The WFF Youth Food Lab incubator programme concludes its second cycle

The second cycle of the World Food Forum (WFF) Youth Food Lab (YFL) incubator programme concluded during the WFF flagship event, held in October 2024 at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy.

Established in partnership with Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the International Association of Students in Agricultural and related Sciences (IAAS) in 2023, the YFL incubator programme supports young entrepreneurs worldwide to develop innovative solutions to transform agrifood systems challenges into sustainable and impactful businesses.

This year, the WFF YFL welcomed nine teams from India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda. The teams worked on diverse projects that tackle agrifood systems challenges, such as food waste, Peste de Petit Ruminants (PPR) eradication and wetlands conservation. Through capacity development, mentorship and networking, the YFL programme guided young innovators to realize their potential to drive meaningful change towards a sustainable food future.

Each team received travel allowances to attend the WFF flagship event in Rome, where they presented their projects on stage, along with USD 2 000 in seed funding. Team Ecoliving from Indonesia, chosen by the audience as the People’s Choice Award winner, received an additional USD 2 000.

Watch the entire YFL event and learn more about their innovative projects.

The event featured insights from FAO's Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol; the United States of America Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, Jeffrey Prescott; and the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations in Rome, Marcel Beukeboom.

The event highlighted the development of the global network of regional and national YFLs in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Nepal, the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Wageningen University and Research) and the United States (Penn State University). These local YFLs are a platform to support young innovators in their local context by engaging diverse stakeholders, including universities, research institutions, FAO country offices, WFF National Chapters, governmental and non-governmental organizations and the private sector. During the event, María Elena Túquerres and Sadrác Cifuentes represented the YFL-LAC programme, sharing valuable guidance for young innovators in their region.

The event concluded with the awards ceremony, with Ambassador Jeffrey Prescott presenting the People's Choice Award and Ambassador Marcel Beukeboom presenting the certificate of participation, along with the prize of USD 2 000 to the teams. This funding will enable teams to continue their impactful work within their local communities.

As part of the WFF flagship event, the YFL coordination team held a workshop at FAO headquarters, where the 2024 YFL teams reflected on their journey and exchanged ideas for future YFL programmes. The open-discussion format allowed teams to connect, envision a shared path forward and lay the groundwork for an active community of practice, dedicated to transforming agrifood systems through youth-led innovation.

Congratulations to all the participants of the YFL incubator programme.