(L-R) CRSB & PSE's Jenna Sarich, CYL Grad Brodie Haugan and CCA's Jessica Radau at the World Food Forum.
On October 16-20, 2023, a small delegation from the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) attended the World Food Forum to highlight the sustainability story of the Canadian cattle industry at an international level. Held at the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy, this year's World Food Forum focused on the theme of "Agri-food systems transformation accelerates climate action".
2023 marked the third year of the World Food Forum with over 6,000 in-person attendees and over 20,000 participants online. The event featured a Global Youth Forum, Science and Innovation Forum, and Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum to foster intergenerational dialogue among agri-food stakeholders around the world in search of actionable climate change solutions.
The goal of CCA's participation was to bring a more balanced narrative to the discussion of the Canadian beef industry's important role in the climate change solution and our ability to provide a protein-dense product to a growing global population. The Forum's large focus on youth provided an excellent opportunity for young leaders in the beef industry to engage and amplify the message that we need more, not less, sustainably produced foods like Canadian beef.
The delegation included Canadian Cattle Association Youth Leadership Coordinator, Jessica Radau, Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) & Public and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE) Technical Consultant and Writer, Jenna Sarich, and Canadian Cattle Young Leaders (CYL) Graduate and southern Alberta rancher, Brodie Haugan. The delegation was built to maximize engagement opportunities at the forum by aligning on shared priorities of investing in youth, providing a strong research and factual approach to discussions with involvement from the PSE team and CRSB, and ensuring the inclusion of the producer voice.
"The voice of youth is critical in the future direction of our industry, and it all starts with keeping young people at the table and engaged in the discussion." said CYL Grad, Brodie Haugan. "The World Food Forum was a great experience to learn more about the food security and climate challenges facing agriculture around the world, and how the Canadian beef industry can be an important part of the solution."
Below are highlights of the delegation's engagement throughout the week.
Brodie Haugan & Jenna Sarich (far right) were featured as panelists at a forum side event.
Side Event: Investing in Youth in Agri-Food Systems for Accelerated Climate Action
During the forum, CCA co-hosted a side event with Nuffield International and NextGen Ag Impact Network to highlight the importance of investing in youth. Both Brodie Haugan and Jenna Sarich participated as event panelists to spotlight the next generation of leaders and sustainability work in the Canadian beef industry with case studies from CCA's youth programs and CRSB.
Brodie Haugan spoke to his experience in the Canadian CYL Program and Canadian Cattle Youth Council, while emphasizing the importance of recognizing the ecological goods and services provided by cattle producers. He pointed to CCA's youth programs as where he built a strong foundation and skill set that opened doors to his current role as the Chair of the Alberta Beef Producers; The youngest producer to be elected to this role.
Jenna Sarich highlighted the sustainability work of CRSB, including the national beef sustainability assessment and strategy conducted every seven years. Through the strategy, industry works in collaboration to create a road map of science-based decisions to help the industry reach its goals for 2030. She presented that supporting youth is part of the overall sustainable strategy, where increasing the sustainability of the industry is allowing the youth to inherit a strong and thriving industry through these science-based decisions. She also highlighted a new project underway where CRSB and the Canadian Cattle Youth Council are working in collaboration to explore the creation of a youth member position to include a young producer voice at the table. Click below to watch the presentation recording.
CCA Youth Delegation Statement in Youth Assembly
CCA was successfully accepted to form its own CCA delegation to participate in the Youth Assembly as part of the World Food Forum. The Youth Assembly included various activities such as policy and scientific discussions, capacity development workshops, exhibitions, side events and more. This included the opportunity to submit a statement, where the delegation was able to bring awareness to the role the Canadian beef industry plays in storing carbon through grassland conservation, producing a protein-rich product for the world's growing population, driving technology and innovation to reduce environmental impact, and our contributions to global food security through trade. Click below to read the full statement.
Meetings and New Connections
The forum provided a great setting to create new connections and build upon existing relationships to strengthen our engagement at the international level. During the week, CCA participated in bilateral meetings as part of the private sector to engage with various FAO representatives. Discussions included the need for a holistic and science-based approach when discussing the role of livestock protein, catering solutions to the local level, livestock's role in greenhouse gas mitigation and the importance of trade.
The forum also provided the opportunity to connect with Maarten de Groot, Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the Rome Based Agencies. A great way to wrap up the week with discussion on the industry’s sustainability work and ambitious 2030 goals, while discussing potential areas for collaboration on future FAO engagements.
CCA looks forward to building on the momentum of discussions at the World Food Food at international events this fall such as COP 28.
Thank you to our Canadian Cattle Young Leaders partners that made CYL Grad, Brodie Haugan’s participation possible at the World Food Forum to highlight the Canadian beef industry’s environmental sustainability story. Thank you to our Platinum Partner, McDonald’s Canada, Foundation Partners, Cargill, MNP, New Holland, Elanco, and Gold Partners, Farm Credit Canada, RBC Future Launch and Alltech.
Excellent opportunity to build relationships with international groups like the World Farmers' Organisation.