Food Journalism Training: Building Media Capacity for Food Justice Reporting

Bandung, 2024 — In an era of headline-grabbing food scandals and oversimplified nutrition advice, a group of twenty-two journalists gathered to learn a different approach to food reporting—one rooted in systems thinking, investigative rigor, and social justice.

Journalists participate in hands-on training sessions covering food systems reporting

The Food Journalism Training, designed and delivered by CRPG for the PESPA Consortium, wasn't about writing restaurant reviews or recipe columns. It was about equipping journalists with the tools to investigate how food moves from field to fork, who profits at each stage, and who gets left behind.

Why Food Journalism Matters

Indonesian media coverage of food tends to fall into predictable patterns: agricultural production statistics, consumer price inflation, or food safety scares. What's missing is the connective tissue—the systems analysis that reveals why food insecurity persists amid plenty, why smallholder farmers remain poor while food corporations thrive, and how climate change is reshaping what Indonesians eat.

"Journalists are storytellers, but we're also investigators," said Ibu Sari, lead trainer for the investigative module. "When we report on food, we're reporting on power—who has it, who doesn't, and how it shapes every meal."

The training drew participants from print, online, and broadcast media. Some covered agricultural beats; others reported on health, environment, or urban development. What united them was a recognition that food systems stories cut across traditional beats and require interdisciplinary skills.

CRPG's curriculum, based on the World Resources Institute (WRI) model, brought their expertise in policy analysis and legal frameworks to food systems journalism.

Module 1: Investigating Marine Food Safety

The training opened with a deep dive into seafood supply chains—a topic that resonates in Indonesia, where fish is a dietary staple and a major export. Participants learned to trace fish from coastal waters through processing facilities, cold storage, and markets, identifying vulnerability points for contamination or fraud.

The module introduced investigative techniques: freedom of information requests for health inspection records, interviews with workers in processing plants, laboratory testing protocols for heavy metals and pathogens, and data visualization for tracking disease outbreaks.

One journalist shared how she had covered fish poisoning incidents in the past by simply reporting official statements. "I never thought to ask: Why did the inspection system fail? Who benefits from weak enforcement? This module gave me the questions I should have asked."

Module 2: Food Systems Inclusion and FOLU

The second major theme addressed two interconnected issues: inclusion in food systems and FOLU (Forestry and Land Use) impacts.

The inclusion session examined how marginalized groups—persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, women-headed households—experience food insecurity differently. Journalists learned to move beyond statistics to tell stories centering lived experience.

Role-playing exercises had journalists practice interviewing techniques that build trust with vulnerable sources. How do you ask a person with a disability about food access without reinforcing stereotypes? How do you report on indigenous foodways without exoticizing them? These questions pushed journalists to examine their own biases.

The FOLU module connected food production to deforestation, land rights conflicts, and climate change. Participants analyzed satellite imagery showing forest conversion to palm oil plantations, learning to contextualize food production within ecological boundaries.

Module 3: Urban Agriculture and Alternative Proteins

Perhaps the most surprising module explored maggot farming—the cultivation of Black Soldier Fly larvae to convert organic waste into animal feed and fertilizer. Initially met with squeamish reactions, the topic quickly fascinated journalists as they grasped its implications for urban waste management and sustainable protein.

Participants visited a maggot farming operation in Bandung, documenting the process from waste collection through larval growth to harvesting. They interviewed practitioners about economic viability, regulatory challenges, and consumer acceptance. Several journalists immediately pitched stories to their editors.

The urban agriculture segment profiled Bandung's rooftop gardens, vertical farming initiatives, and community food forests. Journalists learned to evaluate these projects critically—What are the yield rates? Who has access? Is this scalable or just a boutique trend for the middle class?

"Good food journalism asks hard questions even about initiatives we want to support," a trainer emphasized. "Rigor doesn't mean cynicism—it means ensuring solutions actually work for the communities that need them most."

The WRI Model: Three Days of Intensive Learning

The training followed the World Resources Institute (WRI) model, which structures food systems education around three dimensions: environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic viability. Each session integrated all three, preventing the reductionism that plagues food coverage.

Day 1 focused on foundational concepts—food systems mapping, stakeholder analysis, and identifying entry points for investigation. Journalists worked in groups to map a single food commodity (rice, tomatoes, chicken) from production through consumption, identifying power imbalances at each node.

Day 2 emphasized field methods. Journalists practiced participant observation at traditional markets, conducted structured interviews with vendors and farmers, and learned data collection techniques for price monitoring and food flow analysis.

Day 3 centered on storytelling craft. How do you translate complex systems into compelling narratives? Journalists analyzed exemplary food systems reporting from international outlets, identifying techniques like narrative arc, character development, and data visualization. They drafted story pitches that were workshopped by peers.

Building a Network, Not Just Skills

Beyond technical skills, the training created a professional network. Journalists exchanged contacts, shared sources, and discussed potential collaborations. Several proposed a food systems journalism collective to pool resources for investigations requiring significant time and expertise.

The network effect extends beyond participants. CRPG connected journalists with academic researchers, NGO experts, and community organizers who can serve as sources and fact-checkers. This infrastructure supports ongoing food systems reporting even after the training ends.

Impact: Stories That Followed

In the months after training, several participants published substantive food systems investigations:

One journalist exposed substandard school meal programs where nutrition requirements weren't met despite budget allocations, prompting a government audit.

Another produced a multimedia series on urban farmers facing eviction from public land, leading to policy dialogue about legalizing urban agriculture.

A third investigated pesticide residues in vegetables sold at traditional markets, combining lab testing with interviews of farmers who lack access to safety equipment.

These stories demonstrate what food journalism can achieve when reporters have systems-level understanding and investigative tools. They move beyond event-driven coverage to examine root causes and hold power accountable.

Challenges and Next Steps

Participants identified ongoing challenges: editors who don't prioritize food systems stories, tight deadlines that preclude deep investigation, and lack of data transparency from government and corporations.

Several noted that food systems reporting doesn't fit neatly into existing beats or formats. Should a story about food waste go in the environment section, business, or local news? The ambiguity can be a barrier to publication.

CRPG, through the PESPA Consortium, is working with media outlets to create dedicated food systems coverage slots and developing support mechanisms to fund time-intensive investigations that newsrooms can't otherwise support.

A New Generation of Food Systems Journalists

The twenty-two journalists who completed this training represent a growing cohort in Indonesia committed to covering food with the seriousness it deserves. They understand that food stories are climate stories, health stories, inequality stories, and political economy stories all at once.

"Before this training, I thought food reporting meant interviewing the agriculture minister about rice prices," one participant reflected. "Now I see food systems everywhere—in land use policies, labor laws, trade agreements, urban planning. The beat is endless."

As Indonesian media grapples with how to cover intersecting crises—climate change, inequality, public health—food systems journalism offers a framework. It's not a separate beat but a lens for understanding how power, resources, and vulnerability intersect at the most basic level: what people eat.

The Food Journalism Training equipped twenty-two journalists with that lens. The stories they tell in the years ahead will shape public understanding, influence policy debates, and amplify the voices of communities fighting for food sovereignty.

In a media landscape often dominated by superficial coverage, that depth matters.

The Food Journalism Training was designed and delivered by CRPG for the PESPA Consortium (led by Article33, funded by Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial through the Urban Futures program). Training materials are based on the World Resources Institute (WRI) methodology for food systems education.