Advancing smart farming through youth and women’s leadership

On 2 July 2026, as part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Global Conference on Smart Farming: Leveraging data and technology for sustainable agrifood systems, the plenary session "Youth and women in smart farming systems" brought together policymakers, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and young leaders to explore how digital technologies can expand opportunities for youth and women while supporting more sustainable and inclusive agrifood systems.

The session examined policies, investments and partnerships needed to ensure that innovation is accessible, context-adapted and responsive to the realities of small-scale farmers and rural communities. Opening the session, FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero emphasized that the success of smart farming depends not only on technological advances, but also on the people who use and shape them, noting, "Technology alone does not transform agrifood systems. People do".

Building on this message, discussions highlighted the importance of ensuring that technological innovation is accompanied by investments in people, skills and inclusive policies.

Young people and women as drivers of smart farming

The session featured presentations on youth and women's leadership in smart farming, exploring how enabling policies, entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems can create new opportunities for the next generation.

Representing the WFF Youth Initiative's Youth Food Lab (YFL) and Agrifood Leadership Education Programme (ALEP) cohorts, Jastine Mae Galang, an agricultural and biosystems engineer and co-founder of AQUASMART, shared her experience developing accessible water management technologies with farming communities in the Philippines.

Together, the presentations demonstrated how smart farming is most effective when technology is developed alongside the people who use it, responding to local realities and community needs.

Building enabling environments for smart farming

The session concluded with a panel discussion moderated by FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol, focusing on the policies, partnerships and investments needed to make smart farming systems more accessible and inclusive.

Panellists included Ken Lohento, Digital Agriculture Specialist at FAO; Zein Sufi, Senior Adviser at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of the Federal Government of Somalia; Vanessa Adams, Founder and CEO of Level4International; and Damilola Mercy Areo, member of the 2026 WFF Youth Policy Board.

Discussions explored how governments, development partners, the private sector and youth organizations can work together to reduce barriers to technology adoption, strengthen digital infrastructure and create opportunities for women and young people to participate in the digital transformation of agrifood systems. Panellists emphasized that expanding access to technology alone is not enough, stressing the need for investments in digital literacy, entrepreneurship, financing, supportive policies and inclusive decision-making processes that ensure innovation benefits small-scale farmers and rural communities.

The session reinforced that smart farming is ultimately about people as much as technology. By combining digital innovation with capacity development, inclusive policies and youth leadership, participants identified opportunities to build agrifood systems that are more productive, resilient and sustainable.