What is PARM
Stories Challenge
Building their resilience is key to food security and improvement of the livelihoods of these farming champions.
After the success of PARM Art Challenge, the Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) is launching the global campaign “PARM Stories Challenge” with media professionals, as part of the celebration of the #WorldFoodDay and the International #RuralWomenDay.
The challenge consists in producing a high-quality video story that portrays
rural farmers’ self-resilience to agricultural risks and showcases how this could be strengthened in order to increase their productivity and sustainable agri-food systems, contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals 1, 2, 5, and 15.
The challenge is organized in partnership with Africa 21, a network bringing together around 700 African journalists from 40 countries with expertise in development topics and a platform for exchange between media practitioners and researchers. Created in 2011, the network works for a better understanding of sustainable development in Africa, in particular from the angle of the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.
Updates
About
PARM
PARM is hosted and co-funded by the International Fund for the Development of Agriculture (IFAD) and supported by the Development French Agency (AFD), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the European Commission (EC).
Join the Challenge today
& unleash your
storytelling power!
The video should explore the challenges they face, their innovative solutions, and the positive impacts on their productivity and the sustainability of agri-food in their community and/or beyond.
Particular attention should be paid on women, youth and other vulnerable communities.
The three first winning videos will be presented during an international event as well as the winning journalists. Moreover, the winning videos will be promoted across PARM, FARM-D and Africa 21 institutional platforms.
The first winner will also visit one or more PARM/IFAD operational countries to gain direct experience of the projects and activities of the United Nations in agricultural risk management, and will be able to produce an additional video with PARM/IFAD direct beneficiaries.
Who
can apply
you must fill the following criteria:
- Be a journalist or a media professional (including freelance) specialized or generalist, interested in agricultural issues in the African continent;
- Be proficient in English or French;
- Be available to travel in any African country for a field mission or an international event.
How to apply
- Register by filling out the following form;
- Submit the link to your HD video (wetransfer/google drive) along with your name, picture, contact information, short bio, video title and a brief description of your video to parm@ifad.org by 26 November 2023.
Timetable
26 September 2023
Launch of the Challenge & opening of registrations and applications
05 October 2023
Webinar with the jury members
26 November 2023
Closing of applications
11 December 2023
Announcement of the winners
March 2024
Field visit with the first place winner
April 2024
International Conference to present the first 3 winning videos
Together, let’s narrate the stories of our Farming Champions.
Reward
The 10 finalists will be rewarded as follows:
- The first winning video producer will visit one or more PARM/IFAD operational countries to gain direct experience of the projects and activities of the United Nations in agricultural risk management, and will be able to produce an additional video with PARM/IFAD direct beneficiaries.
- The next two winning video producers along with the first place winner will participate in an international conference to present their videos which will also be promoted across PARM, FARM-D and Africa 21 institutional platforms.
- The last seven finalists will receive certificates of participation which recognize them as finalists of an international challenge and will have their names and profiles featured in the challenge communication materials.
Footage
guidelines
Video Format
Create a documentary-style video that is informative, engaging, and visually appealing. The video should be maximum 7 minutes in duration and in full HD (1920×1080).
Storytelling
Focus on the personal narratives of individual farmers or farming communities. Showcase how they have adapted to and mitigated risks such as climate risks, market fluctuations, pests, or limited resources. Highlight their strategies, such as crop diversification, soil conservation, water management, or the use of sustainable agricultural practices.
Local Context
Showcase smallholder farmers and highlight specific challenges they face in their respective contexts, such as extreme weather events, access to markets, lack of infrastructure, or limited access to technology, etc.
Solutions and Innovations
Explore how smallholder farmers are strengthening their self-resilience.
Showcase innovative approaches they have adopted, such as using advanced farming techniques, leveraging technology, forming cooperatives or farmer networks, or implementing sustainable farming models, etc.
Impact
Illustrate the positive outcomes of their resilience efforts. Highlight how these approaches have increased their productivity, improved their livelihoods, enhanced food security, reduced environmental impact, and contributed to sustainable agri-food systems.
Diversity and Inclusivity
Ensure the video represents the diversity of rural farmers, including gender, age, ethnicity, and social backgrounds. Highlight the role of women and young farmers in building resilience and promoting sustainability.
Language
Videos can be submitted in French or English (Subtitles will be integrated by PARM team on the selected videos).
Originality
Submit an original video copyrighted by you and never posted or broadcast before on any media outlet or online platform.
Plagiarized videos will be disqualified.
Themes
Select one of the below themes of the challenge to narrate your story:
- Building self-resilience
- Contributing to food security
- Environmental impact reduction
- Sustainable agri-food systems
Submission
Submit the link to your HD video (wetransfer/google drive) along with your name, picture, contact information, short bio, video title and a brief description of your video to parm@ifad.org by 26 November 2023.
Disclaimer
By participating in the challenge, you grant permission for your video to be shared on our website, social media platforms, and used for promotional purposes related to this challenge.
Jury
Dorcas Mayala Ntumba
KM, Communications & Partnership Specialist, Founder of PARM Stories Challenge, IFAD/PARM
Dorcas Mayala Ntumba is a senior communication expert with 15 years of experience in corporate communications, public information, marketing, public relations and journalism. She worked with international organisations, private sector, media and UN system before joining the Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) hosted by IFAD, where she is currently coordinating the knowledge management cluster at global, regional & country levels.
Carlos Tomas Lora Acosta
Creative Director and Expert in communication with the United Nations, Consultant for the PARM Stories Challenge
Carlos Tomas Lora Acosta is a Creative Director and Communications Expert. He works with international public and private organization within strategic and visual communication. Lecturer of visual identity and photography in higher education courses. Currently and consultant for the United Nations and visual design coordinator of the PARM Stories Challenge.
Ange Soubirous Tambineza
Communications Officer, FAO
Ange Soubirous Tambineza is a communication professional with 14 years of experience in political advisory, media and communication with governments, private sector and UN system. Since 2018, the award-winning senior journalist works for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – HQ as Communications Officer, where she also serves as the focal point for Africa in outreach and campaigns.
Tovo Ratsimbazafy
Technical Manager, FIFATA
Tovo Ratsimbazafy serves as Technical Manager at FIFATA, a network bringing together over 6000 farmers’ organisations and over 300,000 member farming households in Madagascar. With 13 years of experience, Tovo supports farmer organizations in the management and development of their various activities for a growing family, professional and competitive agriculture as well as improving rural farmers’ income and livelihoods.
Julien Chambolle
Secretary General & Co-Founder,
AFRICA 21
Julien Chambolle is the Secretary General of Africa 21, a network of African journalists specializing in sustainable development and climate change. He has been working on African media and sustainable development for 12 years. In 2011, he co-founded Africa 21 where he is also serving as Editor of the organisation’s journal "Sustainable Africa 2030" (Sustainable Africa 2030).
Anne Delaite
Journalist, Swiss Radio Television
Anne Delaite is an international journalist who spent most of her career within the Swiss Radio Television (RTS) where she served as correspondent in Africa, Eastern Europe and West Asia. With 30 years of experience, she also covers international news in agriculture and sustainable development. Anne has previously worked in the humanitarian sector with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.
Chloé Nabédian
Journalist, TV5 Monde
Chloé Nabédian is an international journalist with a strong interest in environment and climate change. She worked for France 2 as TV presenter of the weather bulletins. Since 2022, Chloé serves as journalist for TV5 Monde where she launched her show “À la vie, à la terre” (To life, to the earth). She authored 2 books: “Is the weather going crazy? » (2019) and “The Great Mysteries of Nature” (2022).
Zeynab Wandati
Journalist, Nation Media Group (NTV)
Zeynab Wandati is a journalist currently working as Sustainability Editor at the Nation Media Group, based in Nairobi, Kenya. An award-winning science journalist and Agri-Food Influencer, Zeynab runs an innovative weekly TV feature “Food Friday”, which focuses on all aspects of food security from the farm to the plate. She specializes in science reporting with a keen interest on agriculture, environment and climate change.
FAQs
The challenge will run as follows:
- 26 September 2023: Launch of the Challenge & opening of registrations and applications
- 05 October 2023: Webinar to meet the jury members, learn more about the challenge and ask your questions
- 18 November 2023: Closing of applications
- 11 December 2023: Announcement of the winners
- Mars 2024: Field mission of the first-place winner with PARM/IFAD
- April 2024: International Conference to present the first 3 winning videos
To apply, you must follow the following steps:
- Register at https://storieschallenge.parm.org/#register;
- Submit the link to your HD video (wetransfer/google drive) along with your name, picture, contact information, short bio, video title and a brief description of your video to parm@ifad.org by 18 November 2023.
To enter the competition, you must fill the following criteria:
- Be a journalist or a media professional (including freelance), specialized or generalist, interested in agricultural issues in the African continent;
- Be proficient in English or French;
- Be available to travel in any African country for a field mission or an international event.
The video should be maximum 7 minutes in duration and in full HD (1920×1080). Read more about the footage guidelines.
The footage should be a documentary-style video that is informative, engaging, and visually appealing. The focus should be given to the personal narratives of individual farmers or farming communities and showcase how they have adapted to and mitigated risks.
The strategies and innovations they have developed should be highlighted to illustrate the positive outcomes of their resilience efforts to their production, their livelihoods and to the agri-food systems in general. The local context of each farmer and the challenges it implies should be showcased as well.
In addition, the video must ensure the representation of diversity of rural farmers, including gender, age, ethnicity, and social backgrounds and highlight the role of women and young farmers in building resilience and promoting sustainability.
Read more about the footage guidelines.
Videos can be submitted in French or English (Subtitles will be integrated by PARM team on the selected videos).
Read more about the footage guidelines.
All the information about the intellectual property of the producer will be written under each video.
In parallel, the creators must make sure to have a document showing the authorisation and consent to use the image for non-commercial purposes of all persons in the video.
The same works for the music used in the video, each journalist and video producer must ensure themselves that the music used in the video is free or that they have the right to use it.
Yes, an email of confirmation will be automatically sent to you once your application has been received.
The winners will be announced on 11 December 2023 on the PARM Stories Challenge website and PARM’s official communication platforms.
All information about the challenge is available in this page.
For any urgent query or technical issue, please send us an email at info@farm-d.org.
Before sending any email, remember to first read the Frequent Asked Questions and consult the website.
