ECVC recommendations for the Action Plan on Generation Renewal

To reverse this trend, it is necessary to remove the many obstacles that currently hinder young people wishing to set up in agriculture. These include: land accumulation and speculation which make land scarce and inaccessible; lack of dignified income and working conditions; difficulty in accessing finance without falling into unbearable debt; difficult access to the market and lack of fair prices to the producer; difficulty in accessing diversified forms of knowledge and training; and last but not least the lack of meaningful inclusion of young farmers in food governance spaces and processes.

Considered this context, the strategic policy areas of the planned EU Action Plan for Generational Renewal in agriculture must be:

To address urgently:

To address subsequently:

The Youth of the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) state: "we are young people who are passionate and dedicated to agriculture. Some of us are already farmers, but most are trying to become one. Some of us have studied agriculture or are children of farmers, but many others come from different backgrounds. We work the lands of our native country, but we also cross borders. We are migrant and seasonal workers; we work in both rural and urban areas. Our diversity is our wealth. We may not have the “right” experience, skills and knowledge, but our motivation to learn is great. Our ambition is not to make European agriculture competitive and lucrative, but to ensure food supply through socially and ecologically just food systems. We promote small-scale and agroecological food production. We aspire to food sovereignty, the preservation of biodiversity and respect for the rights of farmers and farm workers. We call for an agriculture that is fit for the future and fair to all generations. We want the EU to recognise the key role of young farmers in the agriculture of today and tomorrow and to support and reward them accordingly”.

In this scenario, lots of farms are required and every farm counts. The continuous loss of farms must be reversed and each start-up project must be accompanied and supported.

We know that the guidance of the European Commission will be pivotal in this sense. The Action Plan for Generational Renewal in agriculture must contain measures to:

All over Europe farmers are asking for equitable access to land, fair prices and dignified incomes. Addressing this urgent call is key to ensuring the future of European farming for generations to come.

We must act now to ensure a future for European farming. European institutions must choose between trying to compete in an unfair global market, or creating strong and economically viable food systems that are both socially and ecologically sustainable.

Without bold actions such as those proposed in this document, the EU will continue to see the tragic decline of rural areas and local food systems. However, the EU must seize the current momentum and shift policies to ensure a bright future for food, environment and health across the continent.