Young people have a clear agenda for shaping a healthier, more equitable and sustainable food system and are taking action, despite being excluded in most decision-making arenas. Youth should not be defined solely by their age. As the next generation, they represent a key demographic: not only as people with specific nutritional needs, but also as energetic, passionate changemakers driving transformation across diverse sectors of the food system, including employment and consumption.
Young people already possess the agency to drive effective, collaborative efforts to transform food systems — and this potential can be increased with the right support and platforms that enable collaboration between different groups and generations. There are a growing number of examples of youth-focused initiatives that demonstrate the importance of collaboration to achieve meaningful food system transformation.
The Act4Food movement, launched at the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, exemplifies the power of youth-led initiatives to drive the food system transformation agenda forward. Act4Food is a global effort led by a group of 27 youth leaders hailing from different countries under the age of 25 to drive multi-stakeholder, inter-generational collaboration for a sustainable food systems transformation. The movement has collected over 160,000 pledges from youth around the world to take action. Over 100,000 young people voted to focus on the top 10 ‘Actions 4 Change’ that young people want to see governments and businesses contribute toward to create a more sustainable food system. Locally, youth leaders mobilise campaigns and projects focused on the ‘Actions 4 Change’ in different ways, such as food festivals, school nutrition clubs, and educational workshops
In the realm of food production, young farmers are the future of the agricultural sector that can bring new ways of ‘doing’ to build the resilience of the farming industry in the face of increasing climate and economic volatility. In England, for example, the highest proportion of farmers (38%) in 2024 were aged 65 years and over while only 5% were aged under 35 years, according to Defra. Empowerment and employment are crucial aspects for the next generation of young farmers and agri-preneurs. Notably, social media can be a powerful tool to raise awareness about the benefits of working in the industry and engaging with the next generation. Additionally, young farmers are making valuable contributions to agricultural practices and policy. In Nigeria, Act4Food youth leaders have facilitated consultations and co-creation opportunities with policymakers to ensure that young farmers’ voices — and their lived expertise — are reflected in national decision-making.
From a food consumption perspective, youth can be key agents of change in creating more sustainable food environments that encourage access to nutritious and healthy foods. Food education that incorporates environmental, nutritional, and social components of the food system is crucial for empowering young people to make better decisions for their health and the health of the planet. Act4Food has a campaign focused on addressing the commercial determinants of health incorporating engagement with the private sector, and youth leaders have campaigned to ban online junk food marketing. These initiatives are effective because youth are best placed to understand the challenges facing young people when it comes to food security and nutrition, and have a good understanding of their local landscapes to improve community food resilience and affect decision-making amongst peers.
Recognising that social factors and inequality are key barriers to accessing nutritious food, young people are leading efforts to address these issues locally. For example, together with a team of youth volunteers, I lead the ‘Food4All’ project in London which establishes community fridges so people can share food which would have otherwise been wasted. A year ago, inspired by conversation with one of our community centre partners about financial literacy, we decided to develop and launch an integrated nutrition and financial literacy workshop. This features a gamified supermarket shopping simulation, where primary school students practice budgeting and spending while learning about healthy food choices. It is through working together with food redistribution charities, community centre partners, nutritionists and educators and more, that this project has reached over 150 students and counting. Most importantly, this project has demonstrated valuable contributions of young people not just as recipients of education, but also as educators ourselves.
The youth agenda for food systems transformation is a complex and context-specific one, shaped by highly individualised experiences with food and diverse identities and backgrounds. It is important not to generalise the needs and wants of ‘youth’ as a collective but instead consider intersecting identities and needs that are specific to different contexts. Youth can amplify their impact greatly by having a seat at decision-making tables and the resources and belief that bring their ideas to life. It has never been more important for all sectors to recognise the power of youth when we unite globally and take action locally.
Photo credit: Belinda Ng
Description of photo: Youth volunteers from the ‘Food4All’ project in front of a community fridge they have helped set up. The food items in the photo were then also used for the financial literacy and nutrition workshop for the supermarket simulation with children at the community centre.