Kenya – a matchless blend of agricultural innovation, research and traditional farming techniques, managed against a breathtaking natural landscape, within a distinctive culture.
That’s the offer from the organisers of the 2025 IFAJ Congress, which – in nearly 70 years of IFAJ history – is only the third time the event has been hosted in Africa. And it’s matched by an offer from the trustees of the Joe Watson Legacy Fund, who are providing two contributory stipends for BGAJ members to attend the October event in Nairobi.
“Kenya 2025 is a rare chance to engage in the professional development opportunity that is an IFAJ Congress alongside memorable long-distance travel that, for many people, could prove the trip of a lifetime,” says JWLF chairman Adrian Bell.
“I know IFAJ can often seem remote for many British Guild members but, as previous attendees have described, it’s like ‘meeting your tribe’. Face-to-face with around 200 journalists and communicators from dozens of countries, you not only make new friends and contacts but learn about a country, its food and culture too.”
Adrian, who is also IFAJ’s secretary general, has attended a dozen Congresses across five continents. “They open our eyes to the endless variety of agriculture practised around the world. I don’t think anyone has ever come home from a Congress disappointed with what they’ve seen, heard or experienced, who they’ve met, or without renewed enthusiasm for the job they do back home.
GB delegates at 2024’s IFAJ Congress in Switzerland: l-r, Katie Insch, James Huyton, Alex Black, Adrian Bell, Diana McGowan, Olivia Cooper
“What’s more, it’s enlightening to see how the challenges our industry faces here in the UK are often familiar around the world. Bringing home those stories, of how farmers thousands of miles away are dealing with their own situations, is hugely valuable.”
Indeed, Emma Gillbard, a JWLF bursary recipient in 2023, brought back a story from the Canadian congress that landed her the runner-up slot in the 2024 Perkins Power on the Farm Award.
“We learn so much from visiting different places and meeting new people which is why it’s important to make the most of such amazing opportunities that membership of the BGAJ brings,” says Emma.
The JWLF Trustees are offering Congress ‘newbies’ – BGAJ members who’ve never attended a Congress – two places for this year’s event, which takes place between Oct 15 and 18. Those selected will be asked to pay a nominal sum of just £250 to secure their place, with all other fees – registration, accommodation and return airfare – covered by the Joe Watson Fund.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to experience the thrill and excitement of an IFAJ Congress,” says Adrian. “It’s a common refrain from Congress delegates that they’re abroad in a foreign country, seeing a side of that country that even few tourists would see – and yet it’s all for work!
“This is your chance to do the same.”
Last year’s bursary winners were Farmers Guardian’s James Huyton, and Diana McGowan, the then Communications Manager at NFUS.
James described the Congress as ‘an amazing experience, impeccably organised’, while Diana enthused about it being ‘possibly the most rewarding work trip I’ve been on, in my lengthy career’. You can read more about James’s and Diana’s experiences below.
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| The future of our industry: James Huyton at IFAJ Congress 2024 | Diana McGowan’s reflections on IFAJ Congress 2024 |
How to apply
Trustees invite applications from any Full Member of the Guild. (Friends and Retired members are not eligible for the bursary).
Tell us how you will benefit from this stipend. What will it mean for you? What is it about IFAJ Congress, and Kenya, that makes you want to take part? Will it have an influence on your career development? And what steps will you take to share your experiences, findings and reporting with a wider audience, including other Guild members?
As the bursary is a professional development opportunity, the Trustees are especially keen to welcome applications from the U35s – but we welcome all applications.
“The most important qualifier is that this will be your first Congress,” says Adrian. “We want to share the magic of IFAJ with more Guild members. We talk about being ‘bitten by the IFAJ bug’; like other JWLF winners before, we want you to be so enthused that you’ll want to come back for another Congress!”
To submit your application, please send an email to adrian.bell@agromavens.com before the closing date of 3rd August, at midnight. Trustees will select the successful recipients according to the quality of the application and alignment with the Fund’s charitable objectives.
About the Joe Watson Legacy Fund (reg 1173600)
The Joe Watson Legacy Fund aims to improve the understanding of agriculture and provide better education for journalism and communication.
A registered charity, the fund was established with the financial surplus generated from the 2014 IFAJ Congress, which was hosted by the BGAJ and held in Aberdeen. It is named in the memory of former Guild chairman and highly regarded Scottish agri-journalist Joe Watson, farming editor of the Press & Journal, who died suddenly in 2014.
Joe was a self-confessed IFAJ Congress addict. Not only did it provide valuable material to share with his readers, but it also addressed his love of overseas travel and of course the opportunity to meet his band of international friends.
Joe would be delighted that the British Guild’s Congress legacy, named in his honour, perpetuates involvement in Congress by British Guild members.
