• Organised by EU CAP Network
  • CEST
  • English
  • EU CAP Network premises - Brussels, Belgium
  • In-person

This was the second meeting of the Thematic Group on Valuing Farmers' Wider Contributions to Society.

Kids paying attention to a farmer while he talks about his farm

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.

The second meeting aimed to:

  • 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.

To follow the work of this Thematic Group, please visit this page regularly, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, and follow us on social media (#ValuingFarmers).

Programme

English language

Agenda - Thematic Group on Valuing Farmers’ Wider Contributions to Society

(PDF – 173.33 KB)

Additional info

Venue

EU CAP Network premises

Av. des Arts, 9/bis Brussels 1210 Belgium

Organiser

EU CAP Network

EU Stakeholders

Support

CAP Implementation Contact Point

EU CAP Network

Resources

Presentations

English language

Welcome & Introduction to the Thematic Group (TG) – Veronika Korcekova, EU CAP Network

(PDF – 269.65 KB)

English language

Reporting Key Messages from the Informal TG Exchanges – Vitor Rodrigues, CNA, and Sebastian Perel, CEJA

(PDF – 139.82 KB)

English language

de Biesterhof Regenerative Burgerboerderij – Howard Koster, de Biesterhof

(PDF – 4.82 MB)

English language

Communication actions as National Network – Peter Dewitte, Flemish Rural Network

(PDF – 410.18 KB)

English language

Herenboeren Nederland – Paul Daniels, Vereniging Agrarische Bedrijfsadviseurs (VAB)

(PDF – 1.53 MB)

English language

From Soil to Story – Hannelore Akkermans, Hannestories

(PDF – 10.82 MB)

English language

Conclusions and Next Steps – EU CAP Network team

(PDF – 270.44 KB)