“AI and youth entrepreneurship in the agrifood supply chain” event organized by JA Europe and JA Italia on the occasion of the G7 Agriculture Ministers meeting.
Milan, 25 September 2024 – At the occasion of the G7 Agriculture Ministers’ meeting, JA Europe and JA Italia organized today on 25 September a meeting on “Artificial Intelligence and youth entrepreneurship in the agrifood supply chain” at the Teatro Comunale of Siracusa. With the presence of the Minister of University and Research Anna Maria Bernini, the Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests Patrizio Giacomo La Pietra, the Mayor of Siracusa Francesco Italia, JA Europe CEO Salvatore Nigro and JA Italia CEO Miriam Cresta, students, teachers, representatives of institutions and companies in the agrifood sector, discussed about the impact of AI in the sector and showcased JA youth entrepreneurship experiences.
The event builds on the Call to Action by JA Europe and JA Italia in June with a seminar on the occasion of the G7 Ministerial meeting of Education, in which a series of recommendations for the G7 countries were presented in “JA Europe’s 7 points for G7”, i.e. a list of necessary and urgent actions to ensure that the next generation is equipped to seize the opportunities of entrepreneurship and employment. JA Europe and JA Italia together with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food have already started a series of training courses with the integration of Artificial Intelligence across the entire Agrifood supply chain and are organizing the largest Foodathon in the world.
During the event, JA Italia signed two memoranda of understanding with, respectively, the National Network of Agricultural Institutes (Re.N.Is.A.) and the National Network of Hotel Institutes (Re.Na.I.A.) to encourage the acquisition of entrepreneurial and soft skills so that youth is better prepared to face the world of work while at the same time contributing to reducing the skills gap.
Salvatore Nigro, CEO JA Europe, said: “Starting again from Agrifood, starting again from innovation, starting again from young people for a Europe that is a protagonist on global markets. Our continent has always expressed excellence in the sector but has invested too little in the training of young people and in the adoption of new technologies throughout the entire supply chain. JA continues to be at the forefront connecting young people to agrifood to create professionals and entrepreneurs of the future.”
Mario Roccaro, Senior Programme Manager at EIT Food, said: “The agriculture of the future requires future skills and competencies. Green skills, such as a propensity for sustainability, and digital skills, including artificial intelligence, will drive the transformation of the agri-food sector. To achieve this, we must prepare future farmers with a mindset ready to tackle the challenges of the sector. Entrepreneurship, problem-solving, and a systemic approach will be the competencies required, alongside technical and scientific skills. EIT Food has been working for years to train the human capital needed to face these challenges and develop the skills for the future”.
“As JA Italia we are very happy to start the new school year with this important collaboration with two networks of schools that represent the privileged entry into two product sectors, the agricultural one and that of catering and hospitality, which constitute the pillars of our economy and at the same time they undergoing a profound transformation in the coming years”, declared Miriam Cresta, CEO of JA Italia, and added: “We strongly believe that this signature is only the starting point to allow more and more students of these institutions to choose their educational and professional future with awareness and confidence , make their dreams come true and bring innovative projects to life.”
JA Europe
JA Europe is the largest and leading organisation in Europe dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed. For over 100 years, JA Worldwide has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial health. In the last school year, the JA Europe network in over 40 countries provided 6 million learning experiences for youth in online, in person and blended formats with the support of nearly 110,000 teachers and almost 90,000 business volunteers. In 2024, JA Worldwide was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the third nomination in three years.
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Junior Achievement Young Enterprise Italy ETS
With over a century of global expertise and more than twenty years in Italy, Junior Achievement is the largest non-profit organization in the world dedicated to economic and entrepreneurial education and career guidance in schools. It has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 122 countries, the JA network brings together over 465,000 corporate volunteers from all professional sectors, reaching more than 10 million students worldwide. Since 2019, Junior Achievement has been ranked 6th in the global Top500NGO ranking by NGO Advisor. Since 2002, in Italy, it has built a network of business professionals, foundations, institutions, educators, and teachers who, through social responsibility and volunteer work, provide practical and concrete educational tools and methods. Thanks to them, JA Italy trained over 340,000 young people aged 6 to 24 during the 2022/2023 school year, enhancing their talents, teaching them how to recognize opportunities so that the future becomes a promise of hope, and ensuring that today’s students will be tomorrow’s leaders in the workforce.
