Strengthening Youth Voices in Agri-Food Systems Governance: An Advocacy Workshop for Change in Lusaka, Zambia

Written By Sussana Teriza Phiri

On August 28th, 2025, youth organizations and cooperatives from across Lusaka gathered at Protea Hotel Lusaka Tower for a transformative workshop under the theme “Strengthening Youth Voices in Agri-Food Systems Governance.”

Organized by FAO Zambia and ICLEI Africa, with active participation from YPARD Zambia, the session marked a pivotal moment in building youth capacity to influence food systems governance.

This wasn’t just another training—it was a shift in mindset. Following a series of engagements in agri-food systems governance dialogues and consultations that exposed a gap in youth capacity to effectively engage decision-makers, young leaders came together to move from “What is advocacy?” to “How do we make our advocacy more targeted, meaningful, and influential?”

Sussana Teriza Phiri

Sussana Phiri is an Alumni of the Global Change Makers School where she pursued Project Management for Change Makers (2020). She is also an Alumni of Global Leadership Fellows Programme (GLFP ‘19) which focused on imparting Strategic Management and Science Communication skills. She is the Young Professionals in Agriculture Development (YPARD) Zambia country representative until December, 2025 and an intern with the CA4SH Secretariat and CIFOR-ICRAF.

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