YPARD North America Shines at the 2023 GFRAS Annual Meeting

From left to right: Luke Gran, Nikita Bhusal, Michael Olufemi, Andrea De Roo, Beverly Flatt

Press Release

YPARD North America's panel at the 2023 Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) Annual Meeting emphasized the need for public-private partnerships and youth inclusion in food policy discussions to empower young agricultural leaders in shaping a sustainable food system. Their session received exceptional praise, being recognized as one of the best and most impactful sessions of the event.

October 17, 2023, Denver, USA - YPARD North America (NA) made a significant impact at the 2023 GFRAS Annual Meeting held in Denver, Colorado from October 17-19 2023. The event brought together experts including extension educators, research institutions, government agencies, producers and agriculture advocates to discuss key challenges and opportunities in the agricultural sector for building the next generation of leaders in the field. Themed "Building the Next Generation of Leaders in Agriculture," the event featured a parallel panel session on October 17, where YPARD NA introduced YPARD’s core mission of building the capacity of young agricultural leaders to shape sustainable food systems. YPARD NA was proudly represented by Nikita Bhusal (YPARD USA Rep), a Ph.D. student of Food Science at the University of Florida, and Michael Olufemi (YPARD Canada Rep), an MSc student of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Alberta.

The panel, titled "Contribution of Young Extension Advisors: A Food Systems Approach," featured three distinguished speakers:

• Beverley Flatt, Global Farmer Advocacy and Activation, Bayer Crop Science, USA.
• Luke Gran, Founder, Prudenterra, USA.
• Andrea De Roo is a Canadian Agricultural Youth Counci and an Agronomist and Farmer from Saskatchewan, Canada.

During the panel, the speakers shared their experiences and insights on key topics, including challenges faced by young extension advisors in the agri-food sector, the future role of young advisors in addressing global crises, and policy recommendations to support young professionals in rural advisory services. They also highlighted the impact of youth-led food and nutrition security initiatives, and the critical role of young rural advisors in addressing climate change's impact on food security.

The panelists also emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships and the inclusion of young people at the policy-making table to build a sustainable food system.

The session generated enthusiastic engagement from the audience, with attendees lauding it as one of the annual meeting's best and most impactful panel sessions.