FAO steps to improve food security reporting and programme communication in Eastern Africa
01 May 2024, Addis Ababa - Aiming to improve reporting on food security and nutrition, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for Eastern Africa hosted a media training on Effective Reporting on Food Security and Nutrition in Eastern Africa.
Twenty-five members of the media, consisting of news editors, managing editors, reporters, and producers from eight East African nations (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda), participated in the training held from 16-18 April 2024, in Nairobi Kenya.
FAO collaborated with BBC Media Action to deliver hands-on training to the media personnel to improve the quality of media coverage on food and nutrition in the context of food emergencies and crises, which are frequent in the subregion. Technical experts from FAO set the scene by providing contextual data and information on food security, food crises, key drivers, and how FAO had been tackling multiple food emergencies in Eastern Africa. The media trainees also benefited from presentations on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The participants learned how to collect accurate information, frame, and tell stories from the perspective of food crisis-affected communities.
Following the media training, FAO held an orientation on effective communication for programme implementation for technical staff based in Addis Ababa on 25 April 2024. The practical training session made an in-depth review of the vital role of communication in programme implementation, stakeholder analysis, key message development, and successful communication outreaches.
The FAO Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa ad interim, Farayi Zimudzi, emphasized the crucial role of communication in the success of programme work. "Communication is the lifeblood of successful programme implementation. Whether implementing a new project, rolling out a policy change, or executing a complex initiative, effective communication is not just desirable; it is necessary. We must emphasize communication at every stage of project implementation, understanding that it is the driving force behind turning ideas into reality," she said in her opening remarks.
Such capacity-building programmes aim to improve communications to promote agriculture, food security and nutrition in the Eastern African Subregion.