Journalists have been urged to do regular and better reporting on the agriculture sector to inform Rwandans on how they can improve production. The call was made by various officials during a four-day workshop on agriculture reporting held in Musanze District last week. The training, that brought together over 20 journalists from various media houses in the country, was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture through its Agricultural Information and Communication Centre (CICA) in partnership with the Media High Council (MHC) It was noted that while over 80 per cent of Rwandans rely on agriculture, little is done by media to help farmers increase productivity. Media practitioners who attended the training said, while reporting on agriculture requires more resources and time, few Rwandans are interested in news stories about the sector. They said they prefer covering stories that excite audiences such as politics, entertainment, and sports. However, the coordinator at CICA, Mary Rucibigango, said while the ministry and its partners will keep building the capacity of journalists to ensure better reporting, media practitioners should shun the belief that agriculture stories do not sell. She urged media practitioners to use the additional skills they got from the training to improve media coverage on agriculture. She urged them to keep educating farmers about the sector. The Executive Secretary of the Media High Council, Peacemaker Mbungiramihigo, said the training was significant as it helped participants acquire skills and urged them to play a key role in boosting the agriculture sector. “You have to change the way you report on agriculture since farmers represent a big number of your audiences. You should not only report but also do advocacy since you stand out as the voice of the voiceless,” he said. Trainees got the opportunity to go upcountry for field visits and interacted with farmers’ cooperatives and Rwanda Agriculture Board offices in the Northern Province. They also formed a network of agriculture reporters which both officials and reporters believe will help boost reporting on the sector. Alexis Kadeli, one of the trainees, elected as the president of the network, said the network will work with agriculture players to effectively report on the sector. With additional skills acquired in the training and the formed network, we are committed to working hard to improve the way agriculture stories are covered,” he said.
