With the aim of advancing Uzbekistan’s agricultural and water sectors, attracting promising young professionals to these fields, and strengthening their capacities through international experience, five winners of the national competition “Young Talents for Uzbekistan’s Agriculture and Water Management” are participating in the World Food Forum 2026, held in Rome, Italy.

The competition was organised jointly by the Agency for Governance Efficiency under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The World Food Forum (WFF) Global Youth Action Initiative is a global platform that brings together young people from around the world to advance the development of sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agrifood systems.

Reaching tens of thousands of young people across 62 countries, the initiative supports youth-led projects and practical action. It also empowers the next generation to contribute actively to the transformation of agriculture and food systems, promote innovative solutions, and help shape a sustainable future.

As part of the forum, the competition winners participated in an interregional session under the “Global Youth Action” initiative entitled “Youth for a Sustainable Future of Livestock Farming: From National Dialogue to Regional Cooperation.” The participants discussed the outcomes of national consultations with young livestock farmers, contributed to bringing young people’s needs and proposals to the international agenda, and supported the development of joint recommendations for regional cooperation.

The competition winners also met at FAO headquarters with I. Abdurakhmonov, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Sh. Umarov, Deputy FAO Representative in Uzbekistan.

The discussions placed particular emphasis on promising youth-led initiatives and projects, the application of international best practices in Uzbekistan’s agrifood sector, and the development of a new generation of proactive, highly capable professionals equipped with modern knowledge and skills in agriculture and water management.

The primary objective of the competition is to identify promising young professionals, develop their professional and leadership capacities, expose them to international best practices, and prepare them to become active contributors to agricultural reforms and innovation-driven transformation in the years ahead.

📌 For reference: Throughout 2027, the competition winners will be progressively enrolled in international internship programmes in accordance with a jointly agreed schedule developed in coordination with FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).