The College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has announced an international education partnership with the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), which aims to transform the future of food and agricultural communication.
The collaboration formalizes the launch of a Certificate in Global Agricultural Communications, a flagship initiative of the proposed James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications. The announcement was made during a ceremonial signing event attended by ACES Dean Germán Bollero and IFAJ Vice President Adalberto Rossi.
The certificate will be delivered entirely online and made globally accessible. Developed by faculty in the Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications (ALEC) program, it is tailored to meet the needs of agricultural communicators working across cultures, languages, and diverse media platforms. The curriculum is informed by research conducted in partnership with IFAJ members.
“This certificate represents an exciting step forward for the global agricultural journalism community,” said Rossi. “By equipping professionals with critical thinking, multimedia skills, and a global perspective, we can raise the bar for agricultural communications worldwide.”
This marks the first academic collaboration of its kind for IFAJ, a professional body representing over 6,600 members in 62 countries. The federation voted unanimously to support the initiative, recognizing the growing need for cross-border knowledge exchange and leadership in agricultural storytelling.
The Certificate in Global Agricultural Communications will be among the first educational offerings from the Evans Center, a new hub within ACES dedicated to advancing education, research, and leadership in food and agricultural communication.
