China’s Post-90s ecological smallholders and 17 young farmers call for urgent food system transformation

Foodthink’s Perspective

Before the Spring Festival, Ren Yingying, a post-90s farmer from Lianxiang Farm in Chengde, Hebei, was invited by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to attend the Global Forum for Agriculture and Food (GFFA) in Berlin, where she helped draft a position paper for young farmers.

During a Foodthink sharing session on 16 February, Yingying introduced the core contents of this position paper. The document highlights the deep-seated contradictions within the global agricultural system: the monopoly of multinational corporations over seeds, land, and supply chains; the loss of production control amid the climate crisis; and the lack of voice for smallholders in policy-making…

Foodthink has translated and organised this position paper. As young farmers find their voice on the international stage, how should policymakers, civil society, scientists, and the public understand the complexities of agricultural transformation? And how will young farmers bridge cultural and institutional divides to collectively tackle the many challenges posed by the ecological crisis?

● Yingying pictured with 17 other young farmers from around the world. Source: GFFA official website

I. Challenges Facing the Global Food System and the Core Demands of Young Farmers

What crises does the current global food system face?

The current global food system is mired in a complex web of intersecting crises.

Frequent extreme weather events triggered by climate change—such as droughts, floods, and pests—are leading to reduced crop yields or even total failure; geopolitical conflicts have sparked energy crises and supply chain disruptions, with soaring fertiliser prices and transport bottlenecks further compromising food security; multinational agribusinesses are squeezing the survival space of smallholders by controlling seeds, pesticides, and agricultural trade markets; and the fossil-fuel-driven industrial agriculture model has resulted in land degradation, biodiversity loss, and the depletion of water resources.

Most critically, women, young farmers, indigenous peoples, and smallholders—who make up the majority of the population—are excluded from decision-making systems, yet they bear the direct brunt of climate disasters and economic inequality.

What is the core solution proposed by young farmers?

Young farmers advocate for the reshaping of the global food system through structural reform. The primary task is to break the control of multinational corporations over land, seeds, technology, and markets, shifting agricultural resources towards small-scale farmers and local communities.

Secondly, they propose promoting a circular economy model centred on agroecology, reducing dependence on fossil fuels through biodiversity conservation, organic farming, and localised food systems. At the same time, they seek to guarantee the land rights, technological autonomy, and right to participate in policy-making for youth, marginalised groups, and indigenous peoples, ensuring their needs are reflected within global governance frameworks.

The ultimate goal is to build an inclusive, equitable, and climate-resilient food system where agricultural production and ecological restoration progress in tandem, achieving intergenerational equity and social justice.

II. Bioeconomy

What is the bioeconomy, and what are the risks associated with its development?

The bioeconomy refers to an economic model that substitutes fossil fuels with agricultural waste, biomass energy, and biotechnology; in theory, this can reduce carbon emissions and create green economic opportunities.

However, young farmers argue that while the advocacy for resource recycling is positive, within the current global economic system, the bioeconomy risks becoming a“technological fix” dominated by industrialised nations. Multinational corporations may seize this opportunity to expand their control over biomass resources—for instance, by using biofuel policies to force farmers into monoculture, thereby exacerbating land grabbing and competition for water.

Furthermore, the integration of biotechnology with nanotechnology and gene editing could further strengthen control over nature and farmers, turning it into a tool for continuing capital accumulation rather than a truly sustainable path for transformation.

Unless the bioeconomy is closely linked with ecological protection and social equity goals, it will merely perpetuate high-consumption, high-pollution production models, serving the economic interests of a few rather than the actual needs of the Global South.

III. Agroecology

Why is agroecology regarded as the real solution?

Agricultural development within a sustainable bioeconomy must be rooted in respect for the Earth and a harmonious coexistence with ecological processes.

Young farmers call for the inclusion of all stakeholders in the assessment of the bioeconomy, including the recognition of nature as an independent stakeholder with its own rights. Agroecology ensures this, offering a genuine solution to the climate crisis and a way to move beyond an industrialised food system dependent on fossil fuels.

● Agroecology is simultaneously a science, a practice, and a social movement, serving as the foundation of the food sovereignty framework. Image source: ‘Agroecology: Key Concepts, Principles and Practices’, translated by the Peasants’ Seed Network.

Agroecology emphasises agricultural production methods that mimic the functions of natural ecosystems, such as intercropping, crop rotation, and agroforestry systems. Its advantages lie in enhancing system resilience through biodiversity and reducing reliance on external inputs such as chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Furthermore, agroecology can support local economies, promote equitable access to resources, lower the barriers for young people entering agriculture, and empower rural communities. In contrast to the high-input and high-pollution characteristics of industrial agriculture, agroecology demonstrates a triple viability: economic, ecological, and social.

IV. Youth Participation in Land Reform

The core objective of land reform is to end the predatory land grabs by multinational corporations and rebuild a land governance system centred on smallholders, women, and indigenous peoples.

Examples include enacting legislation to prohibit foreign capital from purchasing more than a certain percentage of agricultural land and redistributing idle land to marginalised groups; integrating land, climate, and water resource management policies to ensure land tenure is linked to ecological service functions, acknowledging the collective rights of communities to natural resources; and establishing regionalised, democratised land arbitration bodies to replace the current dispute resolution mechanisms dominated by multinational arbitration firms, thereby safeguarding the right to legal redress for vulnerable groups.

What structural barriers do young farmers face in agricultural policy?

Firstly, the continuous rise in global land prices makes initial investments unaffordable for the younger generation, while land ownership remains concentrated in the hands of a few oligarchs and multinational corporations, marginalising youth as a “landless generation”.

Secondly, agricultural policy-making has long been dominated by multinational corporations, financial institutions, and think tanks, leaving young farmers without institutionalised channels to voice their concerns. In many countries, agricultural subsidies flow to large-scale farms, while smallholders and young entrepreneurs are ignored.

Furthermore, agricultural education systems are disconnected from practical needs. School curricula overemphasise commercialised techniques while neglecting agroecology and community collaboration experience, leaving young people lacking the practical skills needed to address the climate crisis.

V. Food Sovereignty

What is food sovereignty, and why do young farmers emphasise its importance?

Food sovereignty refers to the right of nations, regions, and communities to autonomously determine their own agricultural production and food distribution, including seed breeding, land use, trade policies, and dietary culture choices.

Young farmers emphasise this concept because food sovereignty can effectively resist the erosion of local agriculture by multinational food retailers and free trade agreements. It safeguards the diversity and adaptability of dietary cultures, enabling communities to select crops adapted to the local climate based on ecological conditions and traditional knowledge. During crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, countries with localised food systems and stronger food sovereignty demonstrated greater resilience.

What policy support is required to achieve food sovereignty?

Young farmers call for the creation of a market-shaping system based on equity, solidarity, and an ethics of responsible production. Governments need to increase policy support for local and regional food chains.

Financially, governments should increase the proportion of agricultural subsidies, prioritising eco-friendly smallholders, and use tax policies to curb speculative land transactions.

Regarding trade, harmful clauses in trade agreements must be abolished, and regional food reserve networks should be established to stabilise market price fluctuations.

Technically, there is a need to promote open-source seed banks and farmer-led R&D systems, such as India’s “Biodiversity Conservation and Seed Sovereignty Movement”.

Finally, a “Global Food Security Convention” should be established through legislation to incorporate food sovereignty into the international human rights framework and constrain the market dominance of multinational corporations.

VI. Technical Sovereignty and the Reconstruction of Power

What is the stance of young farmers regarding agricultural technology?

The core concern of young farmers regarding technological development centres on the reproduction of power relations.

Technological monopolies can cause smallholders to lose their productive autonomy; for example, GMO seed patents force farmers to purchase new seeds every season, exacerbating economic vulnerability. Knowledge barriers limit the inclusivity of technological dissemination; multinational corporations keep technology locked away through complex licensing agreements, while public research institutions often lack the resources to support localised improvements.

How do young farmers propose to achieve technical sovereignty (sovereignty control of technology)?

Innovation and technology have always been at the heart of agriculture. Using technology and open data to share skills and information with other food producers allows farmers to adjust their production practices as effectively as possible when facing the climate crisis. New technologies hold immense potential for reducing the ecological impact of food production, facilitating knowledge exchange between farmers, and utilizing waste to transition towards a circular economy.

Technology should complement rather than replace traditional and indigenous practices, and must always be developed with the participation of local communities to ensure it meets their needs. Therefore, young farmers argue that technological development must follow the principle of “co-design, co-ownership”, ensuring that farmers and scientists jointly participate in technological R&D and decision-making.

Furthermore, the adoption of technology should not create dependencies that infringe upon the producers’ capacity to make autonomous decisions regarding their production, territory, culture, and livelihoods. Farmers must have the right to decide for themselves whether to integrate new technologies into their cultivation systems, rather than being driven to use them by corporations.

Click here to read the original manifesto

*This article was translated and edited using AI tools

Editor: qiqi