Driving global youth action for climate adaptation in food systems

Act4Food Youth Event at Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition 

Milan, Italy & Online | 29^th September 2021 | 13:00 – 16:00 CET

Background

A year after the launch of the landmark CCAFS-led Actions to Transform Food Systems Under Climate Change report, we continue to deliver on the 11 transformative actions we called on the international community to implement, particularly around driving social change for more sustainable decisions.

Climate change will affect the ability of young women and men to secure livelihoods, incomes and food availability. Action 4.3 from the Transformation Initiative report outlines the importance of involving youth in science-based social movements to transform food systems under climate change. That is why engaging youth in long-term climate adaptation is a key focus of CCAFS, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the Food Foundation (FF), the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS) and Wageningen University & Research (WUR).

As a collective force, young people have extraordinary potential to mobilize and influence global movements, which can be initiated in the form of a simple pledge. The Pledge is a youth-led promise galvanising action to defeat hunger, improve health and heal the planet. The Pledge brings together young people from around the world to highlight their personal action as a contribution to wider systemic change, and to urge governments and businesses to act boldly and urgently.

The #Act4Food Youth event is an official side-event of the ‘Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition’ — a landmark youth event hosted by the Italian Government just prior to Pre-COP26 — https://all4climate2021.org/.

This event will contribute to Action 4.3, through driving social change and generating social movements by reaching out to youth and encouraging young people to be part of the discussion. Youth from all around the globe are invited to participate and engage in efforts and movements around food security under a changing climate. This event also aims to create awareness of the Pledge initiative.

CompetitionS

• To achieve a transformation in food systems under climate change we need you! Yes, you, the climate generation, who are both vulnerable to the current and future impacts of climate change, but also offer the way forward. We challenge you to show us in a 3-minute vlog how you #Act4Food and #Act4Change, for more information click here.
• Up for another challenge? Sign up for the QING Innovation Track! We invite you to form a team of students and/or young professionals and think of ways to approach Climate Adaptation in Food Systems. You can submit a Concept Note with your innovative ideas before July 5. The five best teams will receive a starting capital of 2500 euro and 3 months of mentoring by engineers of the tech company QING Groep! One of the teams can showcase their results during Pre-COP #All4ClimateItaly at the end of September.

Drink-themed interview series

As part of the campaign, the drink-themed interview series will serve to inspire youth to take action in climate adaptation in food systems and empower youth by promoting the competition, signing the Pledge and inviting them to join the Youth4Climate event, while highlighting the work of the hosts on youth engagement in climate adaptation in food systems. The series will be named and hosted as follows:

1.       ‘Coffee & Change’ – CCAFS
2.       ‘Tea & Transformation’ – IAAS
3.       ‘Kumasi & Klimaat’ – WUR
4.       Welcome Back Students – CSAYN 
5.       ‘Mocktails & Movements’ – A4F A4C supported by GAIN & FF

Hosts & Partners

Hosts

Partners