Today is International Youth Day. Nearly half of the country’s population consists of youth, while the agriculture sector employs over 40 per cent of the labour force. Recognising the importance of youth in the agrifood sector, the World Food Forum Bhutan Chapter was launched today during the National Youth Symposium. This launch marks International Youth Day and aims to ignite a global movement that empowers young people to actively shape food systems worldwide to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The World Food Forum Bhutan Chapter is an independent, youth-led network of young people motivated by and interested in transforming agrifood systems.
Agrifood systems refer to the entire food production and supply chain, including food processing, distribution, and retail.
Bhutan has now become the 14th World Food Forum Chapter globally.
According to the leader of the Bhutan Chapter, this platform is the first national initiative where young people can address one of the world’s most pressing issues: food security.
“Now, the National Chapter of the World Food Forum will emphasise bringing together young people into a common platform. With digital means, we can do that very easily. I think the next objective that we have is about the consumer mindset shift,” said Ngawang Gyeltshen, leader of World Food Forum Bhutan Chapter.
He added that the challenges in the agrifood system can be overcome through collective efforts from young people and the government.
Similarly, the National Youth Symposium also launched the SDGs Action Card Game, developed by Japan’s Kanazawa Institute of Technology in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation Bhutan and the World Food Forum Bhutan Chapter.
“When you play the card game you can learn to create innovative ideas and to create innovation. When you solve the trade-off card challenges you can create opportunities for innovation in the agrifood system in Bhutan,” said Shimada Satsuki, a student at Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan.
He added that since the SDGs action card game is contextualised to Bhutan, the challenges and resources presented in the game will assist youth in learning how to tackle issues in the agrifood system to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The National Youth Symposium saw more than 200 participants including youths, farmers, and innovators from 17 districts.
Sonam Yuden & Pema Tshomo
Edited by Sherub Dorji
