A description of one way a rice farm could look in the future, and the current science and research that would take us into that future, has netted Elizabeth Finkel of Cosmos Magazine the 2013 Food Security Journalism Award.
Finkel’s piece is evocative. It brings to life a future almost unrecognisable as the same world as we know – then shows how such possibilities could come to pass, along with the people who are working to make them happen. For her efforts she will receive a “seeing is believing” overseas trip to investigate agricultural research and food security initiatives in action. The award is co-sponsored by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists and the Crawford Fund, with the aim of encouraging working journalists to investigate the important roles that agricultural research, training and rural development play in relation to food security. Entries for this year’s inaugural award came from radio, newspaper and television. The winning work and that of the nine other finalists can be found here.
The Crawford Fund has sponsored scholarships for “seeing is believing” trips in previous years, each resulting in published articles investigating international agricultural research. In their words, “The Crawford Fund believes that international agricultural research holds the key to alleviating rural poverty in developing countries and can open the door to economic progress. The Fund promotes and supports international R&D activities in which Australian research organisations and companies are active participants.”
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