It’s time to use my voice – letting my inner Lizzie out

By Roisin Sullivan, AgriFutures Australia World Food Forum Fellow 2025 

Flying into Rome, I felt a little like Lizzie McGuire - nervous about a big international trip to a buzzing city but excited by the endless possibilities that awaited me. As I walked through security at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) for the first time and looked around at the flags of member nations and the visible history of agriculture, I felt goosebumps. This is what dreams are made of. 

Sitting in the plenary hall, listening to the World Food Forum (WFF) Grand Opening alongside dignitaries such as the Director-General of the FAO and various high-ranking government officials and royals, I kept thinking, am I in the right room? But as I looked around and saw other young delegates participating, chairing and engaging in the forum, I realised my fears were unfounded. Every other young person in that room was hungry for their chance to be heard and listened to just as much as I was.

With more than 9,000 attendees, the WFF is a dynamic and unpredictable affair (much like agriculture itself) with representatives from across academic, government, non-government, industry and community leaders. Amongst global assemblies, the WFF is unique in that it brings together distinct streams into a singular forum with separate programs for Science & Innovation, Hand-in-Hand investment, Rome Water Dialogue, Indigenous Peoples and Youth. Yet at its core, the underlying pulse of the WFF comes from the endless enthusiasm, dedication and commitment of its youth program, striving to innovate and improve current food security challenges.

Across every speaking room, cafeteria or even the rooftop garden, young people like me were there, excited to share or discuss creative and engaging solutions to complex problems. From board games designed to educate farmers on climate-smart practices, social-media initiatives to encourage young people into agricultural careers, high-level discussions on food literacy or efficient water usage in aquaculture and fisheries (hello fish fans!), young people were vocal about possibilities. In these youth-centred sessions, it was clear that Gen Z were here and ready to shake things up.

But for me personally, I felt this engagement most in the sessions which weren’t facilitated or designed by young people. It was in the fleeting moments, where youth panellists were allowed to speak in the other fora such as the Rome Water Dialogue that I felt the most inspired. As a young female early career researcher in STEM, I often struggle with the belief that I either don’t have anything of value to contribute or I’m too junior to share my thoughts publicly. Yet it was these moments during the WFF where others urged senior officials to listen to youth voices in the development of initiatives, policy and processes that I felt my own voice growing louder. 

Although youth are a key pillar of the program, their voices are still under-represented and unheard in most decision-making processes outside of the forum. Whilst, young people are frequently invited to speak and provide perspectives, these views are rarely utilised. In part due to pre-conceived conceptions that we lack experience, knowledge or commitment. But in reality, the biggest barriers to youth engagement and promise are not about our capabilities but rather how we are treated in the pursuit of change.

Luckily, throughout the WFF, I saw the seeds of change planted to challenge this narrative. No longer are young people willing to sit by and see policy and governance practices implemented that actively impede our futures. Whether it be climate change, inequality or infrastructure, the world’s young people are working to re-shape agriculture and improve food security long-term for all.

Although, I may not have had the full Lizzie McGuire experience of singing in front of a sold-out crowd in the Colosseum, the WFF gave me something even better.  The belief that my voice and the voice of other young people matters. As cheesy as it sounds, this might just be one of the simplest and most powerful solutions for food insecurity that we have. 

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The views and opinions expressed by Global Voices Fellows do not necessarily reflect those of the organisation or its staff.