Young leaders present Canberra Youth Ag-Declaration to global audience

Laura Grubb and Samba Ouma Zablon taking the Canberra Youth Ag-Declaration to the conference of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (UN CFS) at the FAO in Rome.
Laura Grubb and Samba Ouma Zablon taking the Canberra Youth Ag-Declaration to the conference of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (UN CFS) at the FAO in Rome.
Laura Grubb from Australia and Samba Ouma Zablon from Kenya presented the Canberra Youth Ag-Declaration that was prepared by more than 100 youth from 33 different countries.

The declaration was developed while talking about modern, sustainable agriculture at the August Youth-Ag Summit held in Australia.

“Today is World Food Day, which reminds us of the fact that there are still about 800 million people on our planet that do not have enough to eat," Bayer CropScience CEO Liam Condon said. "The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals target ending world hunger and achieving food security and improved nutrition by promoting sustainable agriculture by 2030 as one of their core goals."

The declaration touched on five specific themes aimed at changing the agriculture industry: boost education and skills building; communicate the value of agriculture careers and farming; promote socially acceptable and responsible consumption; innovate for sustainable intensification and new production systems; and foster personal and organizational leadership.

Ouma Zablon said representing the developing world at the U.N. was an honor.

"Especially to present the declaration that provides a useful framework and recommendations for empowering and connecting with young people for maximum impact on global food security," he said. "It is developed by youth for youth and is hopefully now passed along to more young people. My personal commitments remain to be based on the needs of my community because that is where I can drive change.”

Grubb is actively involved in agriculture in Australia.

“Besides the fact that I have never been to Europe, attending a U.N. conference has been a phenomenal and humbling experience," she said. "This event allowed me to have an insight into a global system which has a significant impact on a variety of societies and sectors globally. I have met so many inspiring people from all backgrounds and cultures. I will certainly take home many new ideas and initiatives on food security and sustainability and can’t wait to share with all the other Youth Ag-Summit delegates and my community.”