Enhancing the adoption of agroecological, climate smart, and environmentally sustainable practices through youth-led initiatives in the sugar industry

Sugarcane covers 65 million acres of land worldwide, and a dozen countries use at least 25% of their farmland to grow it, but there’s little awareness of its toll on the environment. This paper explores agroecology approaches that can be adopted to address the many challenges facing current agri-food systems such as climate change, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution. The paper justifies that well planned youth-centered initiatives can play a crucial role in driving agroecological, climate smart and environmentally sustainable practices within the sugar industry, shaping a sustainable future through innovative approaches and advocacy efforts. Using the TAPE tool this study explored how youth-led initiatives in the sugar industry can enhance the adoption of agroecological, climate smart, and environmentally sustainable practices among smallholder sugarcane farmers in western Kenya and found that more agroecologically advanced farming systems improved youth engagement with farming, contributing to a sustainable and resilient future.