JoyNews’ Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe wins global agriculture award for best reporting in rural culture

Agriculture journalist with the Multimedia Group Limited, Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe, has won the 2025 International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ) Star Prize for Rural Culture.

The IFAJ Star Prize on Rural Culture recognises the best agricultural reporting of the year on topics of Rural Culture.

The award was announced at IFAJ’s World Congress in Nairobi, Kenya, on October 18, 2025.

Emmanuel’s story, titled “Farmer-Herder Feud: A Weakened Fight?” sheds light on the inability of the government to implement policies and laws to find a lasting resolution to conflicts between farmers and nomadic herdsmen in Ghana, leading to deaths and destruction of properties.

The story exposed how at least 10 lives have been lost to the violent clashes at the Asante Akyem North and Sekyere Afram Plains districts, which are primarily driven by inaccessibility to resources like arable lands owing to the changing climate.

Emmanuel Bright beat entries from across the world to clinch the ultimate title, with Leandro Faria de Castro Fidelis of Conexao Safra in Brazil and Petra Jacob of The Furrow in the United Kingdom receiving runner-up recognition in the Rural Culture category for the “Uma revolução verde capixaba” and “Uzbekistan’s White Gold” stories, respectively.

The judges noted that “…the video is well researched and shows how difficult it is to resolve feuds between farmers and herders. Many representatives and researchers are interviewed, which adds greatly to the video’s credibility.”

“This was first and foremost a captivating story, and with a possible good ending yet to come,” notes Adrian Bell, IFAJ secretary-general.

Emmanuel recognises the contribution of his colleague, Anita Serwaa Adzoga, in the production of the piece that won the award category.

Emmanuel Bright is a member of the Ghana Agricultural and Rural Development Journalist Association (GARDJA), which is a local affiliate of the IFAJ.

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit professional association for agricultural journalists in 60 countries, dedicated to professional development and networking. IFAJ member guilds embrace freedom of the press.

The IFAJ Star Prize award programme is sponsored by the Alliance Brand of Farm Tires.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.