Communication Officer, Global Media
[email protected]Perugia, Italy – 12 April 2024 – A gripping mobile report capturing the daily struggles and resilience of two artisanal fishers in Greenland has won the Rural Voices Mobile Journalism Award, sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The winning story, Fishing Among Icebergs, was produced, shot and edited by Spanish journalist Leonor Suárez, from the Radiotelevisión del Principado de Asturias (RTPA).
Suárez’s piece explores the challenges faced by the fishers of Uummannaq, a Greenlandic island of just 1,400 inhabitants located 700 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Through her lens, she offers an intimate view into Arctic life, a territory that embodies like no other the shift in the world order driven by the new climate reality.
“Lately, Greenland has attracted global attention due to the U.S. geopolitical ambitions over the island. But beyond geopolitics and economic interests, there is a territory where a small human population coexists with a stunning natural environment—a place we must protect to mitigate the effects of climate change,” said Suárez, who received the award at the Perugia’s International Journalism Festival.
“The most compelling—and often the most important—stories begin when we follow our curiosity,” Suárez added. “I wanted to understand how people live along a coastline where the sea freezes in winter and thousands of icebergs drift by in summer. So, I went down to the harbour and asked the owners of a tiny boat if I could join them for the day.”
The result is a portrait of two artisanal fishers whose daily lives are increasingly impacted as the landscape changes. As the Arctic becomes more accessible for oil and gas extraction, military and maritime control, shipping, fishing and tourism, rural coastal populations—including Indigenous Peoples—foresee increasing challenges to preserve their traditional ways of life. Thinning sea ice, warming waters and unpredictable weather threatens their ability to move and fish using traditional methods.
The Spanish journalist also received the specific ‘Mobile Journalism’ category award for Evicted from heaven, a film about the housing crisis in rural Argentina.
The Rural Voices award highlights the realities of rural communities and the environments they live in, enabling people to tell their own stories through accessible tools—often just a mobile phone. This category recognizes the power of mobile journalism to shine a light on the lives and challenges of nearly half the world’s population who live in rural areas.
“We are proud to support an initiative that amplifies the voices of those living in the most remote corners of the world—precisely where IFAD works to make a difference. It also aligns with our commitment to digital solutions such as digital remittances for rural communities,” said Michelle Porter, IFAD’s senior video producer, at the awards ceremony.
Mobile journalism breaks down the barriers that come with expensive and impractical professional equipment—especially in remote areas. The #MojoAwards promote storytelling innovation and give a platform to emerging voices in filmmaking. By supporting initiatives like this, IFAD reaffirms its commitment to inclusive, people-centred communication in support of sustainable rural development.
Leonor Suárez is a Spanish journalist specializing in long-format reports and documentaries. In her free time, she loves to travel the world and tell the stories she encounters—narratives that help us better understand our world. Using just her mobile phone, she has filmed, edited and produced a television web series and several documentaries.
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Press release No.: IFAD/25/2025
IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency. Based in Rome – the United Nations food and agriculture hub – IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided more than US$25 billion in grants and low-interest loans to fund projects in developing countries
A wide range of photographs and broadcast-quality video content of IFAD’s work in rural communities are available for download from our Image Bank.
