Many of the world’s 1.2 billion youth (between 15-24 years) work, formally or informally, in food production - growing, harvesting, or processing. Yet young people are consistently among the least food and nutritionally secure in many societies: poorly or often unpaid, marginalized, or subject to abusive lead work relationships.

Today’s young generation is the largest in history. They will inherit the lasting effects of environmental degradation and climate change, due in large part to the way we produce and consume food. Transforming food systems will take time, and the skills, energy and will of young people.

Faced with an uncertain future, youth lead several global movements calling for immediate action on environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. However, in the field or along food value chains, their entrepreneurial potential is often untapped. In the future, youth can be at the forefront of driving innovative approaches to agriculture adapted to scarce resources and climate change.
UNCCD Action Guides series introduces agroecological approaches and regenerative practices that make food production systems more sustainable and resilient. The strategies and actions presented in these Action Guides are evidence-based, proven to be effective, and can be adapted to diverse settings.

Each Action Guide focuses on key elements that influence the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of food production: soil, gender, tenure, youth, drought and water scarcity, livestock and pastoralism, among others. Collectively, the series offers a systems perspective to guide regenerative actions for both small and large producers to promote nature-positive transformation.