This Brief argues that supplying sufficient food into the future relies on engaging youth to participate in building a vibrant food system. Yet many young people are leaving agriculture for other opportunities, leaving behind an aging workforce. Participation of youth in agriculture sectors is shaped by structural barriers, restrictive gender norms, unequal access to land and finance, limited institutional representation and misalignment between youth aspirations and available livelihood opportunities. Consequently, youth are disproportionately affected by political and environmental crises. Nonetheless, investments targeting youth remain limited and lack strategic, evidence-based approaches to tackle their diverse challenges and aspirations effectively.

Recommendations for a positive participation of youth in food systems include:

• Promote diversified and decent youth employment pathways across value chains, including off-farm processing, logistics, service provision, aquatic food systems and youth-led agricultural services.

• Expand gender-responsive financial inclusion through alternative collateral mechanisms, savings and credit models tailored to youth enterprises, increased digital access and targeted financial literacy for young women and conflict-affected youth.

• Strengthen the security of land tenure for youth by focusing on access and withdrawal rights that can influence agricultural investment and climate-adaptation decisions, particularly for young women.

• Institutionalize youth participation in agricultural organizations, policy processes and value-chain governance structures to ensure youth perspectives shape development strategies.

• Address structural gender norms through gender-transformative approaches, including community dialogues and household-level interventions that challenge early marriage norms, restrictive mobility expectations and unequal asset control.