“Stay passionate, work hard, remain humble, continuously learn new skills, and excel in multiple areas while keeping your career goals in focus.”
With these words, Duncan Masiwa aims to inspire aspiring journalists and industry professionals striving to achieve new heights.
The Food for Mzansi assistant editor was among 10 outstanding young agricultural journalists honoured as recipients of the prestigious International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ)/Alltech Young Leaders Award. The awards were presented at the IFAJ’s Global Congress in Interlaken, Switzerland, last month (August), and the Macassar youngster was the only South African agricultural journalist to be recognised as a top-10 award recipient.
“Being named South Africa’s top young agricultural journalist is one thing, but to be crowned among the best in the world? That’s a whole different ball game.
“It took me about a week to let that reality sink in before I could even begin to share the news with the world,” he said.
The IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders Award, established in 2006, recognises emerging leaders in agricultural journalism and includes participation in a professional development workshop. Sponsored by Alltech, the programme emphasises reporting skills, leadership training, and has significantly contributed to the growth of agricultural journalism guilds and IFAJ.
For Masiwa, the global recognition felt like a dream come true.
“It’s the kind of thing you always see happening to others, and you cheer for them. But when it’s your turn, you’re left thinking, ‘What the heck?’ (in Tyla’s voice, of course). In my room, you’ll find a vision book packed with five years’ worth of dreams, but being named top among journalists in the world is not on the list at all. That’s next-level crazy. It’s an honour to do what I love and be recognised on the world stage.”
While the global honour is attributed to hard work and dedication out of pure love for the job, Masiwa believes the recognition also confirms that he has what it takes to be among the best. “The long hours, sleepless nights, and giving up weekends to work were all worth it. This award feels like God’s way of saying, ‘Here’s your reward, my son’. It means that my bold decision to switch careers a few years ago was not a mistake after all.”
In 2018, Masiwa made the decision to leave behind his career in hospitality and take a leap of faith into journalism. “My journey began with the Helderberg Gazette, where I was given my first chance to write motivational columns. I did that for a few months, and one day, the senior journalist and editor gave me the opportunity to compile a news story. To my surprise and excitement, it ended up on the front page. I was thrilled, especially knowing that I had no prior experience, but they believed in me and gave me a shot,” recalled Masiwa.
“From there, I started freelancing for a digital magazine that celebrates people of colour and their achievements. I had only been with them for about a month when another door opened, an opportunity to work for an agricultural publication.”
According to Masiwa, the experience at Food For Mzansi has significantly shaped his career, leading to hosting an award-winning television series on conservation, an international award-winning agricultural podcast, and becoming the youngest editor for an agricultural publication in the country. The rising industry star expresses gratitude to mentors Ivor Price and Kobus Louwrens for their unwavering support and acknowledges that this award is a tribute to them and others who have played a pivotal role in his journalism career.
“Connecting South Africans with the men and women behind the food we consume is incredibly rewarding. In my work, I have the privilege of putting a face to the farmers who feed us, addressing the historical and ongoing land issues in South Africa, fostering solution-focused conversations, and dispelling stereotypes.”
For Masiwa, the IFAJ Global Congress was a valuable experience, offering learning opportunities from top experts in the field. He noted that Switzerland was notable for its strong consumer influence on food production, processing, packaging, and labelling. “Swiss consumers are clear about their preferences and use their power to demand changes in farming practices,” he related.
“As a young journalist, this was an incredible opportunity to observe how agricultural journalism operates in various parts of the world. I was particularly impressed by the diverse approaches to agricultural communication and the underlying reasons for these choices. Some of these methods are ones I would like to experiment with here in South Africa.
“To my surprise, I discovered that in South Africa, farmers and the broader agricultural community have a wealth of options when it comes to agricultural publications, whether in print, audio, or digital form. This was in stark contrast to other countries represented at the congress, where, in some cases, a single agricultural publication serves the entire farming community.”
Asked how he intends to leverage the network and connections made at the congress to advance the industry field, Masiwa said by focusing on projects that highlight South African agriculture and journalism on a global platform, and collaborating closely with journalists and agricultural communicators from around the world to achieve this goal.
