7 November 2021
Six youth leaders from the Philippines have joined 100 delegates from more than 44 different countries in Bayer’s 2021 Youth Ag Summit last November. The global forum and biennially organized conference selected young leaders between the ages of 18 and 25 with a passion for sustainable global agriculture for the opportunity to learn and collaborate with others on solutions to issues challenging food security. This year’s delegates come from more than 2,000 applicants representing nearly 100 countries.
“This is a very important project of Bayer to really highlight the UN Sustainable Goals, particularly that of feeding a hungry planet. It's also for us to empower the next generation, giving them a forum and chance to meet like-minded peers not just in the Philippines but across the world" said Iiinas Ivan Lao, Country Commercial Lead of Bayer CropScience Philippines.
To be selected, this year’s delegates presented project ideas and examples of previous advocacy work based on the summit’s overall theme “Feeding a Hungry Planet”. The six delegates from the Philippines come from provinces around country and are students in national and private universities: Grand Cayona Gascon (University of the Philippines Visayas), Remigio Mujar Lozano Jr. (University of the Philippines Los Banos), Tracey Chua Tedoco (University of St. La Salle), Christian King Lagueras Condez (Ateneo de Manila University), Mark Virgil Casimo Jamer (University of the Philippines Los Banos) and Thoreenz Panes Soldevilla (University of the Philippines Diliman).
This year’s 5th biennial Youth Ag Summit was the company’s first virtual YAS event and its first with a virtual idea incubator called YAS University. Within the YAS University program, delegates will continue to develop their business and communications skills, receive coaching from mentors, and complete weekly assignments that help them hone their own project concepts for 10 weeks following the summit, beginning in January 2022. At the end of YAS University, the delegates will have the opportunity to pitch their project ideas to a panel of experts to compete for prizes. Bayer’s partnerships for this year’s forum with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the tech company Babele make the unique experience of YAS University possible.
About the Youth Ag Summit
The Youth Ag Summit movement is a community of global young leaders championing sustainable agriculture and food security and working to bridge the understanding gap between those who produce our food and those who consume it. Every two years, 100 delegates are chosen to take part in the Summit. Previous editions have been hosted in Canada, Australia, Belgium and Brazil. Due to COVID restrictions, this year’s summit is the first completely virtual event.
For more on the Youth Ag Summit 2021, please visit www.youthagsummit.com and follow #AgvocatesWithoutBorders on Twitter and Youth Ag Summit (@youthagsummit) on the YAS Instagram channel.
About the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. For more information, visit www.unsdsn.org.