Food system transformation is reshaping how food is produced, processed, distributed, and consumed to create a more sustainable, fair, and healthy system. It demands a deep, collective effort involving multiple layers of society - farmers, policymakers, businesses, consumers, and more. But changing such a complex system isn’t just about policies or farming techniques. It’s about changing hearts and minds too. This is where media and journalists have a fundamental role.
Through the Nourishing Food Pathways (NFP) Program - GAIN Ethiopia, in partnership with the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (Ethiopia’s Food System Transformation Secretariat), engaged media and communication professionals as catalysts in the country’s food systems transformation journey, activating their role within Ethiopia’s food system transformation.
Engaging the media is one of many activities undertaken by the collaborative Ethiopian Food System Transformation and Nutrition, including broadening understanding of relevant stakeholders, as outlined here.
Building Capacity through Training and Engagement
GAIN and the Food System Secretariat hosted three workshops on the role of media and communication professionals on Ethiopian food systems in Addis Ababa for media professionals, journalists, and government communication officers. These sessions deepened participants’ understanding of Ethiopia’s Food Systems Transformation Pathway, document emphasizing the impact of climate change, nutrition challenges, and the role of cross-sectoral coordination; with a focus on storytelling, digital communication, and evidence-based messaging, equipping them to accurately report and advocate for food system transformation.
Inspired by the training, journalists began producing insightful articles, organizing radio discussions, and integrating food systems issues into government media briefings. One journalist from Fana Broadcasting Corporation, Tameru Kefelegn, reported that after the training, they launched a media campaign incorporating food systems themes into several national programs. This included broadcasts on food safety and nutrition, in their ‘Alem Shemach’ and ‘Letenachin’ programs, a live televised panel discussion on post-harvest loss, and a special feature aired during the African Union summit titled "How Many Times Should Africa Worry About Food Security?", which artfully combined policy discourse with music to engage public audiences. The latter explored the ongoing challenges in African Food systems, such as land usage and looked at how we can improve food security.
Creating a Sustainable Communication Platform
To maintain momentum beyond the workshops, GAIN and Food System Secretariat launched a dedicated communication platform, fostering continued dialogue among media professionals, supporting collaborative content development, and providing a space for real-time exchange of information related to nutrition, climate, food security, and agricultural systems via telegram – which has become the most frequently used food systems discussion app among media professionals in the country.
A refresher training was held, and a dedicated consultant was brought on to moderate the platform, support participants, and align shared content with national strategies, with members actively contributing articles, discussion points, and media content on food system issues.
Incentivizing Engagement and Recognizing Excellence
To encourage sustained involvement, GAIN introduced an incentive scheme to recognize outstanding contributors, boosting motivation and reinforcing the platform’s role as a professional development space.
Driving Change through media engagement
By effectively engaging media, the food system secretariat and GAIN are contributing in facilitating media to act as a bridge, connecting diverse voices; farmers, scientists, activists, and consumers - amplifying stories that might otherwise be unheard. The initiative also reinforces the importance of multisectoral collaboration, linking communication professionals with policymakers, development partners, and communities and build support from all stakeholders for transformative actions.
In today’s complex food systems landscape, media and communication specialists are more than messengers, they are transformation agents. Through continued engagement, Ethiopia is building a media ecosystem capable of supporting the country's vision for a resilient, inclusive, and nourishing food system for all.