As a post celebration of International Youth Day 2021 with the theme “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”, the University’s Environmental Management Unit held a webinar on Sustainable Food Systems on August 19, 2021.
This year’s International Youth Day aims to provide a platform for young people to become involved in the discourse on transforming food systems and to continue advocating sustainable food systems.
Ms. Rose Chell Anne Rojas, Area Officer of the National Youth Commission hailed the event as it encourages youth awareness and engagements in developing projects that promote food sustainability. Ms. Rojas also challenged the participants to be duty-bearers and to become truly “maka-tao, maka-bayan, makakalikasan at maka-Diyos”.
Meanwhile, Mr. Celso H. Jucutan, University Environmental Management Coordinator, talked on the challenges in food sustainability including food wastes and agricultural issues. He elaborated the urgent need to reduce ecological footprint by changing the way goods are produced and consumed and resources are sustained to help attain SDG 12 (Sustainable Production and Consumption).
Further, Ms. Shawntel Nicole M. Nieto, Founder and President of One Cainta Food Program, discussed topics namely analyzing the food supply chain, equitable food distribution, and the promotion of circular economy. Since the pandemic, Ms. Nieto and her group distributed food supplies to thousands of households in Cainta, Rizal. She gathered support from manufacturers who provided overstocked inventories, restaurants who gave cooked foods, youth organizations who extended manpower and from other civic groups who provided funds.
In addition, Hon. Jerome S. Suratos, SK Chairperson of Brgy. Longos Central, San Fabian, Pangasinan, provided insights on how young people can be engaged in agriculture including policy-making, advocacy and in actual farming. As Adviser of 4H Club, Mr. Suratos shared their youth-led backyard gardening projects and other agriculture-based initiatives.
The youth leaders agreed that strengthening the agricultural sector should be the topmost priority of our government; that our farmers who are the backbone of the society be provided with adequate assistance to grow healthy, nutritious and sufficient amount of farm produce. Also, with the aging farmers, they acknowledge the urgent need for engaging more young people into agriculture.
The University’s Environmental Management Unit extends their thanks to their partners namely the Institute of Environmental Science (IES), Young Earthsavers’ Society (YES), Tanggol Kalikasan, Inc. Institute of Environmental Governance (IEG), Lupon ng mga Indibidwal na Nangangalaga ng Kalikasan, Inc. (LINK), Fostering Education and Environment and Development, Inc. (FEED), and National Youth Commission (NYC) for their help and support in making the event possible. (Celso Jucutan)