Lomé workshop explores AI's role in agricultural journalism

Journalists from across West Africa and the Sahel gathered in Lomé, Togo, on August 26-27 for a regional workshop focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on agricultural journalism. Organized by the Network of Journalists for the Promotion of Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral and Fisheries Systems in West Africa and the Sahel (ReJPAH-AOS) with support from the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), the event explored how digital mutations affect agri-food systems and media practices.

The workshop addressed the critical context of food security in Africa. According to United Nations estimates, approximately 307 million people—more than one in five residents—were undernourished on the continent in 2024. Factors contributing to this include climate change, pressure on natural resources, post-harvest losses, and logistical vulnerabilities.

Participants discussed AI as a tool to assist rather than replace human expertise. Potential benefits include improving producer access to information, early crop disease detection, and optimizing water and input usage. However, officials emphasized that AI-generated information is not inherently reliable and requires rigorous verification, source confrontation, and contextualization to maintain journalistic ethics.