Nurturing global change agents：Food security summit for 100 global young leaders kicks off in Brussels

• Youth Ag-Summit takes place from 9-13 October 2017
• Goal is to generate concrete solutions for sustainable agriculture worldwide
• Three delegate groups will receive funding from Bayer to implement their ideas

Today marks the kick-off of the 3rd edition of the Youth Ag-Summit (https://www.youthagsummit.com/), with 100 bright young talents from around the world arriving in Brussels, Belgium, to tackle one of humanity’s biggest challenges: how to feed a growing population in a more sustainable manner. Organized by Bayer, together with the two Belgian young farmers associations Groene Kring (GK) and Fédération des Jeunes Agriculteurs (FJA), the summit aims to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end hunger, achieve food security, and promote sustainable agriculture.

Over the next four days, the delegates from 49 countries - who range from age 18 to 25 - will work together to generate innovative, sustainable and actionable solutions to global food security challenges. Their mission is to come up with concrete new ideas which can drive agricultural progress across the globe and be put into practice back home.

"For the UN SDGs to be reached, everyone needs to do their part. By inspiring our youth to advocate for science and sustainable agriculture, we hope to tap into the creativity of great young minds to help solve a major societal challenge," said Liam Condon, member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and president of the Crop Science Division. "The Youth Ag-Summit is always a hotbed of enthusiasm, creative thinking, and innovation - I look forward to seeing what projects will emerge this year."

This year, Youth Ag-Summit delegates will hear from expert and inspirational speakers including Professor Louise O. Fresco, President of Wageningen University & Research (http://www.wur.nl/en.htm), Caleb Harper, Director of Open Agriculture (OpenAG) initiative, MIT Media Lab (https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/open-agriculture-openag/overview/), Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen (https://www.globalcitizen.org/de/) and many more.

As well as talks designed to spark their creativity, delegates will have the opportunity to tour the EU institutions and meet with European policymakers, visit one of Bayer’s innovative sustainable farming sites, and gain real-world insights into sustainability in action from companies and organisations such as Rabobank, CropTrust, Thought for Food, BioBest, International Society for Horticultural Science, VIB - Flemish Institute for Biotech, Inagro, University Ghent and Ahold Delhaize Group.

Speaking about the partnership with Bayer, national chairman of Groene Kring, Giel Boey, said: "We are very pleased to co-host this event, which gives young people the chance to collaborate and act on solutions for sustainable agriculture - rather than just thinking, they will be DOING."

"We need to restore the connection between those who produce our food and those who consume it. We’re proud to be this year’s co-host and are certain that the delegates’ work will have a positive impact in their communities and beyond," added Guillaume Van Binst, secretary general of the Fédération des Jeunes Agriculteurs.

Throughout the week, delegates will work to develop "Thrive for Change Projects"; concrete ideas to help achieve the UN SDGs in their communities and countries. Following a pitch process, the strongest ideas will be selected for future funding and development by Bayer.

Sophie Healy-Thow, a delegate from Ireland says “I’m so excited to be participating in this year’s summit, and to meet 99 other like-minded people who are as passionate as me about addressing food security. I’m headed to the summit with the aim of sharing solutions, ideas and perspectives on one of the world’s most pressing challenges, and of joining a network of young people committed to creating lasting change where it is really needed.”

Visit http://www.youthagsummit.com to meet the delegates and to learn more about the Summit. Follow the latest news on Twitter (https://twitter.com/youthagsummit), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/YouthAgSummit/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/youthagsummit/) (@youthagsummit) and the Live Event page (http://live.cropscience.bayer.com/Event/Youth-Ag_Summit_2017/board) using #youthagsummit and #agvocate.

About the Youth Ag-Summit
The Youth Ag-Summit is a global bi-annual conference designed to inspire and connect the next generation of young leaders in agriculture and related disciplines. In 2017, 100 young leaders aged 18 to 25 will meet in Brussels, Belgium, to create an open dialogue on one of the world’s most challenging questions: how to feed a growing population in a sustainable manner? Following previous editions hosted in Canada and Australia, this year’s Summit is the first to be held in a European city. The Youth Ag-Summit is part of Bayer’s Agricultural Education Program which aims to raise global awareness about farming and food supplies. This year’s delegates hail from 49 countries: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

Find out more about the Program at http://www.ag-education.bayer.com, https://www.facebook.com/BayerAgEdu/, or on Twitter @BayerAgEdu (https://twitter.com/bayeragedu).

About Groene Kring
Groene Kring (GK) is an association for young farmers in Flanders, Belgium, which counts around 3,500 members. GK brings young farmers together via regular activities and events, organizes entrepreneurship education, and protects the interests of young farmers on a regional, national and international level. For more information, visit: http://www.groenekring.be

About the Fédération des Jeunes Agriculteurs
La Fédération des Jeunes Agriculteurs (FJA) represents young farmers living and working in Wallonia, Belgium. FJA represents the views of 2,800 members, advocating on their behalf at a national and European level. As an official education provider within the agriculatural sector, they also organize training courses. For more information, visit: http://www.fja.be