The 2019 Youth Ag Summit was held in Brazil.

APPLICATIONS have opened this week for 100 delegate places at the 2021 Youth Ag Summit (YAS), a global forum and biennial conference to be held in November.

While this will be the fifth such event, the 2021 YAS will be the first virtual event, with Bayer as its official global partner.

The summit allows young leaders to collaborate and help develop sustainable solutions for food security and global agriculture.

At this year’s event, the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), in partnership with technology company Babele, will provide a virtual idea incubator.

Called YAS University, it will enable delegates to continue to learn entrepreneurship and leadership skills, receive coaching from mentors, and improve their own thrive-for-change project concepts in the 10 weeks following the November 16-17 summit.

The summit’s overall theme is Feeding a Hungry Planet, and is based on the UN’s prediction that the world’s population will reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, and will face food-security challenges.

YAS 2021 delegates will be tasked to work on developing solutions.

“We believe there is a strong need for young leaders to be engaged in developing a healthier food and agricultural system,” Bayer Australia crop science division managing director Joerg Ellmanns said.

“Through their work at the 2021 Youth Ag Summit, young leaders will broaden their network, be empowered through new transferrable skills and knowledge, and be inspired to take action.”

Potential delegates will be asked to share their motivation to join the summit, their previous advocacy experience and a three-minute video pitch explaining their project idea on how to feed a hungry planet.

Previous YAS have been hosted in Canada, Australia, Belgium and Brazil.

University of Sydney scientist Guy Coleman was one of two Australian delegate to attend the 2019 YAS, where he was able to further his work which uses machine learning to identify and spot-spray or laser weeds in broadacre crops.

Applicants should be personally, professionally, and academically interested in agriculture, international development, environmental stewardship, food security, biotechnology, and/or farming.

Applications are open to people aged 18-25 from any background, and close June 30.

The UN SDSN was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General.

It mobilises global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Source: Bayer