A celebration of youth building a sustainable present and future
Welcome to this special edition of Mizizi Magazine that was developed collaboratively with the Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Southern Africa (KHSA), Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), ICLEI Africa’s AfriFOODLinks programme and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation’s Green Action Week Youth Programme. It showcases the incredible work being done across Africa by youth storytellers, photographers, videographers and activists, and the innovative programmes put in place to support them. Youth are often spoken about as the future, yet across our communities they are already leading change — growing food, reviving knowledge, building new economies and imagining more just and regenerative ways of living.
Browse youth stories and programmes below or download the whole edition, which has even more stories!
Full edition: Celebrating innovative youth leaders and programmes
This special edition on youth leaders and the programmes that support them was undertaken in collaboration with KHSA, YPARD, AfriFOODlinks and Green Action Week. Download to read.
Youth entrepreneurship for healthy communities in Malawi
Soils, Food and Healthy Communities is building the entrepreneurship skills of 32 youth in northern Malawi. Read on to hear why food and farming systems are so important to these youth.
WYNA: Growing women and youth-led networks for agroecological futures
Across Africa, women and youth are playing a critical role in agriculture, food systems and community development. But many face barriers to meaningful participation. WYNA is changing that…
Young storytellers bringing organic farming and PGS to life in South Africa
While PGS helps to strengthen local food economies, its impact often remains invisible to the wider public. To change this, SAOSO launched a MOJO Storytelling for Change programme.
YPARD Cafés, podcasts and agroecology boardgames…
YPARD engages youth in creative and innovative ways, enabling them to lead on their own personal development, from Cafés providing spaces for knowledge exchange to youth-designed games.
Celebrating young women farmers from YPARD
To celebrate the International Year of the Women Farmer, YPARD is spotlighting four young women in their network to showcase their experiences and journey in the agrifood systems sector.
Mushrooms, micro-granting and meaningful pathways for rural women
How much impact can a microgrant have? In Agoua village, central Benin, it helped empower young women, strengthen livelihoods and build local leadership through Fungi for Her Freedom.
Sustainability, solidarity and strategic partnerships in Papantla, Mexico
YPARD Mexico has shown how traditional knowledge, participatory learning and strategic collaboration can drive resilient rural development and strengthen youth-led action in agriculture.
ICLEI Africa’s CITYFOOD campaign
Part of this campaign is a photography competition that invites African photographers to explore the question: Who feeds the future? View the work of one of the winners, Moutari Laouali Soufianou.
Babenda: The taste of shared memories in Ouagadougou
In Ouagadougou, babenda is not just cooked — it is lived. Between leaves, cracked rice and ground peanuts, a family transforms a simple meal into a moment of sharing, laughter and connection.
Public art as entry point to youth civic engagement
Food systems are an intricate web of people, places and processes that shape how we produce, share and experience food. See the incredible murals organised by AfriFOODlinks youth ambassadors.
Lusaniya reborn: from home tradition to urban experience
The steam from the freshly cooked matooke rose into the air, carrying with it a warm, earthy aroma filling the compound. We gathered, barefoot, slightly restless, but careful not to touch the food yet.
Green Action Week: Something happens when we share…
Think about the last time someone passed something on to you: a recipe, a bag of seedlings, a skill. No cash involved, no app, no receipt. Just an exchange rooted in relationship.
Reimagining youth engagement in a time of uncertainty
There is a particular tension many young people are holding today: living between crisis and possibility. But we are not simply waiting for a future to arrive. We are already building fragments of it.
