YOUTH & FOOD SYSTEM – Building youth agency for just and resilient urban food systems 

The objective of this session is to showcase mechanisms for building youth agency to ensure that young people’s priorities are recognised and that they have a voice in urban food policymaking. It will highlight how youth can play an active leadership role in shaping climate-resilient, equitable urban food systems, beyond tokenistic involvement. 

This session brings together city officials and young people involved in Urban Futures: Youth action for inclusive, climate-resilient urban food systems, the AfriFOODlinks project, Rikolto’s Good Food for Cities programme, and the initiatives of ActionAid Italy, University of Milan, and the research project Percorsi di Secondo Welfare on adolescent food insecurity, funded by the Cariplo Foundation. Together, they will explore inclusive research and governance tools, as well as models for shared learning among diverse stakeholders. 

Following an introduction to the main findings of the programmes, the session will feature a dialogue between city officials and youth. Discussions will focus on research tools and findings, highlighting young people’s lived experiences of access to food within urban food systems, as well as governance processes and platforms that build youth agency and enable youth to influence food policy decision-making processes. The dialogue will explore opportunities and barriers to meaningful youth participation and share innovative approaches for amplifying youth voices, ensuring that their perspectives and priorities are integrated into urban food policy and practice.

Agenda