The Chicago Council on Global Affairs convened Global Food Security Symposium from March 21-22, 2018. The theme of this year symposium was Youth for Growth. The symposium was officially started with the opening remark by Ivo Daalder, President of the Chicago Council. The President reminded that the council has convened the symposium since 2010 with the purpose to bring leaders from across sectors of all society to solve problems and find solutions for a goal that is within reach to end food and nutrition security for all. Because food insecurity is one of the most pressing and important issues facing united states and the world, the council is committed to convening studies and dialogues on the topic of global security, global agriculture development, food security, and nutrition.
In recent years the council has focused on exploring how agriculture will respond to the changing climate, the role of agriculture improving nutrition, the global trend of urbanization and what the implication of that trend is for farmers and urban consumers alike. This year, the council focused on the people who will be addressing this issues for a reminder of a still very long lifetime, young people.
The world is now home to the largest population of young people in history, with over 2.3 billion people—a third of humanity—between the ages of 15 and 34. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) across Africa and South Asia, a large share of the growing population is comprised of adolescents and young adults. In India, about 1 million people turn 18 every month. Similarly, Africa’s youth population is expected to double by 2050, with 1 billion people projected to be under 18 years old. Today, more than 60 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is below age 25.
When it comes to jobs and employment opportunities, many of the young people reside in rural areas where agriculture and food supply chain is the primary employer. Due to this and other reasons, it is essential agriculture continues to develop and progress.
The full video of the symposium can be found at the link: https://youtu.be/rJQFH4DPeoo
2018 Annual report on Youth for Growth: Transforming Economies through Agriculture can be found here: https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/sites/default/files/report_youth-for-growth_20180322.pdf