Youth driving change in local agrifood systems: WFF Youth Initiative at ECLAC Forum

The World Food Forum (WFF)'s Global Youth Action Initiative (Youth Initiative) hosted a side event at the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development 2025 organized by the  Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on 31 March in Santiago, Chile. This hybrid event brought together over 100 youth leaders, policymakers and experts to explore how youth and youth-led platforms, particularly the WFF National Youth Chapters are helping young people across Latin America and the Caribbean take action, share solutions and contribute to building more inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems.

Kazuki Kitaoka, Director of the Office of Youth and Women of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) opened the session by introducing the mission, programmes and scope of the WFF Youth Initiative. He emphasized the essential role of young people in shaping more equitable agrifood systems and called for stronger mechanisms to amplify youth voices at every level of decision-making.

Lorenzo Gentile, from the WFF Youth Initiative team, introduced the Local Youth Action programme, highlighting its role in connecting global goals with local action. He emphasized that meaningful change in agrifood systems starts at the community level and that youth engagement is key to driving locally relevant solutions.

Rita Borquez, from the FAO Country Office in Chile, concluded the opening segment by highlighting the work being done in Chile to support youth engagement in agrifood systems. She emphasized the importance of inclusive approaches that recognize the  diverse experiences and backgrounds of youth, including young women, Indigenous youth, people with disabilities and those from vulnerable communities, ensuring all voices are heard and represented.

The panel discussion that followed featured voices from across the region who are leading transformative work in agrifood systems. Valentina Giordano, from the WFF Youth Initiative team, introduced the WFF National Youth Chapters and how these are helping to mobilize youth and advocate for systemic change. She underscored the urgency for youth to get involved and co-create these spaces to elevate their leadership and solutions.

Esteban Añamise, from the WFF Ecuador Youth Chapter, shared a case study on how the Chapter, supported by FAO's Country Office in Ecuador and the WFF Youth Initiative, implemented activities that empower local youth and strengthen agrifood systems resilience.

Adding a policy perspective, Matías Sotomayor, President of the Parliamentary Front Against Hunger in Parlasur, stressed the need for deeper collaboration between youth and policymakers. He called for creating stronger bridges between grassroots youth initiatives and legislative processes to ensure youth perspectives are represented in national and regional strategies.

Luis Lobos, Project Coordinator of the Support Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean Without Hunger and Technical Officer of the SPAIN–FAO Program for Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasized that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), requires placing agrifood systems at the center of regional priorities. He underlined the leadership of youth and women as essential to this transformation and praised their involvement in key platforms such as the Parliamentary Front Against Hunger and the Ibero-American and Caribbean Parliamentary Alliance for Food Security. These networks, he noted, are instrumental in advancing food security agendas and ensuring the right to adequate food for all.

As countries across Latin America and the Caribbean work to strengthen their agrifood systems, youth are taking on a more active and visible role. The WFF side event at the ECLAC Forum highlighted how youth-led initiatives and local platforms are contributing to more inclusive and impactful solutions across the region.