value-chain approach in #AgReporting’; Dr. Ijeoma Chibuogwu of the Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja would handle ‘Diversifying the Nigerian economy from oil to agriculture: The role of agricultural reporting’.

The duo of Ivor Price and Kobus Louwrens, co-founders of Food for Mzansi, coming all the way from Western Cape, South Africa, would take the special session on ‘Utilising technology to elevate agricultural journalism: A case study from Food for Mzansi, South Africa’.

This segment would showcase how Food For Mzansi, a leading agricultural news outlet in South Africa, has successfully incorporated digital technologies to promote its content to boost South Africa’s agriculture sector. It would delve into the strategies employed, such as using social media, webinars, and podcasts, to engage a wider audience and to provide crucial insights about South African farming practices, policies, and innovations.

The session would equally share how the media organisation was able to overcome challenges including accessibility, language diversity, and digital literacy, and how these key strategies can be adapted to enhance agricultural journalism in Nigeria, considering our unique socio-cultural and technological features.

Dr. Gabriel Nyitse of the Department of Mass Communication, Bingham University, Abuja will speak on ‘Media coverage of agriculture: Underreported issues in Nigeria’; Ugonma Cokey of the Voice of Nigeria will examine the ‘Coverage of agro-ecology for a safe and healthy environment’; while Prof. John Akintayo of the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan would look at ‘Regulatory frameworks and enforcement for enhanced agriculture sector’.

Apart from these sessions, there would also be an opportunity for exhibition at the conference venue for interested organisations. There is still room for more participants to register and join us.

What should Nigerians, especially the critical stakeholders in the agricultural sector, expect from the conference?

 The conference will offer a unique platform to learn new things, provide network avenues for investors and other stakeholders in the agriculture value chain as well as serve as a forum to highlight how the media of communication can fill this vacuum by knowing what needs to be done to boost farming, promote agricultural production, and ensure that food security is attained in Nigeria and that it is doable.

For emphasis sake, this maiden edition of the National Conference of Agricultural Journalism will be held at the Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja, Plot 779, Cadastral Zone AO, Central Area, Abuja. Even though, this is the first edition of the conference, it is going to be an annual event whereby various topics will be discussed with a view to promoting food security in Nigeria using agricultural journalism.

 On a general note, what do you think is wrong with the agricultural sector that despite the interventions, attaining food security is still a mirage in the country?

 The challenges facing the agriculture sector are many, but they can be addressed even though, it may not be done overnight. To begin with, experienced, competent, and passionate persons should be appointed to supervise the agriculture sector in all its facets. It is not a portfolio that anyone should be appointed into office without having the requisite qualities. Budgetary allocations to agriculture should be increased. According to Business Day, federal allocation to the agriculture sector in 2023 was N228.4 billion, which accounted for only 1.05 per cent of the total budget of N21.83 trillion, which was found to be the lowest in the last seven years.

The issue of insecurity should be addressed without further delay. Many farmers have allegedly been killed and others chased out of their farms by terrorists. Appropriate infrastructural facilities should be put in place to reduce food spoilage while transportation problems facing farmers should be looked into too. These also include irrigation, mechanisation and research and development.

More young persons should be encouraged to go into farming by making access to finance a lot easier. Corruption that is linked to the management of farm inputs should be tackled. Many people are of the opinion that fertilizers and other farm inputs do not get to the real farmers, but are cornered by those that are close to those in power, thus leaving out thousands of eligible persons, and more importantly, archaic laws abound that impede farming in Nigeria. There are several others, but we can stop here for now.

How do you think the present administration should handle the sector differently?

In addition to the points given above, I am optimistic that the agriculture sector would do well under the administration of President Bola Tinubu (GCFR). Starting with the appointments of experienced people as agriculture ministers, namely: Senators Abubakar Kyari and Sabi Abdullahi; and the renaming of the ministry to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, these are positive signs of better days ahead.

I want us to remember that the legislature too, as an arm of government, has its own role to play and that is why, apart from both ministers of agriculture, and that of information and national orientation, the chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture as well as that of House of Representatives’ Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, are expected at the conference because the great task is a collective one.