Close to 100 youths from 22 African countries have called on their
governments to invest in youth-led agroecological enterprises, saying the
approach could strengthen grassroots economies, create jobs, and secure
sustainable food systems.
In a joint statement, the young leaders urged
governments to provide targeted funding, training, and incubation support for
agroecology-based enterprises, while institutionalising agroecology in local
and national development plans.
They said policies should prioritise agroecology as a pathway to achieving
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building community resilience.
The petition was issued during a five-day Youth
Capacity Building on Seeds Workshop at the Seed Savers Network Learning Centre
in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
The forum, organised in collaboration
with the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), brought together
participants from more than 20 African nations and coincided with International
Youth Day.
Reading the youth statement, Irene Chebet,
founder of the Baringo Youth Peace and Climate Movement, said governments
should secure youth access to productive resources such as land, water, and
seeds.
She urged policymakers to enact land tenure laws that prioritise young
people and promote farmer-managed seed systems as a foundation for healthy food
production.
Chebet also called on governments to support
local food systems by strengthening markets, building infrastructure, and
creating policies that reduce dependence on industrial food chains.
She further pushed for formal
mechanisms to allow young people to participate in agricultural and
environmental policymaking.
“Youth must be given a seat at the table so
their voices shape decisions that affect their lives and futures,” she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by AFSA senior
official Awa Gueye from Senegal, who stressed that youth participation was
vital for continuity in agroecology.
“There can be no sustainability without the youth. Agroecology is a movement
and a spirit that needs to be handed over to the next generation,” she said.
Gueye urged the African Union and national
governments to support agroecology and reconsider the privatisation of the seed
sector, warning that corporate control of seeds undermines Africa’s food
security.
Seed Savers Network Kenya founder Daniel
Wanjama said the workshop was designed to build the capacity of young people to
drive food sovereignty campaigns across Africa.
He noted that conserving agricultural biodiversity and saving indigenous
seeds could provide employment and income opportunities for young people while
protecting the continent’s food systems.
