Climate Adaptation in Food Systems: Lessons from youth led science-based social movements
To achieve a transformation in food systems under climate change, engagement of young people is crucial. They are the next generation and are both vulnerable to current and future impacts of climate change, but also offer ways forward as important agents of change in their households, schools, business ventures, communities, countries and regions.
Climate change impacts will affect the ability of young women and men to secure livelihoods, incomes and food availability. Engaging youth in long-term adaptation is therefore a key focus of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) through social learning approaches and platforms and engaging or collaborating with youth organizations. Linking young people to cutting edge science on climate change, agriculture and food security, we aim to empower youth to take center stage in development. In this context, this interactive online workshop is developed for youth from all around the globe to participate and engage in the challenges and movements around food security under a changing climate.
About the event
During this online event, CCAFS will discuss collaborations, actions for youth, and challenges around food security globally. There will be a presentation around youth involvement and three vlogs from youth movement leaders from Latin America, Africa and Asia which will raise topics for discussion with the audience. These youth movement speakers will introduce their initiatives with CCAFS recorded from their region. Each vlog will end with a statement about a food security challenge or action from this region that participants can vote for. Afterwards, all three speakers combined will end with one collaborated challenge for participants as a takeaway message. This challenge will aim to empower and inspire the participants to engage in actions around food security throughout the globe.
Objectives
- Enhancing youth participation in decision-making at an international level, as the result of this workshop and overall event run by YfCA will contribute to the Climate Adaptation Summit of 25 January 2021.
- Stimulating youth participation to share their voice around food system challenges by highlighting youth movements partnered with CCAFS.
- Empowering youth to get actively involved in food system challenges and youth movements involved in these challenges that partner with CCAFS.
Speakers
 Bruce Campbell |
Bruce Campbell has led the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and its predecessor, the CGIAR Challenge Program on Climate Change, since 2009. Previously based in Zimbabwe, Indonesia and Australia, Bruce has worked extensively in agricultural and forestry research for development. His work has spanned social-ecological systems, the link between poverty alleviation and forest goods and services, and Aboriginal natural resource management, among other topics. He has served as Director of the Forests and Livelihoods Program at the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), inaugural Director of the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of Zimbabwe, and inaugural Director of the School for Environmental Studies at Charles Darwin University in Darwin. Bruce has a PhD in Ecology from the Utrecht University, and has published over 120 peer-reviewed articles and more than a dozen books. Bruce is committed to youth involvement and believes that youth can and must be empowered in issues related to food systems. |
 Viktoria de Bourbon de Parme |
Viktoria is the Patron of Save the Children Netherlands and leads the food transformation at WBA. She is responsible for the development and engagement of the Food & Agriculture Benchmark, making sure that the benchmark methodology reflects stakeholder expectations and that it is widely used. In addition, she works closely with the spotlight indices: Access to Seeds Index and Seafood Stewardship Index. Viktoria believes that business is at the center of the food systems transformation. The benchmark and the spotlight indices are crucial tools to measure progress and identify opportunities to realize more healthy, sustainable and equitable food systems. Viktoria is a happy foodie and amateur gardener. She holds a Masters in International Business Transactions & Law from the Nyenrode Business University and the University of Amsterdam. She has worked as a corporate lawyer for Allen & Overy and legal advisor for Rabobank. Before joining WBA, Viktoria was an independent advisor convening multi-stakeholder partnerships to improve livelihoods, nutrition and environment within food systems. |
 Sebastián Pedraza Paez |
Sebastián is a Colombian youth leader and rural youth advocate who has important experience in rural youth issues. For years, he has contributed to social and rural development in different countries in Latin America. Currently, he is working for the Apoyar Foundation in Colombia, where he is an advisor in project management and formulation. Furthermore, Sebastián is a member of the Steering Committee and Coordinator for LAC of YPARD; an international movement made by and for young professionals aiming for innovative agricultural development. Additionally, he is one of the co-founders and team member of the national rural youth network of Colombia, which seeks to empower rural youth in order to allow them to remain in their rural areas whilst generating development here. Sebastián holds an Associate Degree in ICT from SENA and is currently finishing an Associate Degree in Music Production from the Latin American professional audio foundation Cetear and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political science and public management from the International University of La Rioja. Besides, he has carried out several studies in project development, public policies and rural development. Also, he is part of other international youth networks such as JOVENES IBEROAMERICANOS and One Young World and part of the RELASER Forum (Latin American network of rural advisory services) as a youth representative. |
 Victor Mugo |
| Victor is an innovative and versatile development professional with a refined finesse in the theme areas of agricultural risk management, sustainable finance, climate smart agriculture, youth empowerment through agriculture as well as communications for development. He has gained useful experience with a host of International organisations including the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network (CSAYN), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and UN Environment. Moreover, he is a Borluag-Adesina Fellow and a 2017 Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Fellow well adapt in high level writing, having authored the UN Environment’s Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) and is also a regular columnist for the Business Daily. Currently, Victor is pursuing a Masters Degree in Development Finance from the Strathmore Business School and studied Actuarial Science at the University of Nairobi (UoN). |
 Niharika Singh |
| Niharika Singh is a senior project officer at BAIF Development Research Foundation, which is 51 years old non-profit organisation working towards holistic rural development in 13 states across India. She is responsible for the implementation and monitoring of developmental projects in the field of climate-smart agriculture, women empowerment, holistic village development and renewable energy. She graduated in Sociology discipline from Miranda House from University of Delhi and has done her Master’s in Sustainable Livelihoods and Natural Resource Governance from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Her Master’s education was focused on the field of rural development and planning with a lot of emphasis on rural fieldwork across India. |
Agenda
The agenda will be continuously updated as speakers are confirmed.
Climate Adaptation in Food Systems: Lessons from youth led science-based social movement | |
|---|---|
Introduction from CCAFS
| 14:00 |
| Interactive icebreaker | 14:02 |
Keynote presentation
| 14:05 |
Vlog presentation: Latin America
| 14:15 |
Vlog presentation: Africa
| 14:23 |
Vlog presentation: South Asia
| 14:31 |
| Challenges for the audience as take away | 14:39 |
Concluding remarks
| 14:42 |
