In the world today, there are over 3 billion people aged 0-24. These people are classified as youth according to the United Nations. Of these 3 billion, 11% will face food insecurity every single year; that is 330,000,000 people aged 0-24 who do not receive adequate nutrition annually.
But Why?
Why do people so vulnerable and new to the world have to suffer from hunger? Why should they have to worry about where their next meal might come from? Who is working to solve this issue?
When Dr. Norman Borlaug was 18, he was not much different from you and me. He worked on his family’s farm and loved athletics, especially wrestling. But somehow, Dr. Borlaug went on to be the father of the Green Revolution, saving millions of people's lives with his wheat variety, and became the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 1970. Even when being surrounded by world-renowned scientists, politicians, and having achieved the greatest honors one can have bestowed on them, Dr Borlaug chose to turn to the youth for the answers to challenges surrounding food security.
31 years ago, in 1994, Dr. Borlaug established the youth programs in the World Food Prize Foundation alongside John Ruan Sr., starting with the Iowa Youth Institute in 1994 to the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship in 1998. Dr. Borlaug saw youth as the way to change the world.
Me at the Global Youth Institute one of the World Food Prize Foundations Youth Programs (Divya; top and Issac; taking the picture are both Borlaug-Ruan International Interns too!
As I began my week with CIMMYT’s SAS Communication team, I was surprised to see how few opportunities existed for young people to engage with agriculture in Mexico. Despite the urgent need for a new generation of agricultural leaders, there were limited programs available to spark youth interest and involvement. In conversations with Paco, Jeni, Gaby, and Sarah, it became clear that resources dedicated to youth engagement were scarce. But rather than view this as a setback, we saw it as an opportunity. Youth have the power to drive transformation, and that starts by creating spaces where they can learn and lead. Together, we decided I would design an interactive activity to empower youth through hands-on learning. By putting tools in the hands of young people, we are not just teaching them, we are inviting them to become the agents of change our food systems need. This was the first time at CIMMYT that I felt I was an agent of change.
Me and the Communications Team (Jeni, Sarah, Gaby, and Paco) working on my first segment
On Wednesday, I joined Sylvanus as he presented to an International Agriculture Group about the mechanization of Mexican agriculture and the development of scalable equipment. After the presentation, as we walked to a postharvest experiment he invited me to help with, he asked if I wanted to pursue research. I told him I did. He then said something that stuck with me: being part of agricultural research isn’t about creating the next big innovation, it’s about changing people’s lives for the better.
Me measure the humidity and moisture of different treatments of corn (I have blisters on my hands from tightening the lid)
That evening, I served as an expert for the World Food Prize Foundation’s Virtual Youth Institute. I listened to six incredible students share their paper’s topic, their countries’ challenges, and their proposed solutions to food insecurity. Inspired by what Sylvanus had told me earlier, I passed his message on to them. Olivia, Jessie, Mrittika, Spencer, Aniskaa, and Janhawi aren’t just students; they are leaders, visionaries, and agents of change. The future of global agriculture is in capable, passionate hands.
Me attending the Virtual Youth Institute as an expert. Group 4 is the best (Sorry Andrew)
On Thursday, I was able to start developing my second segment for the Youth Engagement portion of CIMMYT’s newsletter with the Communications team. My first segment was also published today. I’m so grateful that I get to help engage Mexican youth in agriculture so they can be the agents of change that the world needs.
Link to CIMMYT's Newsletter with my first segment: https://mailchi.mp/cgiar/boletinenlace_589-4324330
That evening, I also attended a dancing class to learn Cumbia. I was very nervous and was not the best. However, I was the youngest person there. One woman approached me and told me she thought it was wonderful that youth want to learn and be engaged. She made me think about the importance of having youth involved in activities, whether that be dancing or agriculture, to keep it alive.
My Dancing Class
On Friday, I attended another Tech Talk on Genome Editing in Maize and Wheat. I was the youngest person there. I felt really self-conscious, but why did it matter that I was the youngest there? I worked hard and deserved to learn and better myself just as much as any other person in that room. Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I deserve any less.
Dr. Patil, Dr. Mann, and Dr. Sujatha presenting on Genome Editing in Maize and Wheat
On Friday, I also wrote this blog. I thought long and hard about the importance of youth in agriculture as well as my importance here at CIMMYT. Am I here to make big changes? No. I’m here to better myself as an agriculturalist by gaining new perspectives, whether that be in the field, walking through Texcoco, or simply laughing with friends. It doesn’t matter if my research project isn’t the best, or sometimes I feel totally and utterly useless; I’m bettering myself and getting to have experiences others dream about. Am I an agent of change? Yes! No, I’m not coming up with the next big change in food security (At least not yet). But I’m changing my perspective and myself for the better.
So, what are you an agent of change of? Your life? The World? Or are you simply an agent of change because you chose to smile and make the most of the situation? I am an agent of change. Youth are agents of change. We can all be agents of change with the right perspective.
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