Nuffield International Partnership

The Nuffield International Farming Scholars programme has partnered with IAFN this year to raise awareness of the important issue of attracting youth in agriculture.

Nuffield sent three leading scholars who were prominent speakers during the Youth in Agriculture Luncheon held in New York in the context of the High Level Political Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals.  At a packed room with over 150 prominent leaders from the United Nations and Civil Society, there was a lively discussion of what it takes to engage youth in agriculture and some of the systemic issues to their participation.

Equally compelling was the participation of 8 young farmers in the PSM delegation to the 2017 UN Committee on Food Security (CFS). Nuffield partnered in a side event on the first day of CFS that featured youth discussing the challenges they face in entering agriculture and achieving the SDGs. The opportunities to attract a new generation to agriculture are demonstrated by the diversity of the young leaders present at the event.  It is hoped CFS will take up this important theme in its coming work to a greater degree.