Harvesting Hopes
‘Green Skills’ is one of the buzz phrases of 2023, emanating from a growing realization that today, all effort must be directed towards developing and supporting sustainable and resource efficient societies. With rising pollution, climate change, economic down-turn, deteriorating crucial resources and changing lifestyle patterns, the youth is particularly impacted. It has therefore become all the more necessary to blink an eye to it.
According to former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, “Youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the change makers of today, with the capacity to move mountains and bridge divides.”
In the metaphorical context, there are several mountains that need to be shifted and more bridges to be built, to try and achieve the desired goals. This is perhaps just the beginning where the youth of Pakistan (almost 30% of the total population) stands with the power to literally move mountains.
The dilemma however is that most of the youth is either uneducated, lacks interest, or is majorly unaware of the problems that are looming large. The problem of changing lifestyles seems to be one of the biggest threats that the humankind has ever faced. The other mammoth problems of pollution, climate change and lack of green practices are all linked to this ‘problem’ unfortunately, and requires immediate attention, most importantly from the youth.
When it comes to changing lifestyle patterns, it is like a tip of an iceberg. Through an influence of many factors, the rapidly altering lifestyle of the youth include reduced physical activities, poor eating habits, less hours of sleep and social imbalance. All of these contribute largely to the gnawing problem of addressing ‘green practices.’
There is an immediate need to bring these issues to the forefront to enable youth to change for the better. Taking food, for instance, there is a need to shift towards ‘healthier options’. This is where the concept of ‘Food for Life’ plays an integral part. The youth today can play a significant role in shaping their choices to have a greater impact on the overall community.
This is what the youth of today should be harnessing for a better world tomorrow.
Better Nutrition for the World
1. An emphasis on food safety to provide access to fortified food choices to the masses. The youth of today can make a conscious effort to make a shift towards more nutritious and fortified food options. Replacing their existing product choices to those that offer better food options in terms of balanced nutrients and good quality is the need of the day.
2. Addressing food insecurity is crucial for improving nutrition. This can be done by providing nutritious and affordable food to vulnerable population and encouraging practices to minimize food waste. This can be controlled through better meal planning, composting and food donation initiatives.
3. The generation of today must focus on choosing healthy eating habits to overcome nutrient gaps for a stronger tomorrow. Minimizing the use of fast and processed food is the key to avoid nutritional imbalances and deficiencies and obesity.
A Good Living for Farmers
1. It is essential that young farmers are given a chance to practice sustainable agriculture. This is where training of local farmers become imperative to maximize productivity and efficiency in agricultural systems. It is crucial to create economically viable farming systems to encourage diversification, value-added products and efficient resource management to enhance profitability for the local farmers.
2. Conserving water resources; no matter how archaic this topic seems, water conservation is the most important aspect of our survival. Rainwater harvesting, less use of water, water recycling and curbing water waste are few ways to tackle this issue.
3. The young leaders of today must give due importance to the social well-being of farmers and rural communities. Most importantly promote fair labour practices and community involvement to uplift their standard of living.
For the Generations to Come
This International Youth Day calls for an action towards Green Skills for Youth as a theme declared by the United Nations. A follow-up on Green Skills or Green technologies is imperative for Pakistani Youth by learning to:
– Harness energy from renewable sources like sunlight, wind, water, geothermal, and biomass.
– Learn about eco-friendly structures such as using recycled metal, glass, and plastic to reduce the demand for new raw material.
– Taking care of the environment by participating more in initiatives such as cleaning beaches, and growing more trees.
In conclusion, the youth of today needs a move towards nature, outdoors, natural simple living, and most importantly ‘going backwards in practices to advance forward in life.’
