Staff Reporter :
New Nation’s Senior Reporter Al Amin, among 10 journalists, has been selected for “FFB – IRRI Media Fellowship 2022.”
The award was launched at an opening ceremony held on Thursday at Capital Market Journalists’ Forum (CMJF) Auditorium in the capital. The Fellows were chosen from the renowned print media houses of the country for their impact on reporting on the mounting crisis in food security, agricultural innovation, and climate change in Bangladesh.
Farming Future Bangladesh (FFB) in collaboration with International Rice and Research Institute (IRRI), hosted the FFB-IRRI Media Fellowship 2022 launching event.
In 2021, they provided a 12 – week-long media fellowship program and awarded fellowships to six renowned journalists for their impact on reporting on the prevailing crises of food security, acute malnutrition, and child health in the country.
Continuing this theme this year, FFB welcomed some of the country’s most accomplished and promising journalists, giving them access to resources and mentorship to strengthen their work and build capacity.
The program is intended to reward fellow journalists for promoting evidence-based reporting about the social, economic, and environmental benefits of modern agricultural innovations including crop biotechnology, agri-biotechnology, nutrition, and food security.
Anwar Faruque, Former Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and chief guest of the event said, “The mass people will know about impact news on food security and agricultural innovation when journalists advocate evidence-driven solutions in food security. Prestigious media fellowships can inspire journalists across Bangladesh to report unbiased stories.”
The special guests of the event were Ahmad Salahuddin, Consultant, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Shahanuare Shaid Shahin, General Secretary, Bangladesh Agricultural Journalist Forum (BAJF). Md. Arif Hossain, CEO & Executive Director of FFB, was the chair of the event.
Farming Future Bangladesh (FFB) is a comprehensive communication and community engagement organization, aimed to improve access to modern agricultural innovations including agricultural biotechnology for sustainable food security in Bangladesh.
Dignitaries from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Humnath Bhandari, Country Representative IRRI Bangladesh, Martijn Pakker, senior Manager, Communication and stakeholder engagement, IRRI; Dr Russel Reinke, Lead, Healthier Rice Program, IRRI; Dr Ibrahim Saiyed, Country Manager Healthier Rice Program, IRRI Bangladesh and Manik Muntasir from Bangladesh Pratidin also present at the launching event.
