About the IFAJ | The Star Prize | Travel Scholarship | NSW Finalists

IFAJ CONGRESS IN NORWAY
By Neil Lyon
The Land Newspaper

NEARLY 200 farm writers from around the world converged on Norway in August to share experiences and learn more about Norwegian farming at the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) 50th anniversary congress.

I had the opportunity to attend the conference as this year's Star Prize winner sponsored by the Farm Writers Association of NSW Inc and John Deere.

It was a fantastic experience that provided a chance to meet with fellow "practitioners" and to see first-hand a country whose quaint, small-acreage and highly subsidised agriculture is so different to the Australian way of farming.

It was eye-opening to be in a country where agriculture is limited by very different climatic and topographical constraints to Australia.

For an Australian saddened by the decline of our rural areas and a widening of the city/country divide, it was enlightening to learn that the vast majority of Norwegians are in favour of the extensive subsidy support program that sustains their farming sector.

There is widespread public recognition of the role Norwegian agriculture plays in preserving the rural landscape, defining the national heritage and underpinning the tourism industry.

The opportunity for me to mix with a diversity of journalists from around the world was a highlight of the five-day conference experience.

We all compared notes and I'm pleased to say the couple of copies of The Land I took with me generated many favourable comments about its size, variety of sections, depth of content and quality of layout – a pleasing peer review.

The five-day congress program featured a formal presentation session at the Scandic Hotel in Hamar and a series of farm visits, interspersed with plenty of Norwegian cultural experiences from arts and heritage to folklore and food – and far too much pickled fish.

It began with a visit to a tourist farm in the Vinstra area followed by a lakeside, evening performance of Norway's famous Peer Gynt musical which, despite being in olde Norwegian and difficult to follow, was a memorable experience.

Highlights of the conference sessions included an opportunity to interview Norwegian Minister for Agriculture, Terge Riis-Johansen, and hear from farmer group leaders and government authorities associated with Norwegian agriculture.

While my focus was on farm-based stories, the conference presentations added depth and understanding to these stories.

I was particularly interested in the dairy industry visits which featured housed herds and high-tech milking and feeding systems.

The fruit growing visit was also eye opening, particularly considering the extreme of northerly latitude that the fruit is produced in.

I commend a visit to the IFAJ Congress to every agricultural journalist.

It is an experience that instantly broadens your horizons, helps you put Australian agriculture into perspective and makes you realise that, while the differences are many, the underlying principles and challenges of agriculture and agricultural reporting are similar throughout the world.

I very much appreciated how fortunate I was to have had the opportunity to attend the congress and would like to thank the Farm Writers Association and John Deere for sponsoring my trip to Norway.