An international delegation of rural youth, formed by several members and leaders of the Family Farming Youth Core Group (Family Farming YCG) together with young representatives of COPROFAM and ILC member organisztions, met in Brazil to define their contribution to the implementation of Pillar 2 of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF), related to the support to young farmers and the guarantee of generational renewal in family farms.

This delegation participated in the IV National Rural Youth Festival: “Rural Youth, Sowing Resistance and Cultivating a New World”, organized by the Confederation of Rural Workers and Family Farmers (CONTAG) and the Rural Workers Trade Union Movement (MSTTR), in Brazil. The festival offered a unique space to exchange experiences, knowledge and strategies for the improvement of public policies. The festival offered a unique space to exchange experiences, knowledge and strategies for the improvement of public policies.

In this sense, the international delegation of rural youth set out in its International Declaration of Solidarity with Rural Youth in Brazil the common challenges faced by rural youth around the world and the measures needed to address them and ensure the future of the sector, and called for the recognition of the “central role of rural youth in the development of rural areas and sustainable food systems, and in the fight against the climate crisis“.

Among the challenges identified by young people, that severely limit the generation of economic opportunities and income sustainability, are the climate crisis, access to and governance of land, and the lack of incentives to overcome the social and cultural economic inequalities that weigh on them. Addressing these challenges means ensuring generational renewal in family farming, the quality of life in rural areas, as well as making a decisive contribution to national, regional and global food security, employment and sustainable rural development.

The declaration also calls for the promotion of active and meaningful participation of young farmers in policy dialogue and decision-making processes. Furthermore, the development and effective implementation of youth-specific policies, programs and plans is crucial. This includes the implementation of global and regional commitments made by governments, such as the UNDFF commitments, through National Action Plans, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

(Note: This article is originally published in the Word Rural Forum website.)

Photo: AFA