Planting hope in the time of crises: Youth reclaim the future of food

The World Food Forum (WFF) Global Youth Action Initiative (Youth Initiative) is pleased to share a reflection by Youth Policy Board (YPB) member Elif Menderes on her recent participation in the Preparatory Youth Conference for the second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4), held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Elif Menderes:

We are living in a time of intersecting crises: climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, growing hunger, political distrust and rising authoritarianism. In the cracks of this broken landscape, a generation could understandably give in to despair. And yet, on 15 and 16 May 2025, over a hundred young people from across the globe gathered in Bangkok to do the opposite.

The Preparatory Youth Conference, held just weeks before the UNFSS+4 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was not just another youth side event. It was a collective rehearsal for the world we are trying to build, one that centres dignity, intergenerational justice and cooperation. For two days, we moved from speeches to blueprints, from scattered voices to a shared declaration. We listened, questioned, imagined, challenged and drafted a vision of agrifood systems that are equitable, climate-resilient and youth-powered.

In a time when despair feels easier than optimism, this meeting mattered because it proved something essential: hope is not naïve; it is strategic. And for youth, especially those confronting collapsing systems and narrowing futures, hope must be actionable.

If not now, then when?

With a considerable number of the world's youth living in agrarian or peri-urban settings, their participation in agrifood systems governance is not just a matter of rights, but a practical necessity. Without youth-led transformation, progress on the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 13 (Climate Action), and 10 (Reduced Inequalities) will remain out of reach.

One of the strongest and most echoed messages throughout the conference was clear: “Youth are not future stakeholders; we are current changemakers”. From Chad to Nigeria, Istanbul to the Philippines, young leaders shared powerful examples of youth-led action driving community nutrition campaigns, reviewing national agrifood systems pathways and launching agroecological innovation hubs.

In our sessions, we moved beyond being “consulted.” We co-authored policy positions, proposed frameworks for youth rights in agrifood systems governance, outlined financial tools for youth-led food startups, and debated the ethics of artificial intelligence in agricultural education. We rejected tokenism called for meaningful representation with real decision-making power.

This work culminated in the zero draft of the Youth Declaration on Food Systems, an evolving document that boldly charts a roadmap from grassroots action to global policy. It calls for food systems rooted in equity, participation and care for people and the planet.

The youth declaration does not shy away from hard truths. It names systemic exclusion, rising hunger, land grabs, monopolized food chains and greenwashing. But it does not stop there, it offers a vision of what is still possible.

It imagines a food system where:

• Schools are fed by local producers and young entrepreneurs
• Policy is co-designed with youth who hold decision-making power
• Indigenous knowledge and science inform action side by side
• Young women, displaced youth and smallholders are recognized as co-leaders

The 2023 State of Food and Agriculture report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that global agrifood systems carry USD 12.7 trillion in hidden costs each year, from environmental damage to health impacts and inequality. These costs are felt daily by young people across urban and rural areas.

In response, the declaration calls for climate-resilient agriculture, fair labour conditions, shared ownership, and above all, a new social contract built on trust, action and intergenerational collaboration.

Why hope matters now?

In many countries, young people are striving to be heard in shaping agrifood systems, often facing barriers along the way. At the Youth Conference in Bangkok, we saw hope in action—focused not on waiting, but on doing. It’s a hope that acknowledges challenges, builds trust, and drives collective solutions.

The future of agrifood systems depends on effective science-policy interfaces (SPIs) that can translate complex, probabilistic evidence into actionable, inclusive policy. Initiatives like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) and the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) remind us that policy must be informed by both research and the perspectives of those living and working within agrifood systems, especially young people.

Looking ahead to Addis Ababa and beyond

The youth declaration must serve as a starting point for real change. It should help guide national action, international dialogue and long-term investments. At UNFSS+4 and beyond, it can serve as a tool to support youth-led progress on the ground. In Europe and Central Asia, work is already underway: from building youth food councils and strengthening climate leadership to creating new training spaces for youth in agrifood systems.

Change takes time, but the seeds are planted. Through collaboration and shared purpose, young people are helping build more inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems for the future.