Journalists, trainers and logistics personnel.

Last week 11 journalists from all over Africa attended the Reporting on Rural Poverty and Agriculture workshop in Arusha, Tanzania, which was held in conjunction with the biannual African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF). The workshop was the third in a series of training workshops organised by Inter Press Service – IPS and Thomson Reuters Foundation in a partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), following events in Cairo and Rio de Janeiro earlier this year.

In addition to the training the participants attended a press conference with Kofi Annan and Melinda Gates, reported on keynote speaker Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze, the President of IFAD, live tweeted from the conference with the hashtag #AGRF2012, and visited two IFAD projects in rural Tanzania.

Trainer Terna Gyuse explaining some of the finer points.

The primary focus of AGRF was on making things better for the small holder farmer, who is seen as key to eradicating poverty from Africa. As many of these farmers are female, there was also dialogue on what more can be done for women in rural communities. The challenges are many – particularly as many of these farmers are illiterate and lack basic services. Through sharing ideas and fostering innovation, the AGRF went some way to breaking through some of the barriers to poverty eradication in Africa.

Read some of the coverage of the AGRF from IPS below and follow IPS Africa @ipsafrica or join the IPS Africa on facebook.

- Second Chance For an African Green Revolution
- Giving Women Farmers the Tools to Prevent Food Insecurity
- Delivering Promises to Africa’s Smallholder Farmers
- Arab Spring Teaches Food Security