Preparations for the first edition of the prestigious Agriculture Media Awards (AMA) set to be held on 28 June this year are at an advanced stage with organisers calling on journalists to submit entries for the competition.
The inaugural Agriculture Media Awards organised by the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS)will honor media practitioners who have significantly contributed towards objective and impactful coverage of the agriculture sector in 13 categories.
Speaking to Great Dyke News 24, ZAS Chief Executive Officer Dr. Anxious Masuka said the awards aim to encourage coverage of the agriculture sector in the local media in a manner that has a favorable influence on decision makers.
“Agricultural development must ultimately impact rural livelihoods, especially for women and children.
“You need to direct certain efforts towards highlighting and eliminating negatives within agriculture and the opportunities for investment because agriculture is an anchor for the attainment of vision 2030.
“In the context of the Zimbabwe agricultural sector survey which we conducted, we then said why can’t we use the media since it is so powerful in delivering a message and also can influence behavior,” he said.
Dr. Masuka added that ;”We then said why can’t we look at the thirteen categories where we want agriculture to be highlighted and then have awards for those sectors in the media so that we can highlight those specific aspects because we think it is critical in ensuring that agriculture is the rightful anchor for national development”.
The categories are : Tobacco Sector Best Reporter Award , Cotton Sector Best Reporter Award , Wheat Sector Best Reporter Award , Oilseeds Sector Best Reporter Award , Cereals Sector Best Reporter Award , Small Grains Sector Best Reporter Award , Beef and Dairy Sector Best Reporter Award , Small Ruminants Sector Best Reporter Award , Poultry Sector Best Reporter Award , Agricultural Finance and Development Best Reporter Award , Sustainable Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment (Smart Agriculture) Best Reporter Award , Agricultural Equipment, Mechanisation, Irrigation, Storage and Innovation Best Reporter Award , Overall Agricultural Sector Best Reporter Award .
