Applications open for Journalists’ Agroecology Media Grant – Uganda

The Agroecology Media Grant seeks to promote and amplify just and inclusive news and narratives around agroecology, based on the belief that accurate and compelling media plays an important role in informing, engaging, and activating individuals and groups to take part in practices and processes to protect the food systems. This grant’s objective is to assist local journalists in covering local agriculture news.

Small-scale farmers in Uganda came up with the idea for the Agroecology School for Journalists and Communicators to encourage journalists and communicators to appreciate and promote Agroecology. As more individuals switched to eating healthier foods that small-scale farmers produce, this would also benefit both the general public’s health and the farmers’ incomes.

Focus Areas

• The Agroecology Media Grant is designed to support journalists and communicators whose stories showcases evidence, policies, practices and science on agroecology. The proposed stories can focus on the following:
  • Climate change – highlighting the negative impact of climate change and the industrial-led solutions. Also highlighting key actions taken by small-scale farmers to build resilience against climate change through both practice and movement building.
  • Seed and land rights – highlighting the current seed and land struggles of small-scale farmers in rural communities and the key actions that have been taken by small-scale farmers and other partners in protecting the rights and sovereignty of small-scale farmers. Focus is also put on the impact of large scale land based investments.
  • Gender inequality – highlighting the key need for addressing gender inequality with it’s impact to agroecology.
  • Funding agroecology – building a case for local, national and regional governments to invest in agroecology.
  • Environment – highlighting the key human actions that are degrading the environment and promoting restoration.
  • Education – building the link between the transition to agroecology and education.
  • Corruption – highlighting how corruption in different sectors is affecting the transition to agroecology and keeping many small-scale farmers in exploitation hence deepening inequality.

Requirements

• The candidate(s) needs to fulfill each of the following conditions:
  • You must be a professional agriculture journalist reporting for an established media house. Early-career, women and indigenous journalists are especially encouraged to apply.
  • The journalists must be knowledgeable in reporting on Agroecology issues and specifically state the stories they want to cover in their localities.
  • Submit a comprehensive media plan and budget for covering the story.
  • Include a commitment letter from an editor or media house promising to print or air scholarship-winning material.
  • Submit work samples as documents or links.
  • Allow republishing and social media distribution of developed stories on the Agroecology School for Journalists and Communicators website and the Agroecology Post.
  • Story production: Journalists can write in print, web, radio, and broadcast media in multiple languages. The grant will help applicants write stories in any language. Journalists should translate stories developed in other languages to English.

For more information, visit ESAFF Uganda.