Generational renewal in a rural development context goes beyond a reduction in the average age of farmers in the EU. It is also about empowering a new generation of highly qualified young farmers to bring the full benefits of technology so as to support sustainable farming practices in Europe.
Young farmers can make a relevant contribution to promoting rural prosperity, strengthening rural value chains, and investing in rural viability and vitality – three of the ten policy orientations articulated in the Cork 2.0 Declaration of September 2016.
Nonetheless, young people interested in taking up farming face challenges such as access to land, finance, knowledge and training.
In this context, the ENRD Contact Point supports generational renewal through thematic activities such as:
- identifying how various Rural Development Programme (RDP) Measures could be effectively implemented to facilitate access to land, finance, knowledge and training;
- facilitating cooperation and information exchange between National Rural Network (NRN) representatives and young farmers and new entrants into farming.
Browse through the sections below to explore various ENRD, EU and national resources related to generational renewal in European rural development.
See also related material on 'Social Inclusion'.
