The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and the University of Illinois are teaming up to create an online certificate in global agricultural journalism. Participants in the signing event in May at the university were (front row, from left) ACES College Dean Germán Bollero, UI professor emeritus Jim Evans, IFAJ vice-president Adalberto Rossi; (back row, from left) ACN international rep Katie Knapp, faculty member Pam Axtman-Barker, student Taylor Talbert, faculty member Owen Roberts, student Andrea Buhrow, faculty member Eric Morgan, associate dean Anna Ball, associate dean Maggie Wave, UI alumnus Lyle Orwig and college communications director Claire Benjamin. Photo: Stacey Cole.
By Owen Roberts
The University of Illinois and the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) are teaming up to create a certificate in global agricultural journalism.
The certificate — which will be delivered online and available broadly — is being developed by ALEC faculty, including ACN member and former IFAJ president Owen Roberts.
Content will be informed by research conducted over the past two years with IFAJ members. They cited these priorities: multi-media production, critical thinking, data journalism and leadership.
The certificate is designed to be globally accessible, career-relevant, and aligned with the needs of agricultural communicators working across languages, geographies and media platforms.
As envisioned, the certificate will be offered in four asynchronous modules, designed by the university’s online learning unit to be completed by learners in four months. Projected start date is August 2026. Cost will be $200.
At IFAJ’s semi-annual executive meeting South Africa, attended by ACN international representative Katie Knapp, the federation voted unanimously to support the initiative. It cited the urgent need to prepare communicators to lead in a rapidly evolving, interconnected food system.
“We in the U.S. are privileged to have so many ag communications degree programs. That is not the case elsewhere around the world, but the need is there. This is an exciting opportunity, and to have it underpinned by the decades of knowledge amassed by Dr. Evans through the ag com program at Illinois will ensure its success,” says Katie Knapp, ACN board member and Illinois alum.
The certificate will be among the first offerings of the Evans Center, a newly announced hub within ACES that aims to advance education, research, and leadership in food and agricultural communications.
– Roberts is director of Agricultural Communications at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign