On December 1, I was honored to be invited to take part in the 7th International Forum on Food and Nutrition, hosted by the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BFCN) at Università Bocconi in Milan, Italy.
There, I had the opportunity to join Peter Bakker (CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development), Hilal Elver (UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food) and Rosie Boycott (Chair of London Food Policy) in a panel discussion on the launch of the first-ever Food Sustainability Index (FSI), a joint publication by BCFN and The Economist Intelligence Unit which ranks countries according to the sustainability of their food systems across the pillars of food waste, sustainable agriculture and nutritional challenges. In line with the work that is being undertaken at the UN level on a robust indicator framework to monitor the implementation of the SDGs, the FSI represents a helpful, if perfectible, tool to assist and empower communities, including young people, to take action to transform their agricultural and food systems for sustainable development. You can read more about it here.
At the event, which among many others was co-organized by the the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, I also joined my colleagues and fellow SDSN Youth delegates Andrea Zucca (National Representative for Italy), Fabrizio Saladini (Regional Representative for the Mediterranean) and Michela Magni (Project Officer, Solutions Initiatives) to celebrate and connect with youth solutions presented at the annual BCFN YES!, a competition for young researchers in the food and agricultural sectors.
Throughout the world, young farmers, young entrepreneurs, young leaders in rural communities are taking the lead to achieve SDG2 and positively impact their countries and regions. It is crucial that we recognize them not only as a key demographic for policy-makers to target, but also as exceptional problem-solvers and active contributors to the implementation of the food and agriculture-related targets of the 2030 Agenda.
Dario Piselli 