YALAFAST second cohort to bring young agrifood leaders together in Abu Dhabi

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will convene the second cohort of the Youth Action Leadership for Agrifood Awareness and Systems Transformation (YALAFAST) from 5 to 9 October 2026 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, during the Global Food Security Summit.

Following the strong impact and positive outcomes of the first YALAFAST cohort in 2025, the second cohort will expand the programme into an international platform, bringing together around 60 emerging youth leaders from across the world, representing government, the private sector, academia and civil society. The programme will provide a space for young leaders from different regions, cultures and professional backgrounds to exchange experiences, build networks and develop solutions for more inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

“YALAFAST creates a space for youth to connect, learn from one another and turn their ideas into action. Bringing together young leaders from different regions and professional backgrounds alongside the Global Food Security Summit gives them an opportunity to contribute to global conversations on food security and help shape the future of agrifood systems,” said Ahmad Mukhtar, Subregional Coordinator for FAO Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen (SNG).

The five-day, in-person programme will offer an immersive experience focused on youth leadership and agrifood systems transformation. Participants will explore challenges and opportunities at global, regional, national, community and individual levels, while identifying risks, levers of change and opportunities for youth leadership. The programme will also explore the role of technology, innovation, digitalization and artificial intelligence in transforming agrifood systems.

Connecting youth leadership with global food security

The second YALAFAST cohort will take place alongside the Global Food Security Summit, creating an opportunity for young leaders to connect their perspectives and experiences with the global food security agenda. On 6 October, participants will join the Summit’s opening ceremony and engage with discussions around the future of food security.

Throughout the week, the programme will bring together leadership development, peer learning, innovation and practical action, giving participants opportunities to exchange experiences and explore solutions to shared agrifood systems challenges. A key component will be an interactive mini hackathon, where participants will work collaboratively to develop actionable solutions and explore innovative models for transforming agrifood systems.

The cohort will conclude on 9 October with a field trip in the UAE. The field trip will provide participants with an opportunity to see agrifood innovation in practice, followed by reflections on the YALAFAST experience and a closing and certificate ceremony.

From learning to action

Designed as a bottom-up, inclusive and participatory programme, YALAFAST will use a combination of case studies, role plays, group discussions, simulations, technology demonstrations, agripreneurship activities and hands-on learning. These approaches are intended to encourage collaboration and help participants develop practical leadership action plans.

The programme builds on FAO’s recognition that youth are not only beneficiaries of development interventions, but active partners and drivers of change in building more inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. Investing in youth leadership, skills and innovation is essential to strengthening youth livelihoods while contributing to food security and agrifood systems transformation.

Through YALAFAST, FAO aims to create a dynamic global platform where emerging youth leaders can connect across borders, learn from one another and develop locally grounded solutions with global relevance. The second cohort in Abu Dhabi will bring this vision to the Global Food Security Summit, placing youth leadership at the heart of conversations about the future of food and agrifood systems.