Youth in Action: Better Environment

In this episode, Grace Tiwari, a member of the WFF Young Scientists Group, explores how young people are leading climate-resilient agriculture and driving environmental change through innovation. Discover how youth are combining traditional knowledge and science to build more sustainable agrifood systems. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Hello and welcome to the World Food Forum Podcast, a youth in action series where we explore how young people are contributing to agri-food systems transformation. My name is Alexandra and I will be your host today. In this series, we focus on one of the FAO four veters better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life. A framework that guides global efforts toward more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agri-food systems. Throughout the series, we highlight the work and perspectives of the World Food Forum Young Scientist Group, a global network of early career researchers who are bringing forward innovative science-based solutions that help bridge the gap between research, policy, and action. In this episode, we focus on better environment, exploring how young people are responding to climate change and environmental pressures through innovation, agroecology, and climate resilience practices, and why their leadership is critical in shaping sustainable agri food systems. We are joined by Grace, a member of the World Food Forum Young Scientists Group, whose research looks at youth-led solutions to climate challenges in agriculture, including how traditional knowledge and science innovation can work hand in hand. Grace, it's great to have you here with us. Welcome. Thank you so much for inviting. So before we start, I would like to ask you if you could shortly introduce yourself, tell us a bit more about you.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Okay, so my name is Grace Divari. I'm from Nepal. Right now I'm doing my PhD in entomology and international agriculture development at the Pennsylvania State University in the US. And I'm also a Young Scientist Group member from the cohort 2025 to 2027, and I'm with the Better Environment team.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

And your experience being part of the Young Scientist Group?

SPEAKER_00 2:01

It's been enriching, it's been amazing, it's been exciting. So far, we have a bi-weekly meeting where we discuss about like our research, our projects, and then just how we can what we can do in academia and research and beyond. So it's been fun to uh getting to know all of the members, um, what they what they're doing and what they're like.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Learning from each other, right? So your research actually dives into youth-led climate-resilient practices. So, what's one story or a project that you would like to share with us that really captures the spirit of this movement?

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Yeah. So, from our team, we uh dived into the research of agri-food system transformation through youth-led climate-resilient agriculture practices. And we did five case studies across different uh regions, uh regions. Uh, one of the stories that striked uh struck to me the most was about a story of a young farmer in Puerto Rico where they had practiced agroecology as an act of rebel, but also as an act of like service in agri-food system transformation. Um so uh apparently they um because of the Hurricane Maria, they had um there was uh like they had been importing foods, like 85% of the foods were being imported. Uh, but then um what this farmer group uh decided was to reclaim abandoned farmland and then uh shift from industrial monoculture to agroecological practices using traditional knowledge that they had been uh passed down through generations, but also incorporating scientific approaches or modern approaches uh for resilient crop production, uh fighting against um uh combating like uh soil health uh problems and all sorts. So, yeah, this specific story uh struck me the most because um it wiped out the industrial monoculture practices, but also um got an understanding of how agro-ecological system can always bounce back and it's always so resilient.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

And you're also right about uh integrating traditional and science knowledge. So, how are actually young farmers balancing those two worlds? Is it hard? Are they actually doing it?

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Well, um young scientists and farmers both. I'm so as a as a scientist, as a uh as a as someone whose uh fathers and forefathers had been um had been farmers, um I am I'm very much excited and I'm very much interested in um uh integrating agroecology, integrating traditional uh practice traditional practices and scientific knowledge. Uh so yes, um I think from from our from our research we found out that 40 to 55 percent of crop improvements through um decision making, decision-making between science, decision making between um traditional, um by by using traditional and um modern knowledge. Um yeah, and then also traditional knowledge gives us locally adapted solutions while scientific practices gives us more precision. Uh and it uh and digital literacy in now in in today's platform has really um has really increased increased that. Um so yeah, I'm totally uh supporting hybrid system uh of incorporating both traditional knowledge and scientific innovation.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

I think it's important, right, to incorporate well, but also I think uh it's a great opportunity to learn from uh and to have this exchange, right? In between farmers and researchers, because there is much to to exchange and learn from one another.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

100%.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

But I want to ask you another question. So talking about uh because your research is based on better environment, right? Yeah, in a simple word. What is better environment?

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Okay, uh so better environment is um initiated, the term is initiated by FAO, uh, which um which means to promote, protect, and restore sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity in both terrestrial and marine uh ecosystems to combat climate change. So we're so for us, uh as we are here, as I am an agricultural scientist, I would want to incorporate all like this better environment practices into into our daily life too.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

And talking about uh climate, uh climate change, um, it can really feel overwhelming, right? So, what gives you hope when you look at how youth are responding through agrology and innovation?

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Oh yes, so this question keeps me going because uh yes, the challenge the challenges are massive. Uh we know young people will inherit the consequences of decision making today, uh decisions that have been made today. Uh so um, like how it gives me going, or how what I hope is um, I guess through the power of agroecology again, um, we as it addresses multiple crises. Um and also, like, here's what really excites me most as a scientist is that we found that peer learning networks among youth achieve 55 to 75 percent of faster innovation uh spread compared to traditional top-down extension systems. So young people are teaching each other, adopting practices to local context and doing it faster than institutional approach. Um, so what gives me hope is seeing young women's leadership emerging in communities with active uh youth, uh young women's programs, we saw household dietary increase by 23%, crop productivity improved by 15 to 35 percent, and income increased by 45 to 60 percent. So women are bringing attention to nutrition-sensitive agriculture, to inclusive decision making, to practice strengthen uh entire communities. Uh so when I feel overwhelmed, I uh remember we have a generation that's creative, adaptable, uh technologically savvy, and deeply committed to justice. Um, they're not just asking permission to lead, but they're already doing it. So that's my hope.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

And I'm super glad to hear that. So another question would be: so, from your research, what are the main challenges that still hold back youth from scaling their climate smart practices?

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Okay. So um we can't celebrate uh innovation without addressing the barriers or challenges. Some of the fundamental issues are like access to land, access to finances, market, and decision-making platforms. Um, so young women and and this problem specifically is even more compounded with in among young women and indigenous communities and groups uh because of cultural barrier or language barrier. So these are I guess the fundamental issues. But also in global south, uh agriculture education and extension is also one of the barriers that I feel needs to be addressed, where the research is uh that's been done or the data that has been provided has not been translated into the field or vice versa. Um, so that's also one of the barriers. And then what I also feel is uh the favor of large uh agricultural businesses uh and um how smallholder agriculture farmers or smallholder youths are being neglected, along with how income consistent policy support and funding is for youth. Uh, and generally it goes up just up to a certain point, and it just gets, I guess, canceled or you know discontinued. So so yeah, far so they can they cannot um they cannot diversify their their businesses, the youth uh businesses. So I think these are these are the list of problems or barriers that I feel um that I see um in the among youth uh innovation and policy support.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

So let's say having these problems as a barrier as a as a barrier, of course, but also as a base.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

And based on that, if you could design a message to policymakers about youth leadership in climate resilient agriculture, what would you say?

SPEAKER_00 10:33

Um well, if I could sit down with a policymaker uh tomorrow, here's what I say. Um the most important thing is youth aren't you're just your future leaders uh in climate-resilient agriculture, they're also the current leaders. Uh so integrating climate resilience practices into the education system is utmost important. So I would highly recommend uh policymakers do that. Um like there are, we have seen uh it work in certain parts of the world. So in other parts of the world where I come from, for example, where I come from, um Nepal, I I really highly recommend our policymakers to incorporate um like um extension education into the uh into the system, into the agricultural system. Also, um I I'd recommend like participatory uh supporting uh supporting farmers, supporting young people uh through participated participatory learn learning approaches, uh expanding youth access to the information, communication, and technology-based uh monitoring and decision support tool. Um and I also um I mean that's my perspective, but then I would wanted to tell them that it's not charity that you're giving, or it's not it's not charity that you're uh giving for like when you say about okay, youth support, it's more like strategic necessity because youth covers half of the population in the world. Um so either you adapt to and adapt to the changing environment, changing climate, uh changing agriculture, or you just collapse. So every dollar that you invest in youth-led climate-resilient practices returns through sustainable production, biodiversity, conservation, food security, and economic empowerment. So I'd highly um recommend policymakers to invest in us to remove any kind of structural barrier and co design solution as an equal partner.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

Well, I hope we will have a lot of policy makers who will actually listen to this episode and hear your amazing advice that they should invest in youth because for sure no one will regret that. Thank you so much, Grace. Thank you.