Unlocking the potential of youth: an economic imperative

There is no greater force for progress than the energy and conviction of youth. If the world were to bring unemployed and out of school young people aged 20 to 24 into the workforce, our shared economy would grow by 1.4 percent—an increase of USD 1.5 trillion. Within agrifood systems alone, 87 million new jobs could be created, contributing USD 680 billion to that growth. This is not simply an economic opportunity. It is a moral responsibility to ensure that the next generation has the means to build lives of dignity and purpose.

And yet, today, more than one in five young people are neither working, studying, nor receiving training. Among them, young women bear the heaviest burden, representing two-thirds of this group. Youth unemployment remains 3.5 times higher than that of adults. With COP30 underway, we must recognize that the question of youth employment is inseparable from the question of resilience: economic, social, and environmental.

The promise of agrifood systems

Nearly 85 percent of the world’s 1.3 billion young people live in regions where agriculture and food production sustain families, communities, and economies. These same systems are now strained by growing demand, pressures on soil and water, and the need to nourish every household with dignity and care.

Our youth bring gifts uniquely suited to this moment. They are connected, creative and unafraid to imagine new ways of working the land. Eight in ten young people today use the internet, compared with just two-thirds of adults. They are the bridge between traditional knowledge and digital innovation.

In Indonesia, young entrepreneurs are transforming rural economies through online platforms that link farmers to city markets. In Ecuador, youth groups are turning food waste into enterprise, teaching others to value circular solutions rooted in sustainability.

But talent alone is not enough. To translate potential into practice, young people need access to training, technology, finance, and to the institutions that shape their futures.

Bringing unemployed and out of school young people aged 20 to 24 into the agrifood systems alone would create 87 million new jobs. FAO/Lalo de Almeida

Creating the conditions for change

Through FAO’s Integrated Country Approach, we are working with governments in Ecuador, Viet Nam, and Zambia to generate decent employment along agrifood value chains. This approach unites policymakers, youth organizations, and private sector leaders to co-design solutions that can grow and endure. In Timor-Leste, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe, youth-led projects in sustainable poultry, forestry, and insect farming are showing how employment creation and care for the land can advance together.

Beyond projects, we are helping to build spaces where young voices can be heard and respected. The FAO World Food Forum (WFF) Global Youth Action Initiative mobilized youth from 189 countries to participate in shaping global food policy discussions, giving rise to 64 national youth chapters rooted in local realities yet connected to a shared vision.

Through education, culture and innovation, the WFF Global Youth Initiative also equips young people with the skills, knowledge and creativity to lead change - from leadership training and knowledge sharing to celebrating food heritage and supporting youth-led innovation. This is how inclusion becomes institution, how the voices of youth become a force that guides the decisions of nations.

The road ahead

We must weave youth employment into the fabric of long-term stability and sustainable growth. To invest in youth is to invest in peace, in progress, and in the resilience of our societies. Governments, international organizations, and the private sector all share this duty.

The numbers tell one story, but the truth is larger: youth are not waiting for change, they are building it. Our task is to give them the tools, the trust, and the space to lead. In their strength lies the renewal of our agrifood systems and the promise of a more just and sustainable world.

Learn more:

FAO & Rural Youth

World Food Forum Global Youth Action Initiative

The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems

Kazuki Kitaoka is the Director of the Office of Youth and Women at FAO

Lauren Michelle Phillips is the Deputy Director of the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division at FAO