YM06 - It Takes a Village: From Barriers to Leadership for Young Women Across the Agrifood Value Chain.

In Rome (Italy), the' Hybrid Event entitled It Takes a Village: From Barriers to Leadership for Young Women Across the Agrifood Value Chain - WFF YM06 will be held at FAO headquarters, Sheikh Zayed Centre.

Young women play a central role in agrifood systems – spanning food production, science, innovation, entrepreneurship and community engagement. Yet their contributions are often overlooked, with intersecting age- and gender-related barriers limiting their agency, access to opportunities and representation in decision‑making. Their leadership is essential to building agrifood systems that are more inclusive, sustainable and resilient and to ensure generational renewal.

The WFF's Global Youth Action Initiative (Youth Initiative), hosted within the Office of Youth and Women (OYW) of FAO is a dynamic platform empowering youth to transform agrifood systems for a better food future. Through its six thematic programmes - Youth Assembly, Youth Innovation Lab, Youth Education, Youth Culture, Young Women’s Empowerment and Local Youth Action, it provides young people with the tools, knowledge and networks needed to create and scale actionable and sustainable solutions.

Through a twin-track approach, the WFF Young Women’s Empowerment Programme promotes gender mainstreaming by integrating the needs and opportunities of young women across all WFF Youth Initiative activities, while also delivering targeted interventions to address the structural barriers they face in agrifood systems. Through this approach, the Programme places young women at the heart of agrifood systems transformation.

Session description In alignment with the theme of the World Food Forum (WFF) 2026, “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow”, this mainstage session will highlight the importance of investing in young women as drivers of the future of agrifood systems and as essential contributors to generational renewal. The event will showcase the diverse roles young women play across agrifood value chains, highlighting both their fundamental contributions and the barriers they continue to face, from agricultural production and processing to entrepreneurship, research, policy, and decision-making.

Through the experiences of young women participating in the WFF Youth Initiative cohorts, the session will make the case for investing in youth engagement mechanisms as catalysts for gender equality, women’s empowerment, and more just, inclusive, and sustainable agrifood systems. Adopting a reverse value-chain approach, the discussion will begin with gastronomy-related careers and move through entrepreneurship, marketing, distribution, and innovation before ultimately returning to agricultural production, while remaining grounded throughout in policy, investment, and enabling ecosystem considerations.

This structure will illustrate the interconnected nature of agrifood systems and demonstrate how different actors contribute to and depend on one another across the value chain. Panelists will reflect on what attracted them to the agrifood sector, the segment of the value chain in which they operate, and how their work is linked to the contributions of others. Through their personal journeys, they will explore the opportunities and challenges young women encounter in entering, remaining, and thriving in different parts of the sector.

Rather than presenting women in agrifood systems as a homogeneous group, the discussion will illuminate the distinct experiences, aspirations, barriers, and contributions of young women across different functions and professions, underscoring the importance of a systems-based approach to empowerment and inclusion. Building on these reflections, the conversation will shift toward solutions and enabling factors. Speakers will share how participation in the FAO WFF Youth Initiative programmes has supported their personal and professional growth, helped them overcome barriers, and strengthened their engagement in agrifood systems.

The discussion will then explore what governments, the private sector, academia, development organizations, and other stakeholders can do to create enabling environments for young women across the value chain, from access to resources and opportunities to mentorship, leadership, and innovation support. Particular attention will be given to how these collective efforts can accelerate generational renewal and contribute to more resilient, equitable, and sustainable agrifood systems. Two senior co-moderators will guide the conversation, grounding participants’ experiences in research, data, and policy insights, while connecting individual stories to broader trends and opportunities for action. The event is co-organized by FAO WFF Youth Initiative, UN Women and the CGIAR Gender Accelerator.


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