Zeynab Wandati displays her awards

Kenya’s Nation TV  journalist Zeynab Wandati has won the 2016-2017 A.H. Boerma Award.  Ms. Wandati is a joint winner together with Mr. Keni Lesa, a journalist from the Samoa Observer.

The Award consists of an inscribed medal, a scroll describing the winner’s achievements and a cash prize of USD 10,000.

The Award ceremony took place during the 40^th Session of the FAO Conference in Rome from 3-8 July 2017.  Speaking to FAO after the awards, Zeynab highlighted the complex challenge of food security in Kenya saying,

“The biggest challenge of food security in Kenya is transport, moving that food from where there’s plenty of food to where there is no food. For instance every time there is a food crisis you will find that Western Kenya and Central parts of Kenya are very green and they have a lot of food – in fact some of the food is going bad in the field. But then when you go to the drier parts, North Eastern, Eastern parts of the country – it’s very dry and people don’t have any food. So raising the awareness about food insecurity means not just telling people about food, but also encouraging them to change their perspectives and their definition of food,” she said.

The FAO Awards honour outstanding contributions to global food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture.

Building awareness on food security in Kenya

Ms. Wandati’sinnovative weekly TV feature, Food Friday has directed public attention towards food security issues in Kenya and throughout the region. Her reporting spans a wide range of topics from good agricultural practices to climate challenges, reflecting a strong capacity to interact with a variety of actors including farmers, teachers and scientists. Her impartial coverage presents solutions to complex issues and has raised awareness of hunger and malnutrition among a broader general public, providing greater visibility of FAO’s work.

The 30 year old business reporter specializes in science reporting and business journalism with a keen interest on agriculture and climate change. The award comes within the context of drought in Kenya, high food prices, a shortage of the staple maize flour and the need for journalists to address the impact of climate change, particularly on agriculture. This is the third consecutive failed rainy season, worsening hunger in East Africa.

In 2014, Zeynab won a continental award for excellence in climate change reporting in the TV category, under the Africa Climate Change and Environmental Reporting Award. Winning that award earned her a two week all expenses paid trip to Lima, Peru last year to cover the global United Nations Climate Change conference (COP 20).  These experiences have helped Zeynab understand global environmental, science and climate issues renewing her commitment to support institutions who address with these issues.

Zeynab is also a board member of Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA), an association of science journalists and communicators in East Africa.

An alumni of Kenya’s Alliance Girls High School, Zeynab graduated with a journalism degree from the United States International University (USIU) here in Kenya, before interning at Kenya’s Citizen TV as a Kiswahili reporter.  She joined the Nation Media Group in 2011.

FAO’s Boerma Award

In recognition of the important role of the media in the fight against hunger, FAO has since 1979 presented the A.H. Boerma Award to journalists or groups of journalists, from around the world, who have brought food security and rural development issues in developing countries to the attention of civil society.

Journalists are key allies for FAO in raising awareness of the problem of hunger and malnutrition. They communicate complex agricultural and economic issues to the wider public and report on successful solutions and projects in the battle against hunger. But we must not forget their equally important role of providing millions of farmers with valuable information on how to produce more food in a sustainable way.

The A.H. Boerma Award commemorates the significant contribution of former FAO Director-General, Addeke Hendrik Boerma (1968 – 1975) to FAO, his leadership and the important steps he took towards solving global food problems of unprecedented magnitude.

Previous winners have included The Guardian – Development team, Financial Times journalist Javier Blas and CNN International's Jim Clancy, producer and host of Inside Africa. The only other Kenyan to have won the award is MohamedAmin in 1984-1985.  The Kenyan journalist, cameraman and television producer was awarded for his brave  and insightful coverage of the 1984 Ethiopian famine and his documentary film on the food crisis in Africa, African Calvary - Uncertain Redemption, the catalyst for the "Live Aid - We Are the World" campaign.

More information

Zero Hunger champions take a bow at FAO ceremony

YouTube: FAO Award winner Zeynab Wandati speaks to FAO

NTV's Zeynab Wandati receives FAO's A.H Boerma Award in Italy

Contacts:

Ruth Lehmann | Communications Officer | Food and Agriculture Organization - Kenya Representation|[email protected]