Mr. Musdalafa Okello Lyaga, Radio Assistant at the Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) for the FCP’s TOF Radio was among 20 Food Journalists Celebrated on World Press Freedom Day by Food Tank. The day is marked annually on 3rd of May as proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference.
The World Press Freedom Day is a day to recognize the principles of press freedom that support journalists—and the challenges they face daily to inform the world. Journalists face attacks on their independence from many fronts: censoring, backlash, and threats from governments, corporations, and more. On this day, the world also pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives on assignment.
To honor the journalists that have advocated for better resources for farmers, improved food policies, healthier options for all people, and more, Food Tank highlighted 20 journalists with major contributions. With the help of journalists who provide today’s news, the world learned more about famine in Yemen, South Sudan, and Nigeria; the impacts of floods and other natural disasters on Central American and U.S. farmers; and the harm caused by glyphosate. These stories journalists tell make it easier for all of us citizen eaters to learn about the impacts of the food system.
Food Tank recognized Musdalafa for his works at BvAT that include documentary and feature videos, radio programs, composed research, and more. In recent work, Lyaga develops farmer-to-farmer training videos and exposes the hardships farmers across Kenya face, like food loss on the farm; Lyaga’s coverage of mango rot helped earn the BCFN and Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Food Sustainability Media Award in 2017.
Through such awards, Musdalafa is continuously putting BvAT on the global map and thus opening doors.
The entire list of can be found here; http://www.ipsnews.net/2019/05/20-food-journalists-celebrate-world-press-freedom-day/