The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists will have a chance to celebrate our outgoing President, David Markey, this fall at the Congress in Austria/Slovenia. David has had a big and positive impact on the organization and I’m sure he’ll continue to be supportive. Here’s his letter to the membership about his term ending.
It’s hard to believe that my term of office as President of the IFAJ comes to an end in September. The organisation has changed quite significantly in that period, and I want to pay tribute to the members of the Executive Committee who served during my term of office for their hard and dedicated work.
IFAJ is a voluntary organisation and quite simply, you get out of it what you put in to it. As I have said many times before, change is good if it’s for the right reasons. The move to make your organisation a more professional one is, I believe, essential.
The world of agricultural journalism is changing and the IFAJ must embrace these changes and strive to develop the organisation for the long-term benefit of all the members.
The Future
The implementation of the 2015 plan will strengthen IFAJ. Our appointment of Connie Siemes as executive secretary is a clear indication that IFAJ is moving in the right direction.
The new executive committee and presidium will hopefully build on this. While we are a voluntary organisation we have set ourselves high standards that need to be maintained in the years ahead. We need to make sure our goals are achievable and at all times relevant to the organisation.
I firmly believe that quality is better than quantity and would urge the new Presidium to target key countries for new membership.
Our relevance to global agriculture will change in the next decade. Setting out achievable goals for the organisation will be even more critical in my opinion. The choice of the right presidium is essential if this is to be achieved.
Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank Paul Queck, Hans Matthiesen and Mike Wilson for their contribution to me personally over the past eight years in my capacity as Treasurer and President of IFAJ.
My time serving the organisation has being enhanced by the many friendships I have made all over the world.
Best regards,
David Markey