Rural Youth Climate Action Movement for Cool Farming in Indonesia

Climate change poses major challenges for agriculture and forestry. On the one hand, the pace and scope of climate change overwhelms smallholder farmers’ adaptive capacity. On the other hand, the greenhouse gas emissions of these sectors themselves contribute massively to climate change. Moreover, the smallholder family farms that produce the bulk of staple foods in the Global South do not have the means to implement climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. This jeopardises food security, leads to impoverishment and to the migration of young people to the cities. The project in Indonesia aims to reverse this trend by promoting the knowledge of young rural people on climate-friendly and -resilient, yet profitable methods of smallholder agriculture and supporting pilot projects of young farmers. Anchoring in youth associations, as well as university and policy support, promotes the sustainability and upscaling potential of the project approaches.