Young women as leaders of agrifood futures: WFF Youth Assembly launches global survey on closing the gender gap in STEM and innovation

The World Food Forum (WFF) Youth Assembly has launched a global survey to gather the perspectives of young people on advancing gender equality in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation across agrifood systems.

The survey builds on as a follow-up to the WFF Youth Assembly's global online consultation, Young women as leaders of agrifood futures: Closing the gender gap in technology, innovation and STEM in agrifood systems, held on 21 July. The consultation was organized by the WFF Youth Assembly in collaboration with UN Women and Women in Tech Global, with technical contributions from the CGIAR GENDER Accelerator and Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD). It brought together young people, technical experts and partner organizations to identify key challenges, share experiences and develop solutions for strengthening the participation and leadership of young women in agrifood science, technology and innovation.

Despite growing investment in digital technologies and innovation, many young women continue to face barriers in accessing education, technology, finance, leadership opportunities and decision-making processes across agrifood systems. Addressing these challenges is essential to building more inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems while ensuring that young women can actively contribute to innovation and transformation.

The survey seeks to broaden participation beyond the consultation by capturing diverse experiences and recommendations from young people across regions and contexts. Available in all six official United Nations languages, the survey will help inform youth-led policy recommendations and ensure that the voices of young women, including those from rural, Indigenous and other underrepresented communities, are reflected in global policy discussions.

The online consultation and survey form part of the WFF Youth Assembly's ongoing work on young women's empowerment thematic area and contribute to the development of evidence-based, youth-led recommendations on closing the gender gap in agrifood systems science, technology and innovation. The findings will inform the WFF Youth Assembly's policy recommendations and contribute to international discussions on gender equality, digital inclusion and sustainable agrifood systems, including the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the seventy-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW71), and the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026.

Young people from all regions are encouraged to share their experiences and perspectives to help shape youth-led recommendations on advancing gender equality, digital inclusion and innovation across agrifood systems.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Deadline to respond: 20 August 2026

Contact

For questions or more information, please contact: [email protected]