By Witness Radio team.
Young people are harnessing the power of digital tools to advocate for global land restoration. This use of technology, along with grassroots organizing and innovation, is seen as a key strategy in overcoming the climate and land crises. This was a significant takeaway from the first session of the Land and Youth Digital Conference, which is taking place virtually from September 9 to 11, 2025. The Land Portal organizes it in collaboration with its partners, including Witness Radio and youth groups.
Broadcasting live on Witness Radio, the first session—titled “Restoring Our Lands by Youth-Led Solutions “was organized by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and explored how youth are being integrated into land restoration initiatives, from smallholder farmers at the grassroots to decision-making spaces at international negotiations.
The GEF, according to its website, comprises several multilateral funds that work together to address the planet’s most pressing challenges in an integrated manner. Its financing helps developing countries address complex challenges and work towards meeting international environmental goals.
Urxe Urtegae, the Youth and Partnerships Analyst at the GEF, opened the session by stressing the importance of youth in shaping the future of sustainable land management.
“In Africa, where most of the population is under 35, young people are not just stakeholders—they are central actors,” she noted, adding that “We must integrate their visions, challenges, and ideas into our projects and governance models.”
She emphasized how the GEF works with young people through gender policies, fellowship opportunities, stakeholder mapping, and helping young negotiators gain access to international decision-making platforms, such as the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
According to Ulrich Apel, a senior Environment Specialist at the GEF, with $5.3 billion committed for its current funding cycle (2022–2026), almost 20 million hectares of land have been restored, and 75 million hectares have been placed under sustainable land management.
“GEF’s mandate is to protect the global environment. But we work so that local communities and young people benefit directly, linking grassroots action to global goals.” He added.
Innovation on the Ground: MyFarmTrees
Chris Kettle, Principal Scientist at the Alliance of Biodiversity International and CIAT, presented a case study that included the introduction of MyFarmTrees, one of the innovations involving youths.
Here, blockchain technology is utilized by the IUCN-implemented digital platform, which is supported by the GEF, to track and validate smallholder-led restoration efforts. Also, farmers can access new markets for their planting material, receive direct incentive payments through mobile wallets like M-Pesa, and demonstrate the genetic diversity and quality of their native tree seedlings.
“Digital tools offer extraordinary opportunities to link smallholder farmers to global climate and biodiversity goals. They have been used to document tree farms and have enabled farmers to receive digital payments that improve resilience against flooding linked to climate change.” Kettle emphasized.
Despite these advancements, issues like limited access to resources, underrepresentation in governing bodies, and insecure land tenure still affect young people. They, however, did point out that youth-led projects can significantly speed up climate resilience and land restoration with the correct backing.
The Land and Youth Digital Conference runs through September 11, convening youth leaders from indigenous communities, rural areas, land practitioners, and climate activists. Insights from the sessions are expected to contribute to global policy discussions, including at the upcoming COP30 climate negotiations.
Charl-Thom Bayer, the Land Portal Foundation’s Acting Team Leader, opened the conference by cautioning that the youth of today are inheriting “a fractured world driven by inequality and a failing response to the climate crisis.” He denounced the ongoing exclusion of young people from decision-making, noting that those in positions of authority today are shaping the future while often disregarding the opinions of the younger generation.
“We cannot continue to ignore the youth or marginalize their voices in the global land debate,” he said. “This is not about handing young people a seat at the table—it is about building a new table, where power is shared, where all voices matter, and where decisions are made with a generational perspective, not just the next election cycle.”
Thom underlined the importance of knowledge as a public good, describing access to land data and information as “an enabling right” that fuels accountability, storytelling, and movement-building. He positioned the conference as a catalyst for amplifying youth narratives and ensuring their presence at global platforms such as COP30.
