By Steve Werblow, President, International Federation of Agricultural Journalists
If you’ve ever considered attending an IFAJ Global Congress, this year’s meeting in Kenya will be an unforgettable one. From October 15-18, 2025, the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists will meet, learn and explore in one of Africa’s most exciting cities…home not only to the kind of wildlife that would make nature documentarian David Attenborough drool, but also outstanding research on agricultural productivity and sustainability.
Intrigued? Here are some highlights:
· Kenyan agriculture runs the gamut from export crops like cut flowers, tea, coffee and vegetables to subsistence farms that produce staple crops, beef, and even giant snails.
· Nairobi is home to dozens of research organizations at the cutting edge of sustainability, climate resilience, livestock disease and more. Congress includes two days of field tours and a day of presentations from experts from Africa and around the world.
· The Ole Sereni Hotel—where Congress will be centered—is a beautiful property that looks out over Nairobi National Park, nearly 250,000 acres of savanna that is home to zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, lions and more. The park is literally across the road. Many of the hotel’s guest rooms look out on the savanna.
· Optional pre- and post-Congress tours include all sorts of safari opportunities, including a chance to visit Masai Mara National Park to witness the annual wildebeest migration. If you’re like me and grew up watching animal shows on TV, a Kenyan safari is the stuff of dreams.
· No matter where it is, IFAJ Congress is exciting, informative and motivating. It’s virtually impossible not to come home with a stack of stories, a jolt of excitement about our industry, and a bunch of new friends from around the world.
Thanks to travel funds provided to IFAJ by Syngenta, I spent a week in Nairobi last month visiting with leaders of Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA), the hosts of this year’s Congress. Together, we met with heads of the Agriculture Ministry, the national research and extension agency, leaders of CGIAR research units, and more.
From farmers and researchers in the field to government officials, Kenya’s agricultural community is excited to host Congress and shine a light on the nation.
So should you go?
Heck yeah.
As a popular tourist destination, Nairobi is well-served by major airlines. It’s an exciting city, and the countryside is beautiful and fascinating. Kenya is home to a wide range of local cultures, the food is great, infrastructure is excellent, and the Congress program is going to be outstanding. Check out the 2025 IFAJ Global Congress website here [https://ifaj2025.meshascience.org/] to learn more.
To sweeten the deal, the Professional Improvement Foundation (PIF) is offering eight $1500 stipends for ACN members to attend Congress. Check out the rules and details in the separate announcement and ACN’s website. Applications are due June 13.
MESHA and their partners are eager to share the excitement of Nairobi and the bounty of Kenya’s agriculture with IFAJ at Congress October from 14 to 18, 2025. I cannot wait to experience it and hope many ACN members will, too.
Nairobi is a bustling, modern city with great markets, excellent food and plenty of excitement…and great nature and forest parks, too.
I treated myself to a 2-day safari in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park—one of the destinations for optional pre-Congress safari tours—where I snapped these wildlife photos.
– Werblow writes from Steve Werblow Communications in Ashland, Oregon