Feeding the Planet by 2050

Feeding the Planet by 2050 demands a bold, united effort—anchored in local youth action and strengthened by global leadership. Young people are at the forefront of grassroots solutions, but their energy and ideas must be matched with international support, inclusive policies, and cross-sector collaboration. By bridging local initiatives with global leadership, we can drive the systemic change needed to build sustainable and resilient agrifood systems for future generations. 

On 29 April 2025, the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva held a youth event titled "Feeding the Planet by 2050" in cooperation with the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL), located in the capital of Switzerland, Bern. The event gathered over 60 participants—including bachelor’s and master’s students, researchers, young scientific assistants, interns, farmers, and youth leaders from across Switzerland.  

Through an interactive lecture, youth-led presentations, and an open floor discussion, participants engaged with the FAO Deputy Director-General (DDG) Beth Bechdol, sharing ideas and recommendations that highlighted the crucial role of local youth action in shaping global agrifood systems. The session focused on how empowering youth at the local level can drive sustainable agrifood systems and contribute to global food security. 

Ute Steeling, Director of BFH-HAFL, opened the event by welcoming DDG Bechdol and the FAO delegation. She highlighted the importance of cooperation between academic institutions and international organizations and expressed support for building platforms where global leadership can connect with local action at HAFL. 

Local Action: Global Change  

Setting the scene for the event, Zenebe Uraguchi – Director of the Hugo P. Cecchini Institute for International Cooperation and Development at BFH-HAFL – highlighted the importance of youth leadership in tackling global challenges, especially as we approach 2050. He outlined youth engagement in agriculture, multilateralism, and sustainability, stressing that local action is key to global impact. 

FAO DDG Beth Bechdol followed with a lecture outlining FAO’s mission and global leadership in ending hunger, highlighting political instability, climate disasters, conflict, and poverty as key barriers to food security. She emphasized that youth must be more than included—they must lead. Youth engagement, she noted, should go beyond simply having a seat at the table; young people must also have the floor.  

DDG Bechdol spotlighted the WFF Youth Initiative’s thematic youth programmes — Local Youth Action, Youth Innovation Lab, and Youth Education Programme—as concrete examples of youth leadership in action. In particular, she underscored the significance of Local Youth Action for its direct impact at the community level, while also reminding participants to keep sight of the broader global context. In conclusion, DDG Bechdol reaffirmed that building a hunger-free world is not only a call to youth but a call to humanity as a whole. 

Youth Call to Action in Feeding the Planet by 2050  

To move beyond symbolic engagement, four master’s students presented key insights and youth-led recommendations to FAO DDG Beth Bechdol, outlining concrete steps toward inclusive, sustainable agrifood systems. 

HAFL students delivered a powerful call to action, stating that inequality—not scarcity—is the true root of food insecurity. They urged immediate implementation of mid- and long-term strategies to meet the 2050 challenge and demanded fairer trade agreements and funding structures that grant all partners real autonomy. Students stressed that political instability, conflict, and resistance to change threaten progress, and called for equitable food access, resilient supply chains, and targeted nutrition. They emphasized that youth are essential drivers of change but often lack the recognition, resources, and leadership roles to make an impact. Intergenerational cooperation, they argued, is vital to empower youth to lead. 

The event closed with a dynamic Q&A between DDG Bechdol, student presenters, and HAFL attendees, highlighting the need to remove barriers to youth participation and strengthen intergenerational collaboration. The discussion reinforced a clear message: local youth action must be meaningfully connected to global leadership to build inclusive, sustainable agrifood systems.