Mountain youth innovation takes centre stage at the World Food Forum 202422.10.2024The Mountain Youth Hub (MYH) organized a virtual side event featuring youth from the mountainous regions of Nepal, Ghana and Peru. These young innovators showcased their approaches to improving mountain agrifood systems during the World Food Forum (WFF) 2024. This side-event championed the Global Youth Action, one of the forum’s core pillars, emphasizing youth-led innovation to develop resilient agrifood systems in mountain regions, ensuring food security, biodiversity conservation and cultural preservation for future generations. Prerana Lama, board member of the MYH, organized and facilitated the side event which showcased innovative solutions and projects led by mountain youth relating to sustainable agrifood practices in the unique environments of mountainous regions. Sara Manuelli, Mountain Partnership Secretariat, opened the side event and highlighted that although mountain agriculture may not reach the profits and volumes of lowland production, it excels in producing high-value, high-quality products. However, the sustainability and resilience of mountain foods and crops are under threat due to climate change, biodiversity loss and economic hardships faced by communities cultivating these crops. Sara emphasized the pivotal role of youth in tackling these challenges, remarking, “by nurturing the potential of mountain youth, we are investing in a future of sustainable mountain development and resilient agri-food systems.” She reaffirmed the Mountain Partnership’s support for the Youth call to action, recognizing mountain youth's potential to drive sustainable development. Paula Solis, Youth Network for Agrobiodiversity, shared how mountain youth in Cusco, Peru are leading efforts to safeguard seed varieties and enhance food security through fairs and educational initiatives. The network's app, "Las Cartas de Marcelina", preserves traditional recipes and practices. The annual Muhraimi Festival facilitates seed and knowledge exchange. Plans are also underway to create school gardens featuring a range of vegetables, medicinal plants and rare seed varieties, engaging the community from elders to youth, farmers and consumers. Otuo Akyampong, an environmental scientist from Ghana, stressed integrating traditional Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge with scientific research to address climate change impacts on mountain ecosystems. He highlighted the challenges of traditional irrigation-dependent farming due to changing rainfall patterns in Ghana. Otuo advocated for co-creating, coordinating and collaborating to generate local impact, using a "start local, think global" approach. |
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