Access to land, finance and rural services are crucial factors for generational renewal in agriculture. This was a clear message emerging from a European seminar on generational renewal organised by the EU CAP Network in Brussels on 11 March 2026, entitled “Ensuring the Right to Stay for Young Farmers and Rural Youth“. Discussions focused on promoting dialogue, strengthening partnerships, and sharing good practices to meet the needs of rural youth and young farmers.  

The urgency for EU action on generational renewal

With over 150 participants from across Europe, including young farmers, national and regional authorities, and agricultural stakeholders, the event aimed to translate the recent Strategy on Generational Renewal from the European Commission into concrete actions at national and regional level.  

Gijs Schilthuis, Director of Sustainability in DG AGRI at the European Commission, set the scene by outlining what the EU is already doing to support generational renewal in agriculture. He noted that the average age of farmers in the EU is 57, and that the average population decline in rural areas between 2015 and 2020 was 0.1%, a trend that research shows is considerably more pronounced in mountain areas. These figures underline the urgency of meeting the EU’s ambition to double the number of young farmers in the EU by 2040. 

Euromontana’s priorities

The seminar included breakout workshops on five different topics to develop recommendations and concrete actions to operationalise the strategy.  

Euromontana participated in two policy workshops, emphasising the lack of earmarked resources for generational renewal in the recent strategy and the need for dedicated support for mountain farming, given the compounding challenges young farmers face in these areas. While the strategy recommends allocating 6% of rural development funds within the upcoming National and Regional Partnership Plans (beyond direct agricultural income support) to generational renewal (double the previous figure of 3%), there remains a lack of clear consensus among Member States on financing, with some wishing to spend considerably less. 

Euromontana therefore emphasises the need for a strong commitment to generational renewal at national level and for strong schemes to be integrated into the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy, as well as strengthened cooperation with Member States and regions. Better advice and succession tools, more support for mountain farming, and meaningful rural proofing are also vital as part of a territorial approach to generational renewal, as outlined in Euromontana’s position.  

What young farmers are calling for

Reporting back from the policy workshops, workshop rapporteurs highlighted the need for bold changes across three broad themes: land access, finance, and rural life. On land, young farmers called for fairer pricing, scoring systems to prioritise active and young farmers, and smarter funding tools tailored to family farms, including a single-entry point for young farmer support. On succession, participants emphasised the value of matchmaking and advisory services, while upskilling through formal business training and the preservation of traditional farming knowledge were also deemed crucial.  

Further ideas to stimulate generational renewal included mentorship schemes and an Erasmus rural exchange programme to bring more young people into the sector. The seminar had a strong youth component throughout, with youth participation in policy design taking centre stage and a call for formal youth mechanisms for policies impacting generational renewal, such as the CAP and rural development in the next long-term EU budget. 

To make the strategy a reality, the EU must ensure its ambition and rhetoric on generational renewal translates into real prospects for young farmers in rural, remote and mountainous areas.