The 6th Africa Agricultural Science Week is scheduled for June 2013, when Ghana hosts the General Assembly of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA).
The Week offers an opportunity for scientists and researchers on the continent to showcase their innovations and technologies whilst raising awareness on the role of agricultural products and services to food security and economic development.
However, media reportage for such events is hardly visible because Africa?s media capital has not been adequately harnessed to promote the agricultural sector.
The media, in times past, have been locked out of science, research and agricultural discussions, and reduced to covering opening ceremonies; observed Diran Onifade, President of the African Federation of Science Journalists.
He expects the media to prioritize agriculture reporting because it is ?the present and future of Africa?, but Mr. Onifade believes this will be difficult if media professionals are not directly engaged in the development of research and policy interventions.
Now, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and FARA have taken a proactive step to bridge the gap between scientists and media professionals to strengthen capacities in promoting agriculture and improve food security.
The first in a series of workshops to address challenges arising in communicating science and technology has been held for Anglophone Africa.
Over 30 researchers and media practitioners have been meeting in Accra, Ghana to share knowledge and explore new opportunities in the dissemination of agricultural science information and technologies.
The five-day workshop culminated in establishment of a new partnership between researchers and the media for the promotion of agricultural knowledge and innovations.
Dr. Mathew Gboku, Deputy Director-General Research, Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), said researchers are now more focused on total activities in the food value chain.
?Previously if we do research we stop at the production stage, where we give cassava stick to the farmers to produce. What happens after that we don?t care?.We are now moving from production to consumption; we care about marketing, processing and packaging,? he stated.
Dr. Gboku acknowledged the media as crucial partner in the dissemination of information to the farmers.
FARA Executive Director, Prof. Monty Jones observed there are presently ?Islands of success? in agricultural transformation in Africa because developed technologies are not widely accessible to majority of farmers.
He noted the on-going media-researchers dialogue is important because ?these technologies are not being communicated very effectively to the farmers, very effectively to other partners that require those information?it is not just a question of talking to farmers, it?s a question of sending the message to everybody involved in agricultural research and development?.
Access to knowledge, he stated, will ensure a continent-wide impact for increased crop yield and value addition to agriculture.
