By Abbas Nazil
Two high school students will soon be selected to represent Kenya at the prestigious Iowa State Global Youth Institute Conference this October, where they will present research papers proposing urgent solutions to boost regional agriculture.
The announcement was made during a two-day Food Security Youth Conference organized by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) in partnership with the World Food Prize Foundation-Kenya Youth Institute (WFPF-KYI).
KALRO Director General Eliud Kireger, in remarks delivered by Dr. Samson Kamunya, emphasized the critical need to equip youth with knowledge, mentorship, and platforms to drive sustainable, climate-smart, and technology-led agriculture.
He noted that young people are central to the future of food systems and must be empowered to lead innovation in addressing hunger, malnutrition, and climate change.
The Conference drew students and teachers from across Kenya, featuring youth-led innovations that tackle pressing food security and nutrition challenges.
It also marked the culmination of months-long school-based global food security projects, initiated following teacher training workshops.
This year alone, the program reached 95 schools, trained 120 teachers, and received 129 student submissions, with 69 selected for final evaluation at the event.
John Wogman, Senior Program Manager for Global Youth Programs at the World Food Prize Foundation, highlighted the significance of involving youth in the food system.
He explained that over 1,800 students globally engage with the foundation annually by writing and presenting research papers on food security.
The initiative currently spans 21 U.S. states and countries including Kenya, Uganda, Sweden, Sierra Leone, the Netherlands, and Honduras.
Wogman emphasized the need for generational knowledge transfer in agriculture and the importance of building skills such as research, analysis, writing, and public speaking among students.
Jan Lowe, 2016 World Food Prize co-laureate, urged greater youth participation in all aspects of the food system, pointing out the ongoing global crisis affecting over 295 million acutely food insecure people.
She encouraged young people to become engaged as scientists, policymakers, and advocates—roles she describes as “hunger fighters.”
Meanwhile, Verenardo Meeme, Programme Officer for AATF’s Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), called for enhanced awareness of biotechnology among students to counter misinformation and promote informed decision-making.
He stressed the importance of nurturing a new generation of African researchers capable of leveraging modern technologies like biotechnology to boost agricultural productivity.
OFAB aims to broaden its outreach through science clubs that bring together students, scientists, and farmers to explore agricultural technologies, biosafety, and innovation trends shaping Africa’s food future.
