Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Erica Maganga says journalists should improve their reporting on agricultural-related issues.
Speaking during the opening of a three-day media workshop in agriculture reporting in Blantyre, Maganga—underlining that the media has a critical role in enhancing production—said articles by the media on agriculture are likely to have far reaching consequences; hence, the need for training.
“A story or an article published by the media on agriculture can touch millions of lives and transform society for the better, just as it can destroy the very same if the content and method of communications are inappropriate,” she said.
One of the key partners in the training, Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) chief executive officer (CEO) Prince Kapondamgaga, said the media has a key role in ensuring that players in the agriculture sector access relevant information.
Kapondamgaga said one of the objectives of the training was to introduce the media to various sources and types of information that would enrich reporting and information dissemination.
Chairperson of the media representative Samuel Chunga said the workshop has presented an opportunity of not only a good relationship media will create with government and the civil society, but also iron out some issues which media and government face as they interact.
The training work, which has drawn journalists from all the three regions of Malawi, has been organised by government with financial support from the Malawi Agriculture Policy Strengthening (Maps) and the New Alliance Policy Acceleration Support (Napas: Malawi) projects. The United States Agency for International Development (USAaid) funds both projects. n
