A young environmental activist says the youth need to be involved in the battle against climate change and environmental degradation. Deon Shekuza raised the concern that with the adverse impacts of drought, the land capacity will be unable to meet food security, water and nutrition demands. He told the African Drought Conference in Windhoek on Monday that youth involvement in mitigating the effects should be viewed as preparing them for the future. The prolonged El Niño dry spells saw several southern African countries facing food shortages and extreme droughts, including Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. Shekuza said the young people are at the centre of the drought and the best measure of preparedness is to capacitate them, because future droughts will come their way. He expressed the need for more access to financing mechanisms towards young delegates’ attendance at regional and international summits on environmental issues. The conference, held under the theme – Enhancing Resilience to Drought Events on the African Continent – brings to over 600, the number of local and international delegates.