Water for Food Youth Challenge is a youth capacity-building series that we initiated to engage and empower young people in tackling water challenges within food production, including issues of too much water (flooding), too little water (drought), and water pollution. Through mentorship, workshops, and collaboration with experts, the challenge equips youth with essential skills and knowledge to develop practical, scalable solutions to global water and food security challenges. 

The first edition of the program seeks to engage students from Indonesia’s top agricultural university (IPB University) to explore innovative solutions addressing the water cycle in sustainable food production within the Pantura Region. The Pantura Region (Pantai Utara, or North Coast of Java) is a vital economic artery in Indonesia, whose food production and economic activities face critical threats from environmental and climate challenges. Pekalongan City, one of the cities located in the Pantura Region, will be the primary case study location for this edition. The city suffered from a significant food deficit, with several reasons being tidal flooding and substantial land subsidence, turning once-productive land into idle areas.

Participants will take part in a 5-day hackathon, where they will directly engage with local beneficiaries through field visits and gain professional guidance through expert training and mentoring. Their goal will be to develop solutions aimed at transforming the idle land into productive areas, culminating in a final presentation to determine the winner. With the growing impact of climate change, these solutions are needed for addressing Indonesia’s pressing food security challenges, supporting efforts in building a sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural system.