The 2023 GHI was distinctive. It shed light on how influential the youths are in transforming food systems. For ages, the youths have been alienated in policy and decision-making roles in food systems transformation. It is high time this was brought this to the centre stage.
In Malawi, the 2023 GHI was launched in November 2023 with an aim of stimulating conversations around the overall status of food systems in the country and the role that the youth must play in realizing food security. WHH Malawi teamed up with its Alliance2015 partner, Concern Worldwide, and two local partners – Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET) and Civil Society Organisations Nutrition Alliance (CSONA) to organize the launch. WHH also worked with the Malawi Government and various food systems industry players to create a collaborative platform for inclusive discussions. The youth – the focal point of the 2023 theme – were given the spotlight. Two youth groups, and a young female permaculture trainer were invited to talk about the main challenges they are facing and recommend what they believe should be done to achieve active participation of young people in core food systems conversations. The GHI presented a public stage to hear their voices and provided a space for food systems allies to analyse the progress of food security and food systems in the country.
The GHI Malawi launch revealed several fascinating takeaways. We discovered that the youth are grossly underrepresented in food systems consultations, which is striking considering their large demographic power (for perspective 51% of Malawi’s population is below 18). The point is that there is minimal or no political will to engage the youths in food systems discussions, which essentially means that their needs are ignored at each step of the dialogue. Even the government acknowledged this disparity. The Minister of youth and sports, who was also the Guest of Honour at the launch, admitted that the status of youth in food systems transformation and food security in Malawi has stagnated.
It was also observed that access to land, financial capital, machinery or tools to support youths in agriculture is very limited. This is blocking the youth from contributing to a transformed food systems environment. The discussions further disclosed the need for transparency in information sharing. As observed at the launch, many young people do not have access to information on loans, policies, and the available training opportunities in agriculture. This “blind spot” often alienates the youth from engaging in productive agriculture which is among the main ingredients for achieving sustainable food systems.
As the world continues exploring ways of building sustainable food systems, governments, and food systems thinktanks must put the youth on the forefront. The Malawi GHI launch exposed one key thing – we must create opportunities for the youth to share ideas and perspectives, provide them with the required resources, and support them to take meaningful action. This may be one way of leveraging the power of the youth in transforming food systems.
