The NGIN Ambassadors Manifesto was developed after the NGIN Flagship Program 2022 in Costa Rica and lays the groundwork for engagement for NGINeers. It is a product 100% youth-originated and youth-owned. Read it here.

Co-creating Impact Opportunities with and for Youth in Agriculture.

Vision 
Young changemakers emerge as agricultural leaders and create impacts on the ecological, economic and social transformation of food systems. 

Mission
To empower a purpose-driven NextGen Ag Leadership movement with the ultimate goal of creating a more sustainable and prosperous future in agriculture to be able to feed our growing world population.

Background 

The NextGen Ag Impact Network [NGIN] is the global network of networks for, with, and by NextGen Agricultural Leaders that was launched in 2022. Our aim is to empower youth in agriculture and related fields by including them right from the start:

Together, we will co-create a structure, programs, and a community to unlock resources and energy for transformational impact towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

NGIN is inclusive to all relevant sectors: farmers, producers, businesses, academia, think tanks, NGOs, international organizations, politics, and – most importantly – the next generation of agricultural leaders.

NGIN gives young changemakers a voice, a vote, and a role in an ecosystem for impact. Currently, we have the participation of 23 NGIN Ambassadors from 14 different countries, representing 5 continents. And we are committed to amplifying voices through the NGIN platform, inspiring and developing our ideas and contributing and involving different stakeholders via impact alliances.

Our principles
-Partnership-based to create a stronger impact together.
-Co-led by NextGen Agricultural Leaders.
-Global in scope.
-Inclusive.
-Diverse in the variety of coalition partners participating and bringing in their perspectives, ideas, and expertise.
-NGIN follows science-based principles.

Objectives
-To co-create and establish a global network of networks for proof perspectives with youth in agriculture and institutional leaders.
-To match the needs of the next generation of agricultural leaders with program offerings, networks, and opportunities. 
-To empower a purpose-driven NextGen Ag Leadership movement with the goal of creating a
more sustainable and prosperous future in agriculture.
-Shape the future of sustainable agriculture together.

SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO ATTEND EMERGING PROBLEMS

People
The world needs young people who are aware of, informed, and involved in actions aimed to work towards sustainable agriculture and improved agri-food systems, to promote a transformation based on science to generate ecological, economic, and social prosperity. We will therefore invest our time and efforts in our fellow young people. This means concretely that:

1. Better access to information should be promoted so that it becomes easier for producers to transforms production systems. We will participate in research, build partnerships, and make sure to share the knowledge we raise.
2. We will support youth find meaningful opportunities in agriculture that will help them see a viable future for themselves in agriculture. This will include training and providing access to resources and technical support.
3. We will seek to help youth that are especially marginalized, such as women, Indigenous communities, and vulnerable people that are threatened by impoverishment and food scarcity, and go above and beyond to empower them through providing meaningful information, the right platforms to speak out, and add them to networks for growth and support.
4. We will assist young people to access quality education, skills, and relevant training related to the agricultural sector.
5. Land must be accessible to youth and particularly rural women, to allow for full participation in agriculture and to enable greater autonomy, independence, and exercising of young people’s rights in agriculture. 

To achieve these 5 action points, we must spread our messages and share knowledge, build partnerships and strengthen network efforts to amplify our voices, share innovative solutions and highlight the value and attractiveness of sustainable agriculture and agri-food systems, as a sector for professional development.

Education
An educated youth that is aware of new international trends and innovations, that promotes the exchange of knowledge, and that has access to information and educational resources, is essential to lead and be part of decision-making processes. For this reason we consider that:
⦁ Governments and relevant stakeholders around the world must be informed about the importance of providing curriculums that teach sustainable agriculture to young people so that future generations will consist of sustainable agricultural-aware people. We will advocate for such syllabi.2. Regenerative agriculture, its importance, and value and how from youth we can contribute to improve agricultural practices must be shared. We will promote actions related to informing and educating about these good agricultural practices.

0. We need an enabling environment where youth can be exposed to various agricultural opportunities and financial investments to help them thrive in the agriculture industry. We will create this environment.

0. To enhance the rate at which food systems transform at national levels, it is necessary to gain access to educational materials, capacitation programs, and comprehensive websites. We will liaise with ministries of agriculture and important stakeholders to deploy these knowledge resources.

4. It is of paramount importance that farmers of all ages understand the correct application of synthetic agricultural products. We will work closely with relevant industry actors so that they can engage us in promoting the proper application of these products where necessary. 

To achieve the four action points, a wide array of networks and stakeholders must participate and create as much awareness surrounding agricultural education as possible. The current NGIN Coalition and their partners are our starting point and we hope for NGIN to grow. 

Leadership

Youth leadership is essential to promote the sustainability of agriculture. Young people must energize their peers to actively seek a future in sustainable agriculture. By becoming engaged, youth becomes the protagonists of their own development and future. By rising up, young people also rise up to eye-level with leaders of other generations thereby enabling a highly valuable intergenerational exchange. In addition, the empowerment of young women contributes to the generation of new leadership throughout food systems, encouraging them to become generators of change in their communities and regions. In this sense, we consider that:

⦁ Youth must be enabled and empowered to participate in policy making to ensure that frameworks for the present and the future match the sustainability needs of people and planet. We will promote the empowerment and leadership of youth in agricultural fields by informing them about opportunities and the value of the sector for achieving the 2030 Agenda.
⦁ Policies must be adapted and transformed, globally, regionally, and nationally, to include visions from and for young farmers and producers. We will contribute to negotiating these policies.

0. NGIN should be encouraged to participate in regional and global governance processes to improve the development of positive solutions to the emerging needs related to the protection of the environment.

Commitment to Action
NGIN aspires to create an inclusive, diverse, and impactful environment to accelerate sustainable agriculture, through strengthening cooperation, building alliances, and empowering leadership that inspires the development of impact-oriented solutions in agriculture. 

We are committed to being the NGIN youth voice and to promoting the mobilization of next generation involvement in the agricultural sector through consistent, attentive, and innovative actions.

We are committed to building a lasting movement by working together, inspiring more young people around the world to share their knowledge and experiences and to contribute with their skills to promote the involvement of youth in different spaces and decision-making processes as well as encourage the inclusion of new generations. 

We are committed to building a group of young NGIN Ambassadors devoted to each of the actions included in this manifesto. 

We are committed to always seeking transparency and accountability in our role as NGIN Ambassadors.