Today, October 11, 2025, a new generation of changemakers has stepped onto the global stage to demand and drive a fairer, more sustainable food future. At the main stage of the From Seeds to Foods exhibition hosted by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), young farmers, cooks, entrepreneurs, consumers, and activists from around the world officially launched the Young Alliance for Local Food and presented their Manifesto for a Common Food Future.
The manifesto, developed by youth engaged in farmers markets and local food initiatives across continents, is both a call to action and a blueprint for systemic change. It places farmers markets at the center of food systems transformation, highlighting the vital role of young people as innovators, custodians of local biodiversity, and drivers of fair and resilient economies.
What emerged is clear: Through farmers markets, we are showing that local food can nourish communities, protect the planet, and create fairer economies for all.
A Manifesto Rooted in Shared Values
The Young Alliance for Local Food outlines a vision built around six core commitments:
- Local food: valuing proximity, biodiversity, and local knowledge in production and processing.
- Good food: food made good, protecting cultures and nutrition, not just commodities.
- Good local food connections: ensuring access to nutritious food while rebuilding civic relationships around food.
- Fair food markets: rewarding small-scale actors and strengthening local economies.
- Information and technology for good local food: aligning innovation with local knowledge and climate resilience.
- Activism for good local food: mobilising collective action to reshape food systems for people and the planet.
These principles emphasize that food is more than a product, it is ecological, cultural, political, and economic. Youth see farmers markets not just as places of trade but as “engines of transformation” capable of driving global systemic change.
A Call to Join the Movement
The launch of the manifesto took place during the Third World Farmers Markets Coalition Assembly, bringing together youth from multiple regions who are already implementing innovative solutions in their communities. From young farmers adopting agroecological practices to entrepreneurs creating new business models, their experiences reflect the transformative power of local food systems in action.
The Young Alliance aims to build global connections among youth working in local food systems, advocating for policies that protect local resources, strengthen territorial economies, and empower communities to act collectively.
In the panel moderated by Ana Maria Huaita, WorldFMC & Alex Giordano, CEO of RuralHack:
- Darwin Hinojosa, Agroferias Campesinas, Peru
- Sihyeon Lee, Marche@, South Korea
- Shelby Saucier, National Young Farmers Coalition, USA
- Enrico Parisi, Coldiretti Giovani Impresa, Italy
- Peju Sokunle, Rural Hack, Nigeria, Italy
About the Young Alliance for Local Food
The Young Alliance for Local Food is a global youth-led initiative born within farmers markets. It connects young producers, entrepreneurs, consumers, and activists to advance fair, sustainable, and resilient local food systems. Through this alliance, youth are amplifying their voices, sharing knowledge, and building alliances to reshape the future of food.
READ THE MANIFESTO HERE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11uilnkrDC6Ke78J1LkC42p3A8_1oFX-9/view?usp=sharing
