OEYE 2024: Organic and You(th) – Building Resilient Food Futures

This is what the Organics Europe Youth Event was all about

The second edition of the Organic Europe Youth Event (OEYE) was held on 8-9 July 2024, in Bari, Italy, with an optional excursion on 10 July. IFOAM Organics Europe’s two-day event was an incredible opportunity for youth who are enthusiastic about sustainable agriculture and food systems and all that it entails. The 2024 edition of the event was organised in picturesque Bari, hosted by CIHEAM Bari. The OEYE welcomed young individuals passionate about organic and sustainable agriculture, providing a platform for the next generation in the sector.

We had inspiring speakers on some of the hot organic topics like access to land & local food policies, how to contribute to the governing of organisations, and digitalizing farming. The event brought together a diverse group of professionals, including farmers, students, researchers, certifiers, processors, activists, and politicians, among others. The OEYE was open to all interested actors who wanted to broaden their networks with like-minded individuals across Europe, exchange innovative ideas on transitioning towards a more sustainable food system, and delve into the potential of organic food and farming practices.

Photo credits: CIHEAM Bari

Organic and you(th)

It was an inspiring event that aimed to empower the future of the organic community and inspire change through a wide range of perspectives. Together, we discovered the positive effects of organic food and farming on our climate, environment, biodiversity, and animal welfare. We discussed issues and topics related to land access, bio-districts, and rural vitality, and developed ideas to improve and promote organic food systems. Participants were part of the organic movement and helped shape the future towards a better tomorrow.

Unlocking opportunities: Youth and access to land 
Jean-Marc Louvin, Food Expert / Campaign Coordinator, ICLEI ES

Sustaining Communities: The potential of Biodistricts in nurturing rural vitality
Hilde Straub Regional Manager, Bio-Musterregion Biberach & Patrizia Pugliese Senior Researcher, CIHEAM Bari

Growing Forward: Farming in the digital age 
Emre Gurdal, Veterinarian, Arif Gurdal Dairy
Vincento Verrastro, PhD, CHIEAM Bari

(Bio)diverse agriculture: bringing intersectionality and queerness to the land 
Jessica Donham-Buratti, Coordinator for the gender and intersectionality working group for Agroecology Europe (AEEU) 
Natasha O. Ervilha, Founder, Queering Agriculture

Organic content creators, practical ways to make organic attractive with an organic content creator
Marina Grölz, Farm Manager, Agriculture & Member of the Delegates Assembly, Naturland e.V. / Co-founder of Junges Naturland

Leadership workshop: Creating young organic leader’s network
Lennart Bertels, Junges Bioland e.V. Vorstand 

Fostering local food democracy: exponents of the Italian Local Food Policies Network 
Giampiero Mazzocchi, Researcher, Council for Agricultural Research

Living Labs: as enabling ecosystems and strong support for innovation in both rural and urban areas
Dolinda Cavallo, Project Manager, European Network of Living Labs

How can young people play a role in Sustainable public procurement?
Sabina Nicolella, Sustainability Expert Fondazione Ecosistemi

Just food: migrant labour and human rights in the food system   
Ernest Gibba, Farmer, La Bolina

Ten take-aways

At last year’s Organics Europe Youth Event, we invited participants to create a list of ten take-aways. This enabled us to reflect on our accomplishments and knowledge gained during the event. Have a look at this editions ten takeaways!

We covered hot topics, such as sustainable public food procurement, local food policies, digitalizing farming, and bio-districts. For details, check the full programme on the event’s page.

Thanks to the BEING Organic In EU project, participants had the opportunity to explore Italian organic food production with an excursion of their choice, either to learn about the art of organic pasta making, or about the secrets of organic olive oil production. Find out more about our excursions on the dedicated page.

Ten scholarship students were honored with the opportunity to attend the Organics Europe Youth Event 2024.

The scholarship is established in Anna Tuzzato’s honour. She was IFOAM Organics Europe’s Communications Coordinator and dear colleague. Anna was a talented young professional, committed to making the world a better place. While working at IFOAM Organics Europe, she poured much of her dedication and enthusiasm into the first edition of Organics Europe’s Youth Event. By setting up this scholarship IFOAM Organics Europe wants to ensure that her legacy lives on and continues to blossom.

Take a look at the OEYE 2022

Do you want to know how the first Organic Europe Youth Event 2022 looked like? Here are some of the key take-aways from the first edition of the Organics Europe Youth Event, get inspired for the approaching edition and take a look at what we have learned at the previous event in Frick, Switzerland: OEYE Participants have the chance to grow their professional network, creating a platform where the European organic youth meet. Want to see more insights? Take a look at our photo gallery and relive the unforgettable moments of the Organics Europe Youth Event 2022. Have a look at our Facebook photo album!

Join the online conversation!

Subscribe to our newsletter, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram. Join the online conversation by using #OEYE2024 and #OrganicYouth in your OEYE-related posts, and by tagging the event organisers @organicseurope.

Looking for a community where like-minded organic youth can discuss key topics, exchange and establish new connections? Then join our LinkedIn group “Organics Europe NextGen”.

Have questions or inquiries? Contact us at [email protected]

Organiser

Host

Golden sponsors

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Partners

Media partner

In-kind contributors