Youth, Land and the Future of Food

In many parts of the world, young people are navigating significant pressure as they try to remain on or return to the land: rising costs, climate disruption, structural inequality, and the gradual loss of agricultural knowledge passed down through generations. Young farmers are building cooperatives, advocating for policy change, and integrating science with tradition.

The Temple of Understanding convenes this panel as part of its Eco Justice for All initiative, a commitment to centering faith, equity, and ecological integrity in global conversations about food and farming.

Panel Themes

This discussion explores three interconnected areas:

• Land Access: farmland costs, cooperatives, affordable leases, and the role of state support
• Distribution & Market Access: strategies for connecting young farmers to equitable markets
• Community Supported Agriculture: as a model for resilience and community trust

Objectives

• To elevate the lived expertise of young farmers as essential to global food security discourse
• To identify transferable models of land access, cooperative farming, and community agriculture
• To ground the conversation in the moral and spiritual dimensions that faith traditions bring to our relationship with the earth

CONCEPT NOTE 

SPEAKERS:

1. Vicki Assevero, Moderator & Board Member, Temple of Understanding

Vicki Assevero is an accomplished international lawyer, advocate, and social entrepreneur with longstanding expertise in sustainable development. A former partner at Holland & Knight, she represented multinational energy companies, international organizations, and many developing countries in their relations with international financial institutions and private investors. Early in her career, she worked at the U.S. Commerce Department and the OECD in Paris. In 2012, she founded The Green Market Santa Cruz in Trinidad, which the UNEP recognised in 2016 as an example of integrated sustainable development in practice. She is a Fellow of Berkeley College at Yale University, holds a JD from Harvard Law School, and an LLM in Sustainable Development Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

More details: Great Transition Initiative, Lead Integrity,  LinkedIn

2. Shubli Bashir, Fourth-Generation Saffron Farmer & PhD Researcher, Kashmir

Dr. Shubli Bashir is a Food Technologist, saffron researcher, and fourth-generation saffron cultivator from the Pampore Valley of Jammu & Kashmir, India. Her work focuses on saffron processing, drying technologies, food packaging, and functional beverage development, with an emphasis on sustainable food systems and value addition of traditional crops. She has been recognized by National Geographic for her journey as both a researcher and traditional saffron farmer. She is passionate about preserving agricultural heritage while advancing scientific innovation for food security, sustainability, and community empowerment.

More details: National Geographic

3. Ayşe Öksüz, Dairy Farmer, Veterinary Student & Agri-Influencer, Turkey

With no farming background in her family, Ayşe built a purebred Jersey dairy farm in Eskişehir, Turkey, from the ground up, growing her own feed, managing milk retail, and running her own delivery service, all while completing her veterinary degree. Named Best Agri Instagrammer International by the DLG in 2024, she has built a global following by documenting farm life with honesty and humour, making modern agriculture accessible and inspiring to a new generation. She has been featured in Women in Ag Magazine for her work breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry.

More details: Instagram, YouTube,  DLG Award

4. Dr. Alpha Sennon, Founder & CEO, WHYF ARM (We Help Youth Farm)

Dr. Alpha Sennon is an agricultural innovator, educator, traditional soil farmer, storyteller, and social entrepreneur committed to transforming how the world views agriculture, food systems, and youth leadership. As the Founder and CEO of WHYFARM (We Help Youth Farm): an award-winning NGO based in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Sennon leads a global movement pioneering Agricultural Educational Entertainment (Agri-Edutainment) to inspire the next generation of food and nutrition leaders. With over 15 years of experience in agricultural education, youth development, strategic communications, and creative storytelling, his work challenges outdated perceptions of agriculture and repositions it as a space for innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and global impact. LEARN MORE

More details: Instagram, Facebook

Some Resources

• La Via Campesina: International movement bringing together millions of small farmers and rural youth advocating for food sovereignty and land rights. viacampesina.org
• National Young Farmers Coalition: US-based farmer-led network shifting policy to resource the new generation of working farmers, with a focus on land access. youngfarmers.org
• IFAD, Rural Youth in Agriculture: Resources, case studies, and programmes investing in young rural people for food security and sustainable development. ifad.org/en/rural-youth
• Mnandi Africa: Founded by Ruramiso Mashumba, this Zimbabwe-based organisation empowers women smallholder farmers with skills, technology, and market access. mnandiafrica.com
• Urgenci: A global grassroots network bringing together producers, consumers, and activists building solidarity-based partnerships for agroecology in over 40 countries. urgenci.net
• Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology: An international multireligious project exploring religious worldviews, texts, and ethics to contribute to environmental solutions. fore.yale.edu
• Laudato Si’: Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical on care for our common home, addressing ecology, food, justice, and our relationship with the earth. vatican.va

SOURCES