Using the power of youth to revive rural areas

In rural areas, young women and men can play a catalytic role for spurring economic growth and development and to ensure the future of agriculture and rural communities. However, specific economic, social and cultural challenges affect their aspirations, livelihoods, well-being, and integration into local economies and there are still gaps in understanding where more support is needed. But, in Europe and Central Asia like everywhere around the world, there is a decline in youth engagement in agriculture as a career.  To ensure future food security and livelihoods, encouraging young people to take up or stay in farming is key. 

However, youth in agriculture often lack access to crucial assets and platforms, including markets, decent employment opportunities, or involvement in policy making. Effective and efficient policies and policy frameworks require a better understanding of their issues to allow for targeted actions and approaches.

To identify and discuss obstacles and opportunities of rural youth in Europe and Central Asia, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened the second Regional Rural Youth Forum in Budapest, Hungary. Starting today, youth representatives, decision makers, young farmers, civil society, and others) from 22 countries of the region will hear examples of successful support to rural youth, as well as look at the issues they are facing and solutions. In a region, where the trend in rural areas of the countries is to an ageing population, the forum is also an opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of generational sustainability of family farming.

The three-day rural youth forum has been designed to allow governments, civil society, academia, private sector, international organizations  representatives and representatives from youth groups and youth from the agricultural sector to establish or strengthen partnerships that benefit rural youth and young farmers.

“Despite a high general level of development, inequalities are on the rise in all parts of the region, manifested also in high levels of youth unemployment, exclusion of marginalized groups, and gender disparities. All these challenges often lead to migration from rural areas,” said Viorel Gutu, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, when opening the forum. 

The event will help map the situation and needs of rural youth – including the barriers and possibilities to youth engagement in agriculture, specifically access to land, finance, and knowledge – look at the generational renewal of family farming under the UN Decade of Family Farming, and discuss policy options for the empowerment of rural youth in Europe and Central Asia. In addition, it will encourage collective action for empowering rural youth and its inclusion in agriculture and policy processes, youth engagement in green agriculture practices, and present ideas for rebranding agriculture and rural areas.

Furthermore, to mark the 80th anniversary of FAO’s establishment, the Organization is launching a call to recognize young farmers from Europe and Central Asia to promote those people who stand at the forefront of change in rural areas.

Promoting youth in Europe and Central Asia

In its overall support for revitalizing rural areas given the generational decline in agriculture, in the recent years, FAO has intensified its focus on rural youth and young farmers in Europe and Central Asia. At global level, the World Food Forum was launched by FAO in 2021, as an independent, youth-led global network of partners, and the issues of youth have been integrated into the United Nations Decade of Family Farming 2019–2028, and the Youth2030 Strategy, the UN’s baseline document to work meaningfully with and for young people around the world  The first Regional Rural Youth Forum took place in 2023 that was preceded by a series of online consultations.

The second Regional Rural Youth Forum can bring countries of Europe and Central Asia one step closer to ensuring the generational renewal of family farming and sustainability of rural communities.

©FAO/Mátyás Temesfői