CIHEAM Press Review

The legislation includes favorable tax rates for young people starting businesses, along with grants to buy land and equipment.

More than 6,000 people were in Kigali for the Women Deliver conference last month, including four heads of state, donors, policy makers and, importantly, activists from almost every country in the world.
The discussions at the conference focus on a wide range of issues based around advancing gender equality. Health in general was, of course, a focus, as were sexual and reproductive health specifically.
But two gaps were obvious in the conversations. There was very little youth representation. And there was minimal discussion about the role of food or food systems.
While these two topics might seem separate, they are in fact closely connected.
Anything for young people without young people is against young people

Morocco is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change and has already been greatly impacted by its worsening effects. The delicate Moroccan ecosystem has come under stress from years of rising temperatures and increasingly severe water shortages caused by  declining annual precipitation, rising water usage, and the growth of water-intensive industries like agriculture and tourism.

Although people under the age of 25 account for 43% of Morocco’s population,  there are very low levels of youth representation in public life, especially in government decision-making. Young people in Morocco often feel ignored by the political system, leading to disinterest and disconnection. Political apathy is prevalent as young Moroccans do not see the relevance of politics to their daily lives. In addition, limited access to information about political issues and the political process makes it challenging for them to participate.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and physical activity was linked with enhanced working memory in school-age children in a recent study.

Photo: the Olive Times

The Middle East’s population is growing almost twice as fast as the world overall, and one-third of its people are under the age of 15.
As Joe Biden takes his first trip to the region as president, he plans to focus on the prospects for peaceful international relations. A key factor often overlooked is the Middle East’s lack of opportunities for young people.

Italian farm­ers can buy thou­sands of hectares of land through­out Italy due to a new Bank of the Land ini­tia­tive.
The ini­tia­tive has been coor­di­nated by the Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market (Ismea), which offers spe­cial financ­ing to inter­ested par­ties younger than 41 years of age in an effort to pro­vide oppor­tu­ni­ties to a new gen­er­a­tion of farm­ers.

Youth must play a central role in food systems transformation to ensure that the failings of past generations do not fall on their shoulders.

August 12th is International Youth Day and this year it is dedicated to the theme of Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health. The day is a way to celebrate the efforts and achievements of young people already at the forefront of food systems change.

The Youth Food Lab is bringing together young innovators to tackle food systems challenges facing their local communities. It provides a platform for ten teams to transform their visions into a developed business model. 

Climate change, the Covid19 pandemic, and recent conflicts are disrupting our Mediterranean societies. These crises threaten rural and agricultural communities that are already vulnerable as a result of poor development, environmental degradation, drought, and the gradual abandonment of the peasantry. They undermine the food supply systems of these communities and affect their livelihoods, thus putting them at increased risk of poverty.

Young people often know more than the rest of us about how to solve some of our most pressing environmental and agricultural and food issues. And I think it’s important to look for mentorship from young people; to seek out their viewpoints and learn from their actions. We also need to recognize that this kind of activism, this kind of advocacy, this kind of involvement and interest in our food and ag issues—it can and should start at an early age.

In 2022, the CIHEAM celebrates its 60th anniversary with the aim of projecting the organization into the Mediterranean of tomorrow, responding to new emerging challenges, and mobilizing young people.
This special year is the ideal time to reward innovations carried out by young people and give them greater visibility.

Brazilian-American young food campaigner Lana Weidgenant is this week launching a global food manifesto – together with 34 other leading youth activists from around the world – setting out what they want governments and businesses to do to mend the “broken food system” that is threatening species extinction, driving climate change and contributing to disease around the world.

Young people are taking a leading role in shaping fair and equitable food systems around the world, senior UN officials affirmed on Tuesday during a global youth dialogue on the theme of “Good Food for All”.