Youth aims for Zero Hunger

MANILA, Philippines — Bayer has selected100 participants from 45 countries for the fourth edition of the Youth Ag Summit 2019 that will take place in Brasília, Brazil from Nov. 4-6, in partnership with Nuffield Brazil.

The Youth Ag Summit, part of the Bayer Agricultural Education Program, brings together young change-makers aged 18-25 to tackle the challenges of feeding a growing population by 2050.

For this year’s global summit, each applicant pitched an idea to tackle food insecurity in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Bayer received over 2,800 applications from more than 140 countries. Twenty-three-year-old Christine Jodloman from North Cotabao will represent the Philippines.

Jodloman, an agriculture and food security advocate, has founded two youth movements – PALAY initiative and Food SECURE Philippines.  She is dedicated to empowering rural farming communities to be food secure, healthy and business-minded through an Agripreneuship program.

Jodloman shared her excitement: “The Youth Ag Summit is a great platform to learn, meet and collaborate with like-minded peers from all over the world who share the same passion and commitment to advancing agriculture. I am extremely thrilled to represent my home country, the Philippines, and I look forward to how we can contribute to finding solutions and helping feed the planet in a safe and sustainable way.”

Among the 100 delegates are entrepreneurs, farmers, students, plant scientists and economists, to name a few. Their ideas focus on tackling challenges as varied as gender equality, sustainable agriculture, youth education, food waste and climate change. Despite their varied interests, all are committed to achieving a world without hunger.

“About 800 million people around the world go to bed hungry each night,” said Liam Condon, member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and head of the Crop Science Division. “The 100 delegates headed to Brazil in November all share a commitment to driving innovation in agriculture, which is vital if we are to both feed the world and ensure healthy ecosystems.”

Rodrigo Santos, head of Crop Science division in Latin America, said, “Latin America has an important role in the challenge of feeding a hungry planet, so we’re very happy to receive these incredible young leaders to discuss such an important topic as food security. I hope Brazil’s thriving agricultural sector inspires our delegates to develop their innovative ideas.”

Fabiano Paganella, president of Nuffield Brazil, added, “The next generation will need to create a better tomorrow. But to do that, they need to be given a voice today. The Youth Ag Summit gives young leaders the chance to learn and practice new skills – and we are excited to help deliver these opportunities to 100 new ‘agvocates’ in November.”

The Youth Ag Summit will function as an idea incubator: helping delegates turn their ideas into reality and equipping them with the skills needed to realize their projects. They will also hear from expert speakers and participate in field trips to learn more about the agricultural industry in Brazil.