Youth Feeding the Future: addressing the challenges faced by future Mexican agriculture students

World Agricultural students are the future of food security and rural poverty reduction; they are also the present as there are more young people today than ever before – 1.8 billion between the ages of 10 and 24 – most of them living in developing countries and rural areas. However, youth in rural areas face enormous challenges in preparing for and accessing decent work, including agriculture. These challenges are even greater for youth under the age of 18.

This topic was brought by Mr. Javier Carrera, FGH's Latin-American Chief Consultant and Member of FAO's Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition; he outlined these important challenges for agricultural students, specially for Mexico, in his conference of the XIII Agriculture Week at Mexico's National Tech, in Altamira, Mexico.

Over the next decades, agriculture and agribusinesses will require more passionate leaders, skilled professionals, multi tasked, focused, entrepreneurs and knowledgeable with the ability to take tough decisions as the mid-century world population will reach nearly 9.5 billion people, and they will carry on the agricultural sector as a business to meet the future food supply.

“We must continue to empower young ag students in their quest to become the next generation of the nation’s farmers…greenhouse technologies, hydroponics, aquaponics, GMO's, horticulture are skill sets which become part of the landscape for these youth," He added in the conference. "We must seek ways and means of helping them cope with their many challenges, broaden their minds and be capable to see the agribusiness with 'Big Picture' decision making. They need our love and support.”