Youth from Norway and Tanzania unite to learn about food security

From Children´s Fram in Tanzania

– Children and young people must learn about food. This is not only important in Norway, but one of the greatest international challenges, says Andreas Viestad, founder of Geitmyra. Soon, Norwegian youth will travel to Tanzania to work, while Tanzanian youth will work at Geitmyra in Norway. – This is also a unique opportunity for young people to gain new experiences, face challenges, and find solutions across cultures, says Viestad.

With support from the Norwegian Agency for Exchange Cooperation (Norec) – an agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Geitmyra Food Culture Center and Farm for the Future in Tanzania are launching an international exchange program. The program aims to provide youth from both countries with valuable insights and hands-on experience in food security and sustainable solutions.

Learning across cultures

The exchange program is a pilot project that includes participants aged 18 and older from both Norway and Tanzania. The participants will delve into challenges and opportunities related to food production and food security.

– Tanzania and Norway are very different countries, but the challenges around food and knowledge are universal. Obesity, overweight, and unhealthy eating habits are global issues. We must learn to prepare healthy food and understand where our food comes from, says Viestad.

In Tanzania, Norwegian participants will learn about sustainable agriculture and contribute to teaching children at Children’s Farm, recently established as part of the commercial Farm for the Future. Meanwhile, Tanzanian participants will gain insights into Norwegian food and health education and engage in activities for children and families in Norway.

Collaboration for sustainability and community development

– Geitmyra and Farm for the Future are working together to create unique arenas for knowledge exchange, says Osmund Ueland, project and board chair of Farm for the Future. – Through Children’s Farm, located within FFF's modern food production facility, and Geitmyra’s expertise in healthy food, the project will provide children and youth with essential knowledge about nutrition and inspire them to consider agriculture as an exciting career path.

Ueland adds that the goal is to foster long-term learning about nutrition while strengthening young people’s interest in agriculture. – In the long run, this will encourage more young people to stay in the villages where they grew up, which is vital for positive community development. 

– Geitmyra and Farm for the Future form an exciting partnership with great potential for knowledge sharing on sustainable agriculture and nutrition in Norway and Tanzania. We believe that the exchange of staff will help strengthen the existing educational programs for youth in both countries while providing employees with a valuable learning experience that will benefit both organizations in the long run. During our visit to Farm for the Future in Tanzania this fall, we also gained insight into how the project will contribute locally to youth in both countries. We look forward to seeing the results, says Sille Lukowski, head of civil society at Norec.

Program launch in 2025/26

Geitmyra and FFF are already deep in planning and recruitment, and the exchange will begin in the 2025/26 academic year.

– This is just the beginning. We hope the collaboration will inspire young people to take responsibility for food security and sustainable solutions in both countries, concludes Viestad.