Liberian journalist receives agricultural journalism award in America
Liberian journalist, Moses Bailey, has received the 2019 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award at the recently ended Congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, America.
He received the award along with nine other young journalists from Ghana, the United States of America, Germany, Sweden, the Gambia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia.
Bailey, a journalist based in Liberia, reports for Radio Gbarnga in Bong County and The Bush Chicken in Monrovia. The young journalist is also a partnership manager for the Liberia Agricultural Journalists Network (LAJN), an association body of the IFAJ.
The journalist was nominated for the award earlier this year through the Liberia Agricultural Journalists Network (LAJN) that is working with a poll of journalists to report on Liberia’s agriculture sector and help farmers with extension information.
Bailey has dedicated the award to all Liberians as a wakeup call to get more involved in agriculture. He told AgriGrind that Liberians stand a chance to lift their country out of poverty and food insecurity depending on their involvement in the agriculture sector.
“I want to dedicate this award to the people of Liberia as a symbol of motivation to invest in the soil more than we have ever done. Our land is fertile and has the ultimate potential of lifting us out of poverty, only, if we make the best use of it,” said Bailey.
The journalist thanked the coordinator of the LAJN, Jefferson Massah, for nominating him for the awards this year. Massah, a media developer is also an executive member of IFAJ’s strategy development planning committee.
Bailey has also called on other Liberian journalists and media institutions to give more attention to promoting agriculture by educating the public about food security and the economic benefits of agriculture to the nation.
Speaking about actions he will undertake upon his return from America, Bailey promised to ensure knowledge transfer with some of his colleagues in the community radio sector in Liberia.
He said that the training with IFAJ has further inspired him to pursue more stories around agriculture development in Liberia, particularly issues focusing on smallholder farmers.
The IFAJ annually honors agricultural journalists and communicators who demonstrate outstanding achievements in reporting as well as excellent potential as leaders in the agriculture industry in their home countries.
IFAJ is a Canadian based umbrella organization of guilds and associations of agricultural journalists and communicators. The organization gives agricultural journalists and communicators a platform for professional development and international networking. IFAJ membership covers 50 countries in South America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, among others.
