Young people engage in sustainable agriculture to combat
hunger and climate change

Young people in particular are affected by the lack of prospects and poverty in the rural areas of north-eastern Brazil. They often have little access to education and healthcare. The Brazilian government’s agricultural policy supports large landowners with their monoculture plantations, which are geared towards exports. These require intensive use of pesticides and damage the environment. The large landowners are increasingly squeezing out the smallholder families, even though they cover 70% of the national demand for agricultural products. As a result of deforestation, the population is also struggling with prolonged periods of drought and water shortages, which further exacerbates the situation. It is very difficult for young people to build a livelihood here. As a result, many young people migrate to the big cities or seek work as harvest workers on large plantations, where they end up living and working in precarious conditions.