EU CAP Network Seminar: Ensuring the Right to Stay for Young Farmers and Rural Youth

David Lamb (EU CAP Network) welcomed participants to the seminar and provided an overview of the range of stakeholders and countries represented, highlighting that 70% of attendees were under the age of 40.

Gijs Schiltuis (DG AGRI) shared his personal experience of growing up in a rural village and emphasised the importance of discussing the ‘right to stay’ by improving access to essential services, economic opportunities and supportive policy frameworks. He noted opportunities provided by National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) and the EU Generational Renewal Strategy in Agriculture to address key challenges in rural areas. He also underlined the need to tackle generational renewal through a comprehensive and coordinated policy approach beyond the CAP, as well as the role of the EU CAP Network in facilitating collaboration among diverse stakeholders.

Maria Gafo and Alba Barrutieta (DG AGRI, social sustainability unit) provided the context for the EU Strategy on Generational Renewal in Agriculture, which resulted from an extensive consultation process with stakeholders. They highlighted its key priorities – including access to finance, access to land, access to knowledge and innovation, pension schemes, and rural services – along with associated flagship actions. The 2028-2034 CAP proposal includes dedicated measures for generational renewal, such as the introduction of national generational renewal strategies to be developed by Member States and integrated in their NRPP, a ‘starter pack’ consisting of a comprehensive set of interventions aimed at young farmers facilitating entry and establishment of farmers in the agricultural sector, and support for farm relief services.

This first panel session set the tone for the day, with five young rural stakeholders sharing their personal experiences.

Vytenis Grigas (Lithuanian Young Farmers and Youth Union) highlighted challenges related to access to land and finance. Coming from a non-farming family, he initially struggled to find suitable land and eventually purchased seven hectares of abandoned land near his home, financing it through a family loan and CAP funds. He managed to transform the land by installing drainage systems and diversifying production with fruit trees, strawberries and asparagus, and addressed labour shortages through social media promotion and special ‘pick your own’ activities to attract urban visitors.

Justine Poppe (Groene Kring, Flanders-Belgium) presented ‘Landmobiliteit’, a project launched in 2023 to facilitate farm succession and improve access to land for young farmers. This matchmaking service connects young farmers with older farmers without successors through a structured, tailor-made process. It also connects young farmers with banks and with advisory services, to facilitate access to credit and knowledge. While interest is high, successful matches are still limited due to regulatory uncertainty, pricing disagreements and the complex emotional dimensions of farm succession.

Xavier Longras (LAG Litoral Rural, Portugal) shared his experience as a LAG manager and teacher at an agricultural school. He emphasised the importance of practical learning by connecting students directly with farming realities. He shared his experience in encouraging one of his students and his father to experiment with hydroponics on a small plot, despite the father’s reluctance to change after 30 years of traditional tomato production. A successful trial that doubled profits led to the conversion of over two hectares of land to hydroponic production, significantly improving the family’s livelihood and quality of life. Xavier further supported the student in accessing CAP support funding for setting up young farmers, enabling both him and his brother to remain in the sector.

Lucas Rodriguez (EPA! Jovenes Rurales, Spain) reflected on how making rural life a real option requires strong community ties and cultural connections. In his own depopulated village, Lucas and his rural youth organisation revived the traditional San Pedro festival, which had been fading, using it to strengthen social cohesion and foster intergenerational dialogue. He explained that EPA! works by first understanding the ’language’ of each place, as a way to unite people, encourage participation and create a shared sense of belonging.

Ketrin Kastehein (Rural Youth Europe) emphasised that generational renewal should see young people as co-designers of policy, ensuring they have a meaningful say in shaping decisions that affect their future. Consultation is the smartest way to design policies and strengthening and legitimising youth organisations are essential to ensure young people are involved in decision-making.

A good example of structured co-creation processes was the European Rural Youth Forward Conference in Spain (February 2026), where young people proposed initiatives and engaged directly with decision-makers, including the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen.

The Q&A session allowed the speakers to clarify certain points.

Maria Gafo (DG AGRI) clarified that the proposed 6% allocation for generational renewal would come from within the ring-fenced CAP income support, while the ‘rural target’, announced by the Commission, comes from the non-allocated resources (outside of CAP ringfencing). The rural target foresees 10% of the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) general allocation—after deducting earmarked amounts for the CAP and CPF —to be dedicated to rural areas.

Addressing broader reflections, Ms Gafo also emphasised that farms that identify a successor in a timely fashion report higher levels of investment and innovation.

Lucas Rodríguez (EPA! Jovenes Rurales, Spain) elaborated on the importance of recognising the link between agriculture and culture. He shared EPA!’s ongoing efforts to promote platforms for dialogue, bringing together ministries of culture and agriculture to jointly address the future of rural communities. He clarified that closely knit communities can be inclusive and open to different, changing identities.

Through two rounds of interactive group sessions, the participants identified key barriers to generational renewal in agriculture and drafted recommendations for concrete actions to be implemented at national level. Key listeners then shared key insights from each group.

Mario Fuentes (European Council of Young Farmers, CEJA) reported key recommendations from this group:

Anna Frosini (Agroecology Europe) highlighted recommendations from this group:

Mujahid Rasool (Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies – IAMO, Germany) reported on recommendations from this group:

Jakub Dvorsky (Rural Youth Parliament Slovakia) highlighted the group’s proposals to address key challenges such as insufficient digital infrastructure, limited access to affordable housing, and gaps in mobility and local services:

Anja Fortuna (Rural Pact Support Office) reported on discussions within the group, which revolved around two main topics: capacity building and participation mechanisms. Key needs and solutions discussed in this group included:

David Lamb (EU CAP Network) concluded the seminar by reflecting on the key messages emerging throughout the day, notably the importance of financial support and access to credit, the need to improve work–life balance and farmers’ overall well-being, and the role of culture in rural life as “culture is an integral part of agri-culture". Rural life can be both attractive and deeply engaging. Farming should be recognised not only as an entrepreneurial activity but also as a way of life, closely connected to the broader rural environment.

He stressed the need to continue working to change the narrative around rural areas, promoting a better understanding of farming, strengthening gender equality and building on the good practices shared during the seminar. He concluded by stressing the role of the CAP in supporting innovation and encouraging a more risk-taking and forward-looking approach within the sector to ensure generational renewal.