Nairobi, 25th November, 2022
Nairobi based Food safety, systems and security specialist Samuel Ikua, a Nairobi youth has won the Food Chain Global Champion Award 2022 for promoting urban agriculture in Nairobi in partnership with Nairobi County Food and Agriculture Sector.
This was a global competition that saw Nairobi take the first position.
The winner was announced at the BBC Food and Farming Awards in Cardiff United Kingdom this month.
Said Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson, “We are very very proud of Samuel and his passion for championing of Food security matters in Nairobi. This passion has now made him an international winner. This just shows young people are on the front lines of climate change and Food security and systems. At Nairobi county we need this generational knowledge and expertise to play a central role in the transition to more sustainable and resilient food systems.”
The competition was about how young people are currently working to change the way people produce, process or even think about food locally, regionally and globally.
Samuel trains Nairobi City residents with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to start urban farming projects inorder to provide income and food security. Ikua also serves as the Habitat International Coalition’s (HIC) representative at the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty Youth Working Group.
This year invited entries for people aged between 18 and 30 who are trying to change the way people deal with food from its production to its presentation and consumption. The Global Youth Champion Award is hosted by BBC Radio 4’s Good and Farming Awards, a UK based competition. It is the only international category and open to people living anywhere in the world.
Samuel also represented Nairobi farmers during the Milan Urban Food Pact Policy (MUFPP) Global Forum through Resource Centre for Urban Agriculture and Forestry Global Partnership for Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Systems in Brazil in October 2022, an event which was attended by Nairobi County Deputy Governor H.E Njoroge Muchiri, Agriculture Sector Monitoring and evaluation Officer Winfred Katumo and Environment Deputy Director Maurice Kavai.
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