For the first time, I had the honor of attending and speaking at the World Food Forum, held at the FAO headquarters in Rome; through the support of PARM, Platform for Agricultural Risk Management. During the forum, I joined my esteemed colleagues Baron Nkoy and Wagua AKARA, alongside experts from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), at a side event on Youth in Action: Driving innovation and technology for sustainable and risk-smart agriculture. Key insights that I shared during the session included: – Digital technologies are very important in enhancing our sustainability, productivity and sovereignty of our agrifood systems. As young farmers, it is either we adapt or die. – Digital technologies can help in monitoring soil moisture, nutrient levels, and pest outbreaks. I shared experiences I have garnered from implementing our agroecological project Tukuze Shambani this year. – Young farmers can leverage on digital tools to access markets and microfinance resources. – We need to utilize the digital space to accelerate knowledge sharing through mobile applications and USSD codes. Following this session, I was later invited by the World Food Forum Youth Policy Board to speak at the Youth Assembly Session: Forestry, where I shared insights on why forest restoration is essential for achieving FAO’s goal on sustainable food systems, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience, and how young people through digital technologies can contribute to these efforts. Overall, my engagement at the World Food Forum was an enriching experience that deepened my knowledge, expanded my networks, and provided me with new tools and perspectives to integrate into my work on sustainable agrifood systems. I am very grateful to Anaïs Petitjean and Dorcas Mayala Ntumba for this special opportunity and guidance. Thank you as well for all those who tuned in the session.
