Science journalism in Uganda - November 2012

INITIAL DIALOGUE & TRAINING

WORKSHOP ON PLANT-

BREEDING, GENETICS &

BIOSCIENCES FOR FARMING IN

AFRICA (B4FA).

Speke Resort, Munyonyo

Oct. 31st to Nov. 3rd 2012

• SESSION 2: Practical Journalism & Science

�What is Science Journalism:

• I want to start from the word go, with a disclaimer: that my definition is neither the official nor universal interpretation of science journalism. It is mine; from my own point of view, its my own experience that I want share.

• First of all, my practice of journalism now close to 20 years—of this, about 7 years I have spent reporting, commenting, editing, broadcasting and interacting and now advocating for science and technology issues.

• I was mentored and inspired into science journalism by Mr. Patrick Luganda. Originally when Patrick was writing farming news at The New Vision it was a grey area that was not prioritised by many media houses, especially print journalism. There was very little reporting, save for the Rural & Farm programmes on then Radio Uganda.

• So my practical science journalism-journey, begun with two media houses:

• First At Monitor FM radio [today called

KFM]. In the year 2000, I was appointed

Producer and Presenter of a 1-hour weekend

program called The Environment Show.

This was a live and interactive talkshow with

a panel of three other journalists and with

callers. It basically required good knowledge

of environmental issues.

• Now, I was head-hunted among workers at The

Monitor newspaper—where in 1996 I was

employed as a City Correspondent.

The head-hunt was for who could do the job of

Environment Talkshow Host, well. And the

criteria was basic knowledge of environment

issues – broad knowledge of policy, legal, socio-

economic and political-economy of the

environment. It was a time when encroachment

was spreading on wetlands, forests and lake

shores

• Originally as a radio journalist, then as a

member of the Environmental Journalists’

Association of Uganda (EJAU), I was found as

most suitable candidate to Host the show.

• This is because under EJAU, we had received

training and exposure to environmental

issues from NEMA, Makerere University

Institute of Environment and Natural

Resources, NARO, the Water, Wetlands,

Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife Departments.

• Earlier while working in Government media, the

Radio Uganda and Uganda Television (UTV)—

both defunct—I was a reporter on agriculture,

wildlife and water issues. But in a Government

or State-run media particularly radio and TV,

we’d report mainly on who has said what, who

presided over what ceremony much of the time.

• It is about government personalities and their

activities, not so much about the issues and for

that matter getting in-depth knowledge of

scientific and technological matters was not

crucial.

• At The Monitor FM Radio—a private entity, the

Environment Show used to include wildlife,

water, agriculture, health and forestry issues. It

was an issue-based program—and gave me

early access to scientific bodies, to scientists,

especially to research work and a number of

training opportunities.

• 2. The second media where I did practical

science journalism is the then small newspaper

The Farmers Voice—now also defunct. It

belonged to the Uganda National Farmers’

• Association (UNFA) which later transformed

itself into Uganda National Farmers’

Federation (UNFFE). Patrick was editor-In-

chief of The Farmers Voice and he head-

hunted me from Monitor FM radio to FV.

• He managed to persuade me and I joined

him. I was enrolled as Chief Reporter, and my

beat was mainly scientific research issues,

across the sectors/sub-sectors of agriculture,

environment and later on the science of

biotechnology.

• This small newspaper got rapid recognition by

various scientific bodies like NARO, UNAS

(Uganda National Academy of Sciences) and the

Uganda National Council for Science and

Technology (UNCST).

• They’d invite us to their activities and offered

training and Seeing-is-Believing opportunities.

• These organisations appreciated The Farmers’

Voice work—because it recognised and

prioritized S&T issues in its news and features

content. And it was viewed as an ally and

interested group or call it key stakeholder

• In between, I got training in Mass Communication from Egypt in 2001 and besides the training, Egypt as a country has prioritised science in its policy and national programmes, so much that this has enabled it produce food in larger quantities compared to a well-endowed country like Uganda. This gave me a good understanding of how policy matters to science

• It is S&T that is used in irrigation and breeding highly-productive maize and vegetables and fruits seeds and the transformation of the desert land to produce food. If you, on any morning stood along any of the highways leading into Cairo or other big cities like Alexandria, Suez or Port Said, you’d count more trucks loaded with

• fresh food, vegetables, flowers, livestock and poultry products from the countryside, more than you’d count on highways leading into Kampala in Uganda or the three traditional East African states combined.

• Ofcourse one of the reasons why Egypt has more trucks is its sheer bigger population in its cities than E.A has. Cairo is one of the most densely populated capital cities in the world. It is the largest and most populous city in Africa and alone has approximately has 17-20 million inhabitants—if you take into account the metropolitan and greater Cairo areas where there are cities within a city.

• A key factor why Egypt has a higher agro-

production, is there’s more S&T applied in

agriculture than we do here, and this leads to

Egypt and indeed other north African states’

higher productivity on the land.

• Egypt also invests heavily in S&T in education,

water, transport systems than what most

industry than most other SSA States do. Egypt

has systematically increases knowledge,

including in humanities and culture and uses

knowledge for new S&T innovations. Attention

is paid to R&D covering basic and applied

research, and experiments. For long many SSA

get training of its scientists on Egyptian

• scholarships.

• What I learnt while in Cairo is that prioritization of S&T creates more jobs, higher wealth, better quality of life—and generally leads to socio-economic transformation.

• Now without sounding like digressing from the topic, my presentation has been to illustrate here is my practical science journalism journey I have gone through, to give you the sense of how it works out—in terms of where practical journalism is done, the building of skills, gathering knowledge and experience. Practical journalism is not so much about writing and broadcasting per se, but learning from other

• Others and sharing with them like we are doing here. Being able to build the passion to learn closely from scientists simple things like how a plant benefits from e.g. fertilizers or compost manure and natural soil fertility as a combination, as opposed to just depending on soil fertility which with time recedes/depletes.

• Or how agricultural productivity and production benefits from improved seeds like hybrids or cross-breeds of poultry and livestock, unlike pure landraces in crops and bird and animal breeds

• In 2008 I was contacted by IFPRI—among seven journalists around the world—to comment on a report by American journalist, Gregg Zackary Pascal on media coverage of agriculture in the Third World. This was a great piece of analysis of how the media has knowingly or unknowingly betrayed its own people and countries’ important source of life and livelihoods

• N.B: CNN this morning has a report on how bananas could be a crucial global food in the midst of global warming.

• Lastly media coverage of biotechnology in Uganda: it’s a new area of media attention not research. Through a case-by-case interest and individual/personal attention, the Ugandan journalists are making an entry and impact on their audiences—especially newspapers as far coverage of biotech issues are concerned. But it is on an on and off scale, as issues and news from this area come in limited drops, just when there’s exposure at a research institute, an excursion to a field tour or a workshop on any of the biotech-based projects in NARO.

• Yet, a lot of research has gone on and goes on:

Uganda has close to 10 CFTs—the highest in SSA

or even in the 3rd world going on concurrently

in the crops research alone.

• There are plans to introduce research on

mosquitoes by the UVRI, using biotechnology to

fight malaria – Uganda’s No. 1 killer disease.

Already there has been research for an anti-

malarial vaccine and interesting results have

been gotten by Med-Biotech labs using MSI

funding. Lots more stories are abound in the

breeding, genetics and soil research e.t.c.

• 4. Another opportunity that has enhanced my ability to understand, appreciate and report science or does enhance one’s ability to carry out practical science journalism is training. In 2006, I received training from UNESCO, UNECA, ASARECA and ISAAA along with other journalists on the Coverage of Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This was a very practical experience that brought us face-to-face with scientists applying biotechnology tools and techniques to transform crops in Africa and it had a component of visiting the research institutes just like B4FA has planned during this training. Similar training has been provided by NARO institutes in Uganda, most especially the NARL and NaCRRI where leading scientists in the world in banana, roots/tubers and cereal cropsresearch have been resource persons at media training workshops and have been our hosts to their Tissue culture and genetic transformation labs.

• 5. Last but not least, one very important avenue in my practical science journalism journey has been the London-based Science and Development Network (www.SciDev.Net ) where again it was Patrick who introduced me to the idea; to apply to be their correspondent in Uganda.

• With his recommendation, I begun with SciDev.Net

in 2004. My first story idea on an outbreak of

Anthrax in the QENP and hippos, buffaloes and

other grazing animals were dying. Herdsmen and

fishing communities were threatened. This idea was

approved and I undertook the assignment into the

park.

• Luckily I teamed up with the now Director, then

commissioner for Animal resources in MAAIF. He a

veterinarian, and a wildlife expert were heading an

Anthrax surveillance and control team. I got out a

powerful story and since then till about last year, I

regularly written for SciDev.Net—mainly on agro-

science: policy, legislation for S&T; issues in

• crop-research, issue of genetic engineering and developing appropriate technologies; funding or investment for S&T training and education, environmental issues; research to fight malaria and efforts to improve nutrition and health have been key issues.

• Today, I now mostly engage in consultancy work broadly on science communication and specifically on advocacy for legislation and policy for S&T i.e. establishment of a Science and Technology Ministry; Public Education & Media training on S&T issues