From food choices to food futures: WFF Mauritius Youth Chapter brings sustainable agrifood systems into the classroom

What can young people do to make agrifood systems more sustainable? For approximately 70 secondary school students at Westcoast International Secondary School (WISS), the answer began with an interactive session on sustainable food production and consumption led by the World Food Forum (WFF) Mauritius Youth Chapter.

Organized in collaboration with the school’s Food Science team as part of its Sustainable September programme, the session brought global agrifood systems challenges into the classroom. Students explored how food is produced, consumed and wasted, as well as how everyday choices can support more sustainable practices.

Chapter members guided students through discussions and practical exercises designed to turn awareness into action. The session explored the links between food production, consumption, natural resources and food waste, highlighting how decisions made throughout the food chain affect environmental and social sustainability.

Rather than limiting the session to presentations, the Chapter encouraged students to engage directly with the issues. In the first activity, students worked together to classify different practices as sustainable or unsustainable, placing their choices on a shared display. The exercise invited them to question their assumptions, explain their reasoning and consider the wider implications of everyday food-related practices.

The second activity challenged each student to identify one practical action they could take over the following week to support more sustainable food production or consumption.

Students wrote their commitments on paper leaves, which were brought together to create a collective “sustainability tree”. The activity offered a visual representation of how individual intentions can contribute to a shared commitment to change.

Whether by reducing food waste, making more conscious consumption choices or encouraging sustainable practices at home, students were invited to identify actions relevant to their own circumstances.

While individual choices alone cannot address the structural challenges facing agrifood systems, the exercise provided a practical starting point for students to reflect on their roles as consumers and members of their communities.

Schools offer an important setting for this type of engagement. By connecting agrifood systems concepts to students’ daily experiences, interactive learning activities can help strengthen understanding of the relationships between food, natural resources, consumption and waste. The session encouraged students to discuss these relationships, contribute their perspectives and consider how more sustainable practices could be adopted within their households and communities.

Held ahead of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on 29 September, the session highlighted the importance of engaging younger generations in conversations about how food is produced, valued and consumed.

The Chapter extends its appreciation to Westcoast International Secondary School and its Food Science team for facilitating the session, as well as to the participating students for their active involvement and willingness to explore more sustainable food choices.

By bringing agrifood systems discussions into the classroom, the initiative offered students an opportunity to begin translating awareness into practical commitments - one choice, and one leaf, at a time.

Explore the session presentation here.