By Christine Ochogo | christawine@yahoo.com
Media for Environment Science Health and Agriculture (MESHA), through its Action Research to Enhance Effective Coverage of Climate Change Issues in Africa (ARECCCA) project, is set to strengthen climate change communication in Africa.
The three-year action research project funded by International Development Research Center (IDRC) seeks to deepen coverage of climate change issues across East and Southern Africa, addressing gaps by improving accuracy, depth and impact of climate change journalism in Africa.
ARECCCA project emphasizes gender equality and an intersectional lens to explore how different demographics, including rural versus urban areas, age groups and education levels, address climate change issues.
Eight science journalists from East and Southern Africa have been awarded grants to undertake the project and have since been receiving training on gender and climate change nexus including in key sectors such as agriculture and energy.
The selected media fellows include Laura Otieno (Kenya), Juliet Akoth (Kenya), Isaack Dickson (Tanzania), Temwa Mhone (Malawi), Irene Shone (Botswana), Gracien Seif Hasingizwimana (Rwanda), Catherine Tembo (Zimbabwe) and Lungelo Ndhlovu (Zimbabwe) forming a diverse cohort committed to advancing climate change and agriculture communication.
“With the acquired knowledge, the fellows are going to produce well-researched stories on climate change using African voices and researchers,” Aghan Daniel, MESHA lead said at the virtual ARECCCA Project Kickoff Meeting.
Discussions highlighted at the meeting include the importance of examining how various factors intersect to affect individuals’ experiences with climate change, particularly focusing on women’s perspectives across different contexts.
According to UN Women, achieving gender equity requires targeted interventions and strong policy measures that address the structural barriers limiting women’s participation and opportunities.
Persistent gender-based disadvantages continue to limit women’s social and economic opportunities worldwide.
For example, women still earn on average 20 percent less than men globally, and they perform more than three times as much unpaid care and domestic work.
Speaking during the inaugural meeting, Dr Osir Otteng, ARECCA research lead and communication and media lecturer at Maseno University, Kenya, mentioned that effects of climate change cannot be ignored as it affects lives in all sectors.
He recognized that having proper communication is crucial but this can only be achieved if members of the public get the correct information that is able to help them act and adopt to issues of climate change.
Dr. Otteng regretted that there has been a gap in terms of climate communication and reporting. Africa’s climate stories are often event based, under reported globally and majorly rely on foreign sources that often do not give the continent the solutions that resonate with the problems being faced.
“The media plays a key role in bridging the gap between science and the public, therefore the approach of action research will help improve the work and strength collaboration among journalists, scientists, policymakers and communities to improve public understanding of climate adaptation and gender equality,” said Dr. Otteng adding that this will enable real time learning and improve climate change communication practices.
Sharon Atieno, ARECCCA project officer, stressed that building skills through field visits and science cafés, will enable journalists to produce accurate stories that highlight climate-smart innovations working hand in hand with researchers and communities.
“ARECCCA focuses on action research to better understand different context for reporting on climate change and address some of the challenges to help deepen coverage,” said Atieno.
“It is all about equipping journalists with the necessary skills and tools to turn complex climate science into clear, accessible and actionable information to the general public.”
Dr. Kathryn Toure, IDRC Regional Director, East and South Africa emphasized that the project is an action research initiative where journalists and researchers will learn and generate new knowledge together to enhance climate coverage. “There has to be other ways of properly covering climate change stories. Generating new knowledge together and sharing what we are learning will enhance climate smart reporting,” Dr. Toure said.
The meeting was also attended by Alessandra Galie, CGIAR Team Leader Gender and Florida Martim Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Director of Corporate Communication, who mentioned the importance of women empowerment in agriculture including crop and livestock farming to attain food security and gender equality.
