Ever wanted to join 100 young agricultural delegates from around the world to share ideas?
Applications are open now to attend the third Global Youth Agriculture Summit in Brussels, Belgium.
Bayer, together with two Belgian young farmers associations - Groene Kring and Fédération des Jeunes Agriculteurs - are inviting young thought leaders from around the world to apply to attend the summit from October 9 to 13, 2017.
Approximately 100 young delegates from around the world will share ideas, develop solutions and engage in an open discussion on one of the world’s most challenging questions: How do we feed a hungry planet sustainably?
To apply, young people aged 18 to 25 are asked to submit an essay on the underlying causes of food insecurity and the effect it can have on a growing population. The essay question is based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Ability to demonstrate original ideas and passion to help shape the future will be the key selection criteria for the Youth Ag-Summit. Essay applications will be accepted online and close on January 13, 2017.
In 2015, delegates from 33 countries delivered the Canberra Youth Ag-Declaration, an action-oriented plan with recommendations on how youth can have the maximum impact on global food security, which was tabled at the United Nations Committee on World Food Security in Rome afterwards.
Laura Grubb, 2015 alumni delegate from Australia, who was selected to present the declaration to the UN, said The Youth Ag-Summit (YAS) was packed with actionable outcomes for all attendees.
“It has resulted in a very supportive alumni group who continue to collaborate and support each a year on from the Summit in Canberra,” she said.
“After entering the workforce earlier this year, I found that YAS was well received by people in the industry and the prestige of this event will only continue to grow.
“YAS has allowed me to take home many new ideas and initiatives on food security and sustainability and I would encourage all young Aussies who are passionate about feeding a hungry planet to apply.”
Future Farmers Network Australia (FFN) partnered with Bayer in 2015 to host the second Youth Ag-Summit in Canberra.
FFN executive officer Toby Locke said FFN understood the need to nurture leaders to ensure the industry could address the challenges facing agriculture both locally and globally.
“This is why it is so important organisations like Bayer provide young Australian thought leaders the opportunity to have their voice heard,” Mr Locke said.
“We’re looking forward to the movement continuing in the European capital in 2017.”