The average age of a farmer in the European Union (EU) is 57 years old. That fact sits at the heart of one of the most existential challenges facing European agriculture: Who will work the land when the current generation can no longer do so?

To explore this question, the Bahá’í International Community's (BIC) Brussels Office recently convened a roundtable discussion exploring how to address an aging farming population in the EU, bringing together representatives from civil society, farmer and youth organizations, environmental groups, EU institutions, Member State delegations, and academia.

The event, titled "Assessing Generational Renewal in the EU Farming Sector: The Role of Education," examined how social perceptions, structural factors, and education and training systems shape young people's entry into, and long-term commitment to, agricultural and environmental work.

In describing how addressing the challenge is also connected to addressing one's aspiration for a sense of community, Oliver Goshey, a small-scale farmer from Spain who also makes education materials for Climate Farmers—an organization working to scale regenerative agriculture in Europe—noted that “younger generations are looking to reconnect” with the land, and with their communities. He described how the ecological relationship has shifted, with farmers having been "demoted mostly to operators and machinery technicians," adding that younger generations of farmers are seeking to return to being stewards of the land.

Participants explored how attracting a new generation of young farmers requires more than addressing practical obstacles. Alba Barrutieta, a Policy Officer at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, spoke about the consultation process that informed the EU's Strategy on Generational Renewal. Alongside well-known structural barriers such as access to land, she said, something broader emerged. "We also came across these other barriers, or aspects, about [young people's] contributions to society, and to sustainability. The financial aspect is very important for the future of agriculture, but there are also perceptions, expectations and aspirations."

Despite the scale of the challenge, several participants emphasized the importance of nurturing young people’s sense of purpose, identity, and feelings of belonging. Participants also highlighted the value of efforts which foster a sense of agency and ownership, a vision for social change, and respond to a young person’s strong sense of justice, their commitment to environmental stewardship, and their desire to make a meaningful contribution. They remarked that these features can help address the growing disconnection—from both community and agricultural work—that many young people experience today.

That insight shaped the approach of AFLORA Foundation, a Bahá'í-inspired socio-educational organization, based in the Canary Islands. Laura Sanchez described the foundation’s efforts to engage youth with no background in farming. Rather than prescribing a particular path, the Foundation works to help young people discover their own talents and interests. “First of all, we explored with them the nobility of farming and working with nature,” Ms. Sanchez said. 

"We were working with a group who had developed an understanding of their capacity for change within themselves, their communities, and their environment. One of the key factors in maintaining their interest in agricultural work was fostering their sense of identity and their understanding of human nature, purpose and nobility," she added.  

Marie-Claire Feller, a young farmer settled in Sweden and a member of the Youth Articulation of European Coordination Via Campesina, described a farm project offering university agriculture students opportunities for practical experience. 

“It resonated with students from other courses, locals joined, and students from other universities. Now, we are 450 young people from all different academic and geographical backgrounds, hosting open sessions, lectures, workshops, and welcoming hundreds of people from schools to city officials,” Ms. Feller said.

“People joined our project because it gives a sense of agency, and in this very complex world that is also increasingly removed by technology and artificial intelligence, it's incredibly important for us to have a direct cause and effect.”

Yet making space for young people is not enough on its own. Alessandro Benedetti, Representative of the BIC’s Brussels Office, shared how “we cannot just give another seat at the table, we must also create spaces for young people to rethink the rules of the system itself, to reimagine the farming system in a different way that increasingly embodies principles of justice and equity.”

That points to a larger question—one posed by Mujahid Rasool, researcher from the Leibniz Institute, who questioned the assumptions behind the push for generational renewal in the first place.

“If the purpose of European agriculture is to produce enough food, that is being done. If its purpose is to maintain land for agriculture, that is also being done,” Mr. Rasool said. The real issue, he suggested, is asking why generational renewal matters, and what kind of agricultural system humanity is actually trying to build for itself and its future.

Participants agreed that while exploring the solutions to answer this question is not easy, asking it is where the work begins.