The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on Friday stressed the need for journalists in Benue to be trained on effective reporting of agricultural policies.
The institute’s communication Specialist, Mr Onyeche Douglas, made this known in a statement in Makurdi on Friday.
Douglas said that training was therefore being organised for journalists as part of the activities of the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project.
He said the training would promote inclusive agricultural productivity growth, improve nutritional outcomes, and enhance livelihoods, and resilience for men and women through an improved policy enabling environment.
He expressed hope that the goal would be achieved through increased national capacity of journalists to generate and analyse information and to formulate evidence-based policy options for considerations by decision makers and stakeholders.
“The training will improve policy processes that are driven by empirical evidence and based on active dialogue among relevant stakeholders,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the Nigeria Agriculture Policy Project is designed to address the need for policy research and capacity building.
It is to ensure that Nigerian institutions are equipped to respond effectively and in a timely manner to the increasing capacity, knowledge and information needs of FMARD.
The Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project is a five-year initiative worth 12.5 million dollars.
It is a joint effort between Michigan State University (MSU), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)’s Nigeria and Strategy Support Programme (NSSP) funded by USAID-Nigeria.
The two-day training which will hold in Makurdi from July 23 to July 24 has as its theme: ‘‘Policy communication for Journalists”. (NAN)
