Why young voices matter in shaping food systems

Young people today are facing a future shaped by historic shifts affecting food systems that will ultimately impact their health and life expectancy, their employment prospects and the environment around them.

These transformations, driven by climate change, migration and urbanisation among other factors, are acutely felt across low- and middle-income countries. Food insecurity continues to rise in Africa, where one in five likely faced hunger last year, according to new UN figures, contributing to stunted development, diet-related illness and lost productivity.

Yet the varied needs and expectations that young women and men have when it comes to food systems are still poorly understood and not adequately addressed, despite this demographic being set to live longest with the consequences of how and where food is produced, processed and distributed.

Read the full opinion article on Fair Planet

By Nicoline de Haan, Director of the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform, for International Youth Day 2024