Water for Food Youth Challenge is a youth capacity-building initiative designed to engage and empower young people in tackling water challenges within food production, including issues of too much water (flooding), too little water (drought), and water pollution. Through mentorship, workshops, and collaboration with experts, the challenge equips youth with essential skills and knowledge to develop practical, scalable solutions to global water and food security challenges.
The first edition of the program seeks to engage students from Indonesia’s top agricultural university (IPB University) to explore innovative solutions addressing the water cycle in sustainable food production within Indonesia’s Pantura Region through a 5-day hackathon. With the growing impact of climate change, these solutions are needed for addressing Indonesia’s pressing food security challenges, supporting efforts in building a sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural system.
Case Study: Food Security Issues in Pekalongan City
The Pantura Region (Pantai Utara, or North Coast of Java) is a critical economic artery that contributes 20.7% to the nation’s GDP, is home to over 50 million people, and is a significant contributor to Indonesia’s food production. However, the food production and economic activities in the Pantura region face critical threats from environmental and climate challenges, with estimates projecting a potential 4.9% reduction in national GDP growth and economic losses of IDR 6,607 trillion by 2045 if no action is taken.
Pekalongan City, one of the cities located in the Pantura Region, suffered from a significant food deficit of 20,000 tons in 2022. One of the reasons is that irrigated rice fields are increasingly being impacted by seawater intrusion, turning once-productive land into idle areas. The decline in rice harvest yields is also a direct result of tidal flooding and substantial land subsidence. On the socio-economic side, Pekalongan’s agricultural sector is also suffering from a decline in the number of farmers (including young farmers), which threatens future food productivity.
MAIN ACTIVITIES:
Field Visit
Participants visit the case study location in Pekalongan to learn about its unique characteristics and challenges, guided by local experts.
Expert Training
A series of training refers to the skill and knowledge transfer process between the experts and the participants.
Workshop and Mentoring
Interactive workshops and consultation sessions with mentors for participants to encourage active learning and discussion.
Pitching
Participants present their developed solutions to a panel of judges to be evaluated.
How to Apply?
If you are an IPB University student interested in participating in this program, please check the criteria and registration form in the link below. Application is open until 9 December 2024 (23.59 GMT+7)
Lead PartnerS
Partners
