Food systems will be on top of the international development agenda during 2021, not least with the first-ever UN Food Systems Summit. The actions taken at the summit will have long-lasting effects both for the climate and the 2030 Agenda. But even more so for the youth and future generations who will live with the outcomes.
The third day of the SIANI Annual Meeting 2021 focused on the role of youth in food systems. It aimed to increase the engagement of young people in the SIANI network and to build momentum on the topic of youth ahead of the Food Systems Summit. This article summarises the discussions at the event. You can watch the recording of the event at the end of this story.
Enabling youth to transform the food systems
“We need to value the people who produce food higher, today they are lower in the ranks. They are knowledgeable and their knowledge is valuable,” said Sanna Vannar, a reindeer herder and Chair of the Sámi youth organisation Sáminuorra.
For a lot of young people farming and food production is not an attractive career choice. There is an urgency to find and implement innovative solutions to make work in food systems appealing again and to strengthen different sectors managing our food from farm to fork, while ensuring the existing knowledge is not lost on the way.