Sustainability Day at the 2019 Youth Ag Summit

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Sustainability Day
November 5, 2019

Sustainability Day of the 2019 Youth Ag Summit took our delegates on an offsite adventure, with a visit to SLC Agricola Pamplona farm, which produces soy, cotton and corn across an area of over 20,548 ha. Our agvocates learned how Brazilian farmers are working to protect soil health, foster biodiversity, conserve precious natural resources, and explore how technology is enabling sustainable farming practices. The delegates also planted twenty native ipê-amarelo trees at the farm, symbolizing their commitment to agvocacy and planting a path to a Zero Hunger future.

Our keynote speaker on Sustainability, Marina Grossi, President of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development, grabbed the audience's attention as she spoke about how her work is rooted in one question - how to be good ancestors - and efforts to foster a new bioeconomy bringing together conservation and technology.

"Today sustainability is the coolest thing ever but it wasn't like that when I was young!" - Marina Grossi

Klaus Kunz, Head of Sustainability and Business Stewardship for the Crop Science division of Bayer took to the stage to share the company's ambitious sustainability targets, actively soliciting the delegates' feedback on the way forward.

"From a global perspective, there’s a lot to do on biodiversity and sustainability. It starts by acknowledging that yes, agriculture has an impact. But we need to feed more people. We need to preserve, restore, and at the same time produce more." - Klaus Kunz

He was joined on stage by Youth Ag Summit alumni Nathan Carson (USA, YAS 2013), Carla Espinós Estevez (Spain, YAS 2017) and Henrique Fiorese, a Bayer Forward Farming grower, to discuss sustainability in action and how young people can effect positive change around the most pressing challenges in sustainable agriculture. The delegates then headed into another intense Breakout Session where they worked further on their Thrive for Change projects. The day wrapped up with a celebration of Brazilian culture, as delegates watched and then joined a performance of traditional capoeira!

Follow plenary sessions from the 2019 Youth Ag Summit LIVE on Facebook!
See more pictures from Day 2 of the Youth Ag Summit here!