DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 28, 2010 – DuPont, through its Pioneer Hi-Bred business, and the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) announced a one-year sponsorship to support the Master Class Initiative, a program that will provide training and networking opportunities for agricultural journalists in developing countries.
The IFAJ Master Class will bring agricultural journalists from Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa to a multi-faceted workshop on global agriculture and communications trends.
"There is a growing sense of urgency to improve global food production as world population increases by 2 billion people in the next 40 years," said IFAJ President Mike Wilson. "We believe agricultural journalists will play an important role in production gains. We all stand to benefit from opportunities to share ideas with colleagues who work in developing nations."
“High-quality information is key to increasing the amount of food available to feed the growing global population,” said Pioneer Hi-Bred President Paul E. Schickler. “Knowledgeable agriculture journalists can help ensure that farmers, policy makers, and, ultimately, consumers, are able to make the informed decisions needed to improve food security.”
AgriTerra, an agricultural development agency based in the Netherlands, has agreed to coordinate the 2011 program, which will be held Sept. 14-18 in Ontario, Canada. AgriTerra has extensive contacts and programs in developing countries.
"We believe we can learn a great deal from networking with our colleagues in developing countries, but because of economic disparities, we rarely have the chance to do so," Wilson added. "This is a professional development opportunity. We're happy to partner with DuPont and provide this unique learning opportunity for our members."
