Youth4Soil Manifesto

A global youth-led call to protect and restore the world beneath our feet

Why soil and why now?

Soil health is the foundation of resilient food systems, climate adaptation, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods. Yet soil everywhere is degrading at alarming rates. Over 95% of the Earth’s soil is projected to decline by 2050 due to drought, human activity, chemicals, pollution, unsustainable land management, and other pressures.

These challenges reduce youth employment opportunities, limit access to land, increase farming costs, and heighten vulnerability to shocks. At the same time, youth voices remain underrepresented in decisions that shape our future.

Young people are already taking the lead, restoring degraded lands, practicing composting and agroecology, applying Indigenous and local knowledge, and training peers. But they continue to face barriers in knowledge, resources, land rights, financing, and participation in soil governance.

This is why the Youth4Soil Manifesto is needed now.

It explains why action is urgently needed and what meaningful youth participation in soil health should look like.

What is the Youth4Soil Manifesto?

The Youth4Soil Manifesto is a youth-driven, shared framework for action on soil health. It brings together global youth priorities, practical recommendations, examples of youth-led action, and commitments toward a unified youth vision for 2050.

It translates youth-led evidence, innovation, and lived experience into a shared agenda for action and guides stakeholders toward inclusive investment, coherent policy, and collective efforts that enable youth to lead equitable, evidence-based soil health solutions at scale.

Read the Manifesto

Purpose of the Manifesto

1

Articulate a unified youth vision and global priorities for soil health.
2

Amplify youth voices, influence, and visibility in soil-related decisions at local, national, regional, and global levels.
3

Serve as an advocacy and accountability tool to guide policy, finance, and practice to improve soil health.
4

Mobilize partnerships, resources, and intergenerational knowledge-sharing that strengthen youth initiatives on the ground.

Implementation & Next Steps

Launched on World Soil Day 2025, the Manifesto is part of an evolving, participatory process.

The Youth4Soil Initiative, the UNCCD Youth Caucus, and partners will continue regional dialogues, consultations, and targeted engagements in the coming months to strengthen shared ownership and inform future updates.

Future materials, including guidance on implementing the Manifesto, case studies, and translations, will support youth and partners in applying the Manifesto in diverse contexts.