Empowered to lead: Young women transforming agrifood systems

As the world marks International Women's Day, the World Food Forum (WFF)'s Global Youth Action Initiative (Youth Initiative) celebrates women leadership and is committed to ensuring that young women have the platform, resources and support they need to drive change. Through its National Youth Chapters, the WFF’s Youth Initiative is fostering a new generation of women leaders in agrifood systems, ensuring an inclusive and equitable future.

Across the world, young women working in the agrifood sector share a common struggle challenging outdated norms, proving their expertise and carving out leadership roles in traditionally male-dominated spaces.

Vivian Joseph, Coordinator of the WFF Tanzania Youth Chapter, believes that her leadership journey has been shaped by her education and inspired by mentors who demonstrated the power of youth-led action. Despite challenges like gender bias and limited access to decision-making spaces, Vivian is determined to advocate for gender-inclusive policies and empower women in agrifood systems. In this, the Chapter has helped her with a platform to drive meaningful conversations and engagement.

Marta Sierra, from Spain, illustrates the power of seizing opportunities despite being in a male-dominated space. In spite of her relatively new involvement in the Spanish Youth Chapter, Marta is already using her voice to advocate for sustainability and youth empowerment in agrifood systems. The Chapter gave her a platform to align her technical knowledge with leadership, inspiring her to push for inclusivity in agrifood systems policies.

Similarly, Ayesha Sabir Ali from the Pakistan Youth Chapter shares her journey of growing up in a society where women were denied education. Determined not to follow this path, Ayesha found strength in her mother who defied societal pressures and gave her the opportunity to learn. Now, as a World Bank Group consultant and founder of Rural Empower, she’s driving digital empowerment and data-driven advocacy for marginalized women in agrifood systems. Her participation in the Chapter has helped her connect with the right networks and resources to continue pushing for changes that support women in agrifood systems.

From the Qatar Youth Chapter, Majd Al-Kuwari, who holds a leadership role in agriculture and youth initiatives, has faced challenges inherent to her region, where agrifood systems are evolving rapidly but still traditionally male-dominated. Through the Chapter, she has connected with like-minded women, turning regional challenges into global learning opportunities. Her story is one of overcoming societal expectations and pushing for more women in agribusiness leadership roles.

The Brazil Youth Chapter’s collective leadership group, consisting of Luciana Kliemann, Ana Carolina Zimmermann, Juliana Andrade Hay, Paloma Campos da Silva and Julia Cristina Campos Alvares da Silva, showcases the strength of collaboration. While facing traditional barriers such as exclusion from leadership in farm succession and decision-making, these women use their participation in the Chapter to forge local and global partnerships. They emphasized the need for improved infrastructure and training, especially for rural women, to ensure more inclusive leadership in agrifood systems. The group sees the Chapter as crucial for expanding networks, amplifying the voices of women and creating opportunities for female leaders in Brazil’s agrifood sector.

The WFF's Youth Initiative serves as a catalyst for empowering women and amplifying their impact. It provides the tools, knowledge, platform and global network needed to break barriers and foster leadership among young women. As these women continue to make waves, their stories of struggle and victory are reshaping agrifood systems worldwide and creating a brighter, more inclusive future for women.