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Building human capital prepares workforces for the future and drives sustained economic growth. This was the key message the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger brought to the 6th Brazil Africa Forum, held on 22 and 23 November in Bahia, Brazil. The event\u2019s theme was \u201cYouth Empowerment: transformation to achieve sustainable development\u201d.<\/p>\n
The director of the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger, Daniel Balaban, made a presentation on the panel \u201cYouth employment in agriculture: sustainability and food security improvement\u201d. Balaban discussed the importance of public food procurement to strengthen smallholder farming and make it more appealing for youths, especially via school feeding programmes.<\/p>\n
On school feeding, Balaban said that these programmes \u201chave the potential to transform lives with long-lasting positive impacts on education, food security, and human capital building\u201d. Food served in schools contribute to enhancing cognitive abilities of children and adolescents. \u201cInvestment in school feeding delivers high returns in human capital and local economies, and investment in home-grown school feeding programmes can deliver even better results by boosting income for rural households and communities\u201d, he stressed.<\/p>\n
The event brought together 300 representatives from governments, companies, universities and potential investors to exchange experiences and generate good opportunities for young people in Brazil and in African countries.<\/p>\n
The panel on youth employment in agriculture also had the participation of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Mozambique.<\/p>\n
The event also had panels on the role of youth in promoting peace and security, new models for inclusive creative economies, local development, and South-South and triangular cooperation.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Building human capital prepares workforces for the future and…<\/p>\n