Empowering youth to shaping a sustainable future

During the 2025 World Food Forum (WFF) flagship event, Deloitte organized an engaging youth exhibition titled “Empowering youth to shape a sustainable future”. The booth brought together young leaders, students and professionals to explore how inclusive innovation and education can transform agrifood systems and drive sustainability.

The exhibition, which took place on 16 October, aimed to highlight youth as essential drivers of systemic change in agrifood systems, showcasing practical tools and strategies that empower young people to tackle food insecurity, malnutrition and climate challenges while promoting equitable growth.

Representatives emphasized the need for long-term, cross-generational collaboration and the value of integrating diverse competencies to tackle global challenges affecting agrifood systems. Discussions underscored how dialogue and knowledge-sharing help transform ideas into concrete solutions with real impact for communities.

Deloitte showcased its global initiatives, including the Future of Food programme, which supports regenerative agriculture, circular economy practices and plant-forward innovations. Participants learned how these initiatives help farmers adopt sustainable practices and strengthen food supply chains, despite the financial and technical barriers that often limit adoption.

A key focus was on AgTech and digital innovation, highlighting tools like precision irrigation and Internet of Things technologies that reduce resource use and enhance productivity. Participants explored how young professionals can leverage these technologies to create climate-smart, economically viable solutions for farming communities. Gender inclusion and social equity were also highlighted through collaboration with UN Women Italy, underlining how empowering women and youth strengthens sustainable growth in agrifood systems.

The booth also emphasized science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills and digital inclusion as levers for youth empowerment. They presented insights from their STEM Observatory, showcasing the growing demand for STEM expertise and the importance of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability skills in education. Discussions stressed the digital divide, particularly in rural areas and the need to ensure equitable access to technologies that enable innovation and entrepreneurship.

Through an interactive video installation, participants explored Deloitte’s proprietary research on plant-forward portfolios, regenerative agriculture, decarbonization pathways and strategies to balance sustainability transitions with energy security. Participants actively engaged themselves at the exhibition, gaining insights into how businesses and governments can foster systemic change while creating opportunities for youth leadership.

Equipping young people with knowledge, technology and opportunities will foster a generation capable of driving sustainable transformation of agrifood systems.