A valuable partnership
A special partnership between IFAJ and the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC) provides unique resources and services for you. The Center operates from the University of Illinois with counsel involving associates throughout the world.
Four ways you—and IFAJ—can benefit from this partnership:
1. Use the ACDC online search system
ACDC will help you gain easier access to what is believed to be the largest electronically searchable collection of research and practice in the journalism and communications aspects of agriculture, food and natural resources in more than 200 countries.
You can find information on practically any aspect of agricultural journalism and communications . For example, do you want to:
- Sharpen your reporting, editing or photography skills?
- Read “what’s new” in agricultural uses of social media?
- Examine agricultural journalism issues of the day?
- Gather tips on investigative reporting techniques, covering international trade or reporting on agricultural policy?
You can learn about the journalism and communications aspects of practically any topic involving food, feed, fiber, renewable energy, natural resources, rural development or other aspects of agriculture . For example, do you want to:
- Learn about the information sources farmers use to make decisions about marketing their livestock?
- Monitor trends in adoption of precision farming, organic farming, agricultural biotechnology and other technologies?
- Understand the attitudes of consumers in your country about farmers, the methods they use and the safety of food they produce?
- Promote marketing and consumption of agricultural products?
- Improve diets and nutrition through educational campaigns?
Go to the BibLeaves search page . Simply enter your topic of interest, title, author name or keyword(s) in the BibLeaves search box. This robust search system will instantly search more than 43,000 documents in the ACDC collection and provide you with a list of documents for your review. The citations for many of the recent documents include Web addresses you can use to gain full-text access online. We can help you gain access to those not available online.
2. Get personal help in searching for information you want
ACDC staff members and associates have special skills in finding information. Most are specialists in library and information science.
Here is the contact person you should feel free to contact for individual help in locating and gaining access to information you need about agricultural journalism and communications:
- Jim Evans
Professor Emeritus, Agricultural Communications
Email: evansj@illinois.edu
3. Learn new professional insights and skills
The “Professional Development”; section of the IFAJ website contains more than 50 feature articles that can help you learn new professional insights and skills in agricultural journalism. Many of them were coordinated or written by ACDC associates in partnership with IFAJ members.
They feature some enduring and useful insights and skills about topics that are important to agricultural journalists in about any country. Here are a few examples:
- Deadly sins of agricultural journalism
- Journalism tackling issues facing the rural poor
- Paying more attention to ethics
- How agricultural journalists are blogging
- Great laments in rural-urban relations
- Tips for agricultural journalists when crises strike
- Investigating an international trade scam
- Honoring courage – and caring – in agricultural journalism
- Levels of media freedom throughout the world
- Working safely as an agricultural photographer
4. Offer suggestions to ACDC for services you can use
You are in such a good position—in your country and in your area of agricultural journalism interest—to help strengthen the resources and services the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center can provide, internationally. We would value your suggestions about, for example:
- Kinds of information you would like to see strengthened or introduced to the ACDC collection
- Information sources about agricultural journalism that you believe ACDC staff members might monitor to advantage in search of relevant literature
- Topics you would suggest addressing in the “Professional Features” section of the IFAJ website
Please send your suggestions to:
We look forward to helping you learn, grow, and succeed in your agricultural journalism career.