If you’ve read the Guild news articles from Martin Rickatson and Hayley Bouma recounting their recent IFAJ experiences, or been tempted to apply for places on the latest IFAJ-led trips to Serbia and the World Seed Congress, your appetite might already be whetted for an IFAJ experience of your own.
Here’s your chance.
With IFAJ’s flagship annual event, the Congress, just around the corner – it will be held in Osijek, Croatia, from 16-20 September – the trustees of the Joe Watson Legacy Fund (JWLF) have offered two fully-funded places for Guild members to attend.
“Congress is unique,” says Adrian Bell, JWLF chairman. “Think of the camaraderie that suffuses our Harvest Lunch, our own flagship event, add the magnetism of not only travelling to another country but also seeing agriculture through a different, close-up lens – and then multiply that across several days, and you’ll be on the way to understanding why so many IFAJ members commit to attending Congress every year.
“Joe Watson, the former Guild chairman who’s commemorated by the Fund, was himself one of those wedded to the attraction of combining travel, work and lasting friendships that Congress offers.
“With the fund now close to celebrating its first decade, Joe would be absolutely delighted that it’s introduced so many Guild members to IFAJ, and the opportunities that it presents.”
Hosted by the Croatian Agricultural Journalists Association, 2026 marks the first time in Croatia for Congress. The programme, which is expected to attract more than 200 delegates, includes a day-long conference, AgroRocks, featuring insights on Croatia’s own agricultural challenges, wider EU food safety issues, and a seminar examining the future of journalism in a world of AI.
Two days of tours follow, with eight options taking in such topics as dairy farming, gene banks, cheese production, viticulture, fruit, oil, cereals, research facilities and even commercial rosehip production.
“Wherever you go on an IFAJ trip, it’s always a revelation and an education to see crops, or styles of farming, that we just don’t have in the UK,” Adrian points out. “And although it’s a working trip, IFAJ visits usually feature cultural experiences that go beyond what you’d see as a tourist.”
Travelling with IFAJ peels back the layers of a country, cultural as well as agricultural.
Last year, photographer Craig Stephen and Farmers Guardian’s Katie Fallon were selected by trustees to attend the Congress in Kenya.
“The phrase ‘life-changing experience’ is, in my opinion, used rather liberally these days,” says Craig, “yet from meeting fellow UK delegates at Kenyan immigration to the semi-tearful goodbyes at the departure gate just a week later, the entire experience was nothing short of inspirational.
“Spending quality time building new friendships within the IFAJ network was a real highlight, and I’ve enjoyed staying in touch with many of those connections since returning home. It was fascinating to see how sectors we work within here in the UK navigate the very real challenges of producing food in what, to my eyes, is an incredibly demanding environment with limited resources.
“It was also particularly touching to hear so many delegates share fond and often amusing anecdotes about Joe, and to witness the warmth with which he is remembered.
“I can only urge you to attend a Congress and, hopefully, experience something just as positive and enriching as I did.”
Katie recollects how, for her, the whole trip was full of firsts. “My first long haul flight, my first time in Africa and my first IFAJ Congress. And I have the BGAJ and the Joe Watson Legacy Fund to thank for that.
“As Winnie the Pooh once said, ‘You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.’ That is one of the most valuable parts of attending Congress: the people you meet and the connections you make.
“Despite language barriers and cultural differences, agriculture really does connect us all.
This is certainly the case for agricultural communicators. Whether that be journalists, photographers or podcasters, and no matter which corner of the globe we come from, we are all trying to tell our farmers’ story.
“That’s what’s so great about Congress: the opportunity to meet like-minded people, all on their own path, all telling their own country’s farming story.”
BGAJ members, including JWLF recipients Katie Fallon and Craig Stephen, at Congress in Kenya, 2025
Two places at the 2026 IFAJ Congress are available to BGAJ members who have not previously attended any Congress. Each bursary includes Congress registration (comprising accommodation, meals and the tours making up the Congress programme) and return flights between a UK airport and Zagreb.
“As a regular Congress-goer myself, I’d encourage every Guild member to attend at least once,” Adrian enthuses, “and as the Guild gears up for hosting the 2029 Congress, it would be marvellous to have more members who ‘know’ Congress and are enthused to help make our own event happen.”
Interested? Read more this year’s event on the Congress website. Then complete the JWLF application form by June 19, 2026. Successful applicants will be notified before the end of June.
Harvest Lunch 2026
Our annual harvest celebration is the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends, colleagues and network with other agricultural communicators.
