Boosting Effectiveness in Agricultural Journalism Teaching and Learning

Prof. M Zahidul Haque

Prof. M Zahidul Haque

As agriculture modernizes and climate uncertainty grows, agricultural journalism must evolve from traditional reporting to an active bridge between science, policy, markets, and rural communities. Strengthening postgraduate courses in agricultural journalism is essential to produce graduates who can translate complex agritech, climate science, and policy into clear, actionable information for diverse rural audiences.

Current gaps and urgency

Many programs remain too theoretical, focus on general reporting skills, and lack sustained links to agricultural science and rural practice. Graduates often struggle with technical literacy, multimedia production, and communicating for low-literacy or non-urban audiences. These gaps limit journalism’s capacity to accelerate innovation adoption, hold institutions accountable, and support resilient rural livelihoods.

Curriculum priorities to match modern agriculture

• Practical skill-building Make hands-on reporting, digital media production, and field-based assignments core requirements. Students must conduct seasonal reporting cycles, produce mobile-first audio and video briefs, and publish farmer-validated advisories.

• Interdisciplinary collaboration Integrate courses co-taught with agronomists, climate scientists, rural economists, and policy analysts to strengthen investigative depth and factual accuracy.

• Experiential partnerships Formalize placements and joint projects with NGOs, agri-tech startups, extension agencies, and cooperatives so students address live problems and co-create solutions with communities.

• Micro-credentialing and in-service training Offer short certificates in agri-data journalism, multimedia field reporting, and climate resilience communication for working journalists and mid-career academics.

New topics that must be embedded

• Digital and Multimedia Journalism Training in short-form video, podcasting, social media strategies, and interactive news delivery tailored to low-bandwidth contexts and varying literacy levels.

• Climate Change and Sustainability Reporting Deep modules on climate impacts, adaptation, regenerative agriculture, emissions reduction, and communicating risk and uncertainty to farmers and policymakers.

• Data-Driven Journalism Practical labs on satellite imagery, remote sensing, geospatial analytics, market datasets, and AI tools to report on crop health, pest outbreaks, and price signals.

• Policy Analysis and Advocacy Teaching how to explain government schemes, subsidies, insurance products, and policy reforms in plain language that helps rural audiences make informed choices.

• Food System Traceability Coverage of supply chain transparency, block-chain use cases, food safety, and provenance storytelling that links farmers to consumers.

• Regional Language and Contextual Communication Curriculum modules on producing content in local dialects, using culturally appropriate storytelling formats, and designing participatory communication strategies.

• Collaborative and Citizen Journalism Platforms and course projects that enable farmers and extension workers to contribute reports, photos, and audio, building trust and diversifying sources. 

• Ethics, Media Laws, and Impact Assessment Training in ethical decision-making, legal issues around reporting, and methods to measure story impact on audiences, behaviors, and policy outcomes. 

Practical steps for institutions

1. Launch a compulsory 4-week rural practicum during a cropping season with deliverables assessed by both journalism and agricultural faculty. 

2. Add a short, hands-on module on reading research papers, converting findings into farmer-ready advisories, and visualizing data for field use.

3. Establish at least one formal partnership with an agricultural university, extension agency, or agri-tech firm for co-supervised student projects.

4. Deploy a mobile reporting lab or student-run rural newsroom for district-level reporting during planting and harvest cycles.

5. Create evaluation rubrics that measure reach, comprehension, behavior change, and policy influence for student projects.

Post-graduate Agri Journalism Program at SAU

Prioritizing the necessity and demand, the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) has introduced an updated postgraduate program in Agricultural Journalism. The course is being run by some dedicated Faculties with experience in agricultural journalism teaching and working plus communication from the department of agricultural extension and information system. It is hoped that a department or center would be created in the near future to strengthening agricultural journalism teaching and learning.

Conclusion

An enhanced postgraduate curriculum in agricultural journalism must move beyond conventional newswriting to combine scientific literacy, multimedia production, data skills, policy analysis, and participatory methods. When universities embed interdisciplinary teaching, experiential partnerships, and new topic areas like climate reporting and geospatial journalism, graduates will be equipped to inform farmers, influence policy, and strengthen resilient, sustainable food systems. The result will be journalism that not only tells stories but helps rural communities make better decisions and hold institutions accountable.

(Prof. M Zahidul Haque is an ‘Adjunct Faculty’in MS in Agricultural Journalism Program at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), Dhaka)