Promoting youth and women engagement and employment in food systems across the rural-urban continuum

04 Feb 2019, 09:30 - 17:00 Rome time
FAO HQ, Green Room
Rome, Italy

Interpretation services will be provided in all UN official languages. The webcast can be followed on http://www.fao.org/webcast

Over the next 15 years, it is estimated that about 1.6 billion people will reach working age in low and middle-income countries.

How can food systems and enhanced rural-urban linkages provide more and better jobs for women and youth?

What are the key driving factors and enabling conditions for food systems and enhanced rural-urban linkages to create employment and decent work?

What is the role of small cities and rural towns in promoting women and youth employment in the food systems?

And what is their role in linking producers to diverse and more equitable markets?

Inclusion of youth and women in food system labour market will be paramount to achieving food security and nutrition for all.

Following the first intersessional event on The Food Security and Nutritional Impacts of Urbanization and Rural Transformation on Lower Income Groups, through an interactive format, this event will focus on policy approaches that support employment opportunities, improved livelihoods and adequate working conditions for youth and women, across food systems and across the rural-urban continuum.

Besides furthering CFS stakeholders’ understanding of the interplay between food security, nutrition and rural-urban linkages, the intersessional events organized under the workstream Urbanization and Rural transformation and implications for Food Security and Nutrition are also expected to facilitate a functional and effective link with the CFS Multi-Year Programme of Work planning process.

Through this exercise, CFS is expected to develop concrete proposals on how it sees its work on urbanization and rural transformation going forward in a way that builds on and adds value to other ongoing initiatives at the global level, as well as other CFS workstreams.  

The event will build on the findings of the following CFS documents:

CFS 44 2017: Addressing Food Security and Nutrition in the Context of Changing Rural-Urban Dynamics: Experiences and Effective Policy Approaches (CFS 2017/44/6)

CFS 43 2016: Urbanization, Rural Transformation and Implications for Food Security and Nutrition: Key Areas for Policy Attention and Possible Roles for CFS (CFS 2016/43/11)