Bina Desa organized a discussion on Food Sovereignty for Rural Youth on March 20, 2025, via an online webinar.  Amid the food crisis and climate change, food sovereignty is key to a self-reliant, sustainable future, and the rural youth play a strategic role in preserving and strengthening community-based food systems.  Thus, it is necessary to ensure that young people, as the leading actors, understand self-sufficiency and fair and sustainable food systems, as they often face limited access to resources and policies.

Bina Desa’s Chairperson, Ms. Dwi Astuti, states the principles of Food Sovereignty:

1. Focused and prioritized the needs of the people, farmers, consumers, women, and local communities over the market demands or big corporations,
2. Emphasized the importance of local control or local autonomy in food production, distribution, and consumption enables communities to determine their own food system.
3. Aligned with ecological sustainability or local cultures guarantees people’s rights to produce and consume food based on cultural preferences.
4. Empowered local producers, such as farmers, fishermen, women, and youth, securing access to resources, knowledge, and markets.

The forum served as a learning space that provided a deep understanding of food sovereignty. It also discussed the concepts, challenges, and strategies for implementing Natural Farming practices that respect a balance in the ecosystem.

Photo Credit: Bina Desa

Watch the online discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tPO9Q_IpAE