The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program has won the 2021 Stevie Award for a 5-minute documentary showcasing its achievements. The video, produced for the 2021 High-level Dialogue on Feeding Africa, won the best “video documentary” in the competition. The 2021 International Business Awards, the world’s only all-encompassing business awards competition, drew more than 3,700 nominations from 65 nations.
More than a dozen Heads of State, global leaders, and thousands of high-level online participants watched the video, which showcased farmers’ experiences.
One of the judges who recognized the challenges of documentary film production during the COVID-19 lockdowns wrote, “The 17 Heads of State and others who watched would have been impressed with the quality of the film and, more importantly, the program itself. Excellent initiative.”
“These programs are just so necessary to bring positive change, and this documentary shows it excellently,” said another awards panel member.
“I emotionally connected with each video provided…the documentary captured wonderful, intimate, and sensitive interviews with people. It became personal and heartfelt,” another judge remarked.
African Development Bank (AfDB) Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development Dr Beth Dunford highlighted the collaborative work involved in sharing these stories. She dedicated the Gold Stevie award to AfDB’s staff, implementing partners, including IITA and other CGIAR centers, and the program beneficiaries.
“Through the experiences of women and men participating in the TAAT program, these videos tell the story of how the Bank-funded agricultural technologies are helping 11 million farmers across 29 African countries produce more food and adapt to climate change,” Dunford added.
This year’s 18th annual International Business Awards recognize outstanding organizations and highlight their positive contributions globally. Other award winners include DHL Express Worldwide, Dubai Municipality, Google, IBM, Tata Consultancy Services, and Yapi Kredi. Prizes will be awarded to all winners at a virtual ceremony on 8 December 2021.
The AfDB-funded TAAT is the flagship program translating the Bank’s Feed Africa objectives of eliminating extreme poverty, ending hunger and malnutrition, achieving food self-sufficiency, and turning Africa into a net food exporter. The program accomplishes this by improving agricultural productivity using the power of science, technologies and innovation, and a knowledge-based agricultural approach. TAAT achieves these through an innovative partnership with 29 African countries, nine One CGIAR Centers led by IITA, three specialized technical institutions, and subregional and national agricultural research systems and organizations.
Watch the TAAT documentary here: https://youtu.be/kN92vUsc9sQ.
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