2nd meeting of the Thematic Group on Valuing Farmers' Wider Contributions to Society

EU farmers play a crucial role in our society which is of other not recognised nor not communicated clearly enough. The public discourse is often centred around rather negative headlines and sometimes even an unfair criticism – so-called ‘agri-bashing’ – which leaves farmers demotivated and could even result in mental and physical problems. Furthermore, the negative narrative about farming could be among the factors that discourage young people from entering the sector.

How to change the prevailing narrative, recognise farmers’ societal contributions and make farming a more attractive and rewarding profession?

This Thematic Group (TG) reflected on existing narratives about farmers and the broader societal value produced by farmers. These can include individual, family, or community-based farmers, with diverse sizes of farms, and conventional or organic farming practices. The main goal of the TG was to facilitate the recognition of the multiple roles of farmers in rural communities and explore how to raise awareness about them.

Aims of the second TG meeting:

• To review outcomes of the TG work undertaken since 1st TG meeting.

• To jointly explore what can help to improve the public perception of farming and how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) could contribute to better recognition of farming.

• To discuss methods contributing to valuing farmers’ wider contributions, including storytelling practices and relevant policies supporting farmer's promotion.

• To develop actionable proposals on efficient communication about farming, resulting in improved attractiveness of farming profession.

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