FAO strikes media deal with International Federation of Agricultural Journalists

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29 April 2014, Rome- FAO and the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) are joining forces to promote wider global sharing of agricultural information and better highlight FAO's activities in specialized agricultural media worldwide. An agreement signed today by FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva and IFAJ President Markus Rediger outlines various joint activities to be undertaken by the Organization and the 3,000+ journalists represented by the 32 national associations that form the IFAJ. The partnership aims at enhancing knowledge exchange and content publishing related to global hunger and food security, nutrition, sustainable development and the responsible management of fishery and forestry resources, among other issues. "Partnering with specialized agricultural media can play a critical role in informing the general public and target audiences that together, we can transform the lives of those who suffer from chronic hunger and food insecurity - and that it can be done in our lifetime," said Graziano da Silva at the signing ceremony.FAO Director-General stressed that nutrition has become as important as food security.  He noted how the upcoming Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN-2) to be held at FAO headquarters in November would offer an opportunity to raise awareness of nutrition issues in the media, including through the work of IFAJ members," he added.  IFAJ is a not-for-profit independent professional association headquartered in Arnhem (Netherlands). Its affiliates include national associations of agricultural journalists and communicators in 32 countries. Increased presence in the world's leading agricultural media IFAJ members report daily in newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasts, and Internet portals across the globe, covering a wide range of topics, from agricultural markets and rural development policies, to biofuels and issues of sustainable production, to nutrition and the challenges of feeding a growing population in a sustainable way."It is our privilege to sign this memorandum with FAO. It will help us reach the goals of our strategy for 2020 and being more relevant to agricultural journalists in all parts of the world - especially in the global South and in countries who are not yet members of our organization," the IFAJ President said. "IFAJ members should not only have their local farmers and their countries on their minds, but also should stay in touch with global issues affecting agriculture," he added. Rediger also stressed how "as a volunteer organization, for IFAJ it is important to engage in partnerships to support and develop agricultural journalism worldwide."Under the terms of the agreement, FAO information - including press releases, reports and editorial articles - will be disseminated among IFAJ members to help journalists create public awareness on the necessary actions to end hunger. This agreement also will feature jointly-organized events and the opening of a FAO news section on IFAJ's website with extensive information on food and agriculture issues and trends. A joint FAO/IFAJ award will be created to recognize the work of journalists who significantly contribute to raising awareness on the crucial importance of fighting hunger. "This project will inspire our colleagues to write about these themes that are basic for world agriculture," Rediger said.The new partnership also foresees advocacy events related to the International Year of Family Farming (2014) and other UN International Years related to FAO's mandate.