Ag journalists from around the world face similar challenges

Agriculture journalists face some of the same challenges whether they are in the United States or Chile.

During a trip to Chile last fall I met Alejandro Salaabra, an agriculture journalist in Chile. The trip was part of my Partners in Advocacy Leadership training with American Farm Bureau.

One of the first things he shared with our group was his involvement in forming the Association for Agriculture and Food Journalists in Chile. I’m a member of the North American Agricultural Journalists, so it was interesting to hear about the formation of his group and its impact on him and his fellow journalists.

Alejandro talked about how important it is for ag journalists to connect producers with the final consumers. He is seeing a generation growing up that has no connection to the farm. Thirty years ago, everyone in Chile had a grandfather on the farm and spent summers there. Now people have lost track of how food is produced.

In his experience, the most effective stories connect agriculture to the public. This is accomplished by getting out individual stories that resonate with consumers. “Today anyone can get data and put it out,” he said. “That doesn’t grab people as much as if you have human interest.”

In Chile, it can be a challenge for journalists to get out and about. Many don’t own a car, so they can’t get to events that would be interesting to write about. There is less printed journalism and more online. In fact, our guide had to look at four stores before she could find a copy of the agriculture supplement in Campo, a Chilean newspaper.

Ag journalists in Chile have gotten together to improve their skills. They worked with two universities to hold courses for journalists so they could learn about the specialties in agriculture. This is important because in Chile, journalists might specialize in a different sector but also cover agriculture. 

As much as we learned from Alejandro, the meeting was also a chance to share our experiences. He asked us how animal farmers handle consumers who say they are mistreating their livestock. He wanted to know how we are getting the word out about water issues. 

It turns out that even on different continents, agriculture journalists face similar challenges, and one of the solutions is that farmers need to share their stories.