Regeneration of soils for future generations

SIANI, the Eastern African Farmers Federation, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) and Ristolab host a hybrid side event at the 2024 World Food Forum Flagship event in Rome, during 14 to 18 October 2024. The event explores youth-led initiatives for soil health, aiming to inspire action and address the pressing need to identify and scale up solutions for regenerating soils.

Participation is possible both at FAO HQ in Rome and through the virtual conference platform.

Register to the World Food Forum Flagship event here.

Find our event in the online platform by searching for the code YP05

Programme and speakers

Speakers

Mr Omary Mwaimu currently holds the position of Director of Youth Affairs at EAFF and also serves as a Board member of the Agricultural Council of Tanzania. With over ten years of experience in agricultural support and business development services, he is recognized as a proficient entrepreneur. His areas ofexpertise encompass economics, agricultural value chain development, and sustainable business practices.  

EAFF is a corporate members-based regional farmers’ organization with the vision of a prosperous and cohesive farming community in Eastern Africa. 

Aisha Hassan is a political scientist with a research interest in agro-geopolitics and regenerative agricultural development. Her more recent work focuses on how to guide food systems towards more sustainable outcomes. 

Lukas Paltanavicius has over 7 years of experience in agribusiness development in Europe. He began his career at Scandagra (a Danish and Swedish farmers’ cooperative). He also collaborated with Wageningen Academy to create a masterclass called “Future proof farming” for agribusiness professionals. 

Cycle to Farms is an advocacy project led by Aisha Hassan and Lukas Paltanavicius, MSc graduates from Wageningen University. Their mission is to document regenerative farming across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa by cycling farm to farm and speaking directly with the farmers themselves.

Leòn Pepe Biundo is a practicing agroecologist and production manager in a CSA market garden, committed to sustainable food production and soil health regeneration. Holding an MSc in Horticultural Sciences from SLU Alnarp, Sweden, Leòn Biundo has focused his academic and professional work on the critical link between biological soil health, food security, and climate resilience, particularly in small-scale farming systems. His master’s thesis explored small-scale land management strategies to enhance biological soil health, a subject that aligns with his broader mission of cultivating nutrient-dense vegetables and building climate resilient communities.

With a foundation in environmental sciences from Trier, Germany, and practical experience gained during a seed-saving apprenticeship at the Koanga Institute in New Zealand, Leòn Biundo believes in the power of change through a sustainable food system – not just for individuals, but for society as a whole. He is dedicated to using his knowledge and skills to address the pressing challenges of our time, including climate change and food insecurity, by promoting agroecological practices that nurture both the earth and its people.

Victor Muiru is the Head of Local Youth Action at the World Food Forum, FAO’s flagship youth platform. A specialist in youth engagement and strategic partnerships, he promotes meaningful youth involvement in sustainable agrifood systems. Victor has also co-chaired the Youth Liaison Group to the UN Food Systems Summit and served as Regional Coordinator for Nourishing Africa. He is a Borlaug-Adesina Fellow and was named Kenya’s Youth of the Year in Agribusiness in 2020.

Kevin Perkins has been a leader in international and community development for over 25 years and the executive director of Farm Radio International since 2006. Previously, he worked for the Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) in Toronto, leading international programs. From 1997 to 2004, Kevin focused on his neighbourhood in Toronto, establishing the ACCESS Riverdale Community Loan Fund and leading the Riverdale Community Development Corporation as its first executive director. 

Rikke Grand Olivera is the Lead Global Technical Specialist for Land Tenure and Natural Resources Management at IFAD. She has more than 20 years of experience in rural development and technically leads the design and implementation of IFAD investment projects focusing on land tenure and local governance institutions, resilience of rural households and agroecology and regenerative farming and food systems that benefit small-scale farmers around the world. 

Daniela Solis is the Coordinator of the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH), where she leads stakeholder engagement, coordinates international events, and facilitates collaboration to drive global efforts in soil health. She has over 5 years of experience leading initiatives and advocating for policies that advance sustainable soil and land management, climate resilience, food security, nutrition, and community well-being. Previously, she worked at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Having lived, studied, and worked in seven countries, she brings a multicultural perspective to her work. She holds a master’s degree in environmental management from Bocconi University. CA4SH is a multi-stakeholder community of over 200 actors across all sectors, scales, and disciplines, united in their mission to soil health globally by addressing knowledge and information, financial, policy and implementation gaps. 

Pernilla Ivarsson is the Deputy Permanent Representative of Sweden to FAO, since February 2020. Previously to this position she was Director of the Division for the Food Chain, Animal Health and Welfare in the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation for over 10 years. She holds an Executive Master of Leadership and Management and Master of Science (MSc) in agricultural economics from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

Sofia Cavalleri holds a double Ph.D. in Ethnobotany and Sustainable Food Systems. In 2023, she was selected by FAO for the World Food Forum’s Young Scientist Group. Her research focuses on Traditional Mediterranean Medicine and the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Cilento. She is running the innovative restaurant and research laboratory Ristolab s.r.l.