Across the street from the Roman Forum and a short walk from the Colosseum sits the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters, where the 2024 annual World Food Forum was held from Oct. 14 through 18. The Forum invites youth from around the world to engage in dialogue about food, science and investment to advance a global goal of a resilient and hunger-free future. 

This year, four Planet Forward correspondents had the opportunity to attend the Forum and be a part of the conversation, along with Director of Academic Adventures Imani Cheers and Associate Director Kim Ossi. While in Rome, they reported on a variety of topics, from Indigenous food sovereignty to the water scarcity. In addition to attending events at the conference, correspondents had the opportunity to explore the Eternal City and connect with new and old friends. 

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day. And that’s definitely because you have to walk so much! Each morning, the students made the trek to the FAO building, either by foot or by piling into the Rome Metro from their apartment in Re Di Roma. The closest metro station was quickly renamed “Dupont Circle” by the District folks on the trip. 

Upon their arrival at the event, and once the group got past security, everyone quickly learned that the FAO is one gigantic labyrinth. The floor-standing maps of the building, set up in nooks and alcoves, did little to guide you in the right direction. It was a bit like a “choose your own adventure” — wandering down random hallways and hoping you weren’t walking into someone’s office! 

The forum began with the highly attended World Food Forum Youth Assembly Opening Ceremony. During the event, the World Food Forum Global Coordinator, Kazuki Kitaoka, spoke about implicit bias and demonstrated this concept by engaging the audience in a clever activity. He began by asking half of the audience to look at a photo of vegetables, and the other half at someone washing their hands. He then displayed the text “SO_P” to the audience and asked them to identify the word. The ones who saw vegetables said “soup” while those who saw someone washing their hands said “soap.”

The message behind this exercise was that people’s experiences make them implicitly biased toward one answer, or way of life, over another. This was a reminder that Forum attendees carried with them throughout the event while engaging with the international crowd.

Other sessions included the FAO Science and Innovation Forum and the Rome Water Dialogue. The event’s sessions emphasized youth participation, despite the median age of those in attendance being somewhere between 30 and 40. This age average was due to the many ambassadors and country representatives present.

Events located in the Plenary, or the main meeting space in FAO, also lacked a youth presence as only those with special guest passes or diplomats were allowed inside. Instead, young attendees convened to watch live streams in other rooms. This did not deter younger participants from getting involved, and many attendees made connections with others at these sessions.

Participants weren’t limited to learning inside the FAO building. To the back of the main hall, the Global Family Farming Forum was set up outside in a modern wood barn. Inside, participants could play a modified version of Minecraft known as Farmcraft, learn about the Farming Forum, explore how climate change is affecting agriculture, and more.

In the front of the main hall were two Indigenous tents serving up lively discussions, dishing out foods, and hosting musicians. The tents were also a place where people could relax for a few minutes in front of a crackling fire, sip on hot soup, ponder the latest session they attended, and chat with new friends.

Around the corner from the tents were the food trucks, and food was certainly another highlight of the trip. Outside of the Forum, the Planet Forward group took full advantage of their host city and devoured fresh pasta and creamy gelato on a nightly basis during classic two-and-a-half-hour Roman dinners. When in Rome! 

The FAO also invited the Planet Forward cohort to the American Youth World Food Forum 2024 Leaders Welcome Reception, hosted by the U.S. Representative to the FAO Ambassador Jeffrey Prescott, at his villa overlooking Rome. The group gathered in a beautiful garden under a moonlit sky and heard impassioned stories from the youth representatives and a special guest speaker: U.S. Special Envoy for Youth Issues Abby Finkenauer.

But the highlight of the evening might have been the familiar face in the crowd. Upon entering, the group ran into 2018 Planet Forward Correspondent, Alaine Johnson, who is now a Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellow and FAO World Food Forum Youth Representative. After the reception, Johnson joined the group for dinner and shared all about her work as a fellow in Ghana.

Planet Forward found that Rome is full of stories, both old and new. Our time at the Forum fostered the kind of invaluable connections needed to help share them here with our audience. We departed the ancient city with our hearts, minds, and bellies full.

Thanks very much for the FAO’s support during the event. The group is so grateful for the experience and we hope you enjoy the correspondents’ stories.