The Challenge: For more than a decade, Farming First was a global agricultural coalition with around 200 supporter organisations. Marchmont provided day-to-day support for the coalition, managing communications and outreach (including website, blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube) as well as producing regular campaigns around key policy themes. However, in 2022, Farming First sought to shift its role from an advocacy coalition to an information hub, elevating case studies, news and thought leadership around agricultural innovation for development.
Our Approach: To help launch and build up the new Farming First platform, Marchmont:
- Developed a brand new website suited to better promote blog articles and thought leaders.
- Refreshed the Farming First brand to help maintain recognition while giving it a more up-to-date look.
- Onboarded the 200+ supporters as contributors, facilitating various meetings to outline the transition and address new inquiries. Contributors include key external organisations such as the FAO, UNFSS, WFP, International Science Council, International Seed Federation (ISF) and more.
- Provides day-to-day management of the social media channels and the editorial pipeline for blog content.
- Leads strategic partnership and outreach efforts for both media and funding.
- Curates spotlight series on Farming First’s website covering leading topics in the sector, for example, the importance of trade in agriculture and also the post-Malabo agenda and Africa’s food systems.
Outcomes:
- Farming First has one of the biggest followings on social media for agricultural innovation advocacy organisations, with 66,300+ followers on X and 23,000+ followers on LinkedIn.
- Farming First has featured agricultural innovation expert voices such as Kenyan Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry’s Sopian Tuya, AGRA’s Agnes Kalibata, the International Seed Federation’s Michael Keller, the African Union’s Hamady Diop, CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform’s Nicoline de Haan and many more.
- From opinion pieces to news and case studies, in 2024, more than 100 articles were published on Farming First’s website, achieving more than 163,681 interactions from users around the world.
- The Farming First newsletter introduced to LinkedIn in March 2024 has over 8,000 subscribers, in addition to the over 4000 already subscribed through Mailchimp.
- Farming First has brokered partnerships with the United Nations, Chatham House, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Economist, the World Food Prize and the Chicago Council among others, also acting as media partner at global food and agriculture events including the Borlaug Dialogue.