Youth thematic initiative

The thematic initiative on Youth and Young Farmers in rural areas was officially launched in December 2012 at the meeting of the ENRD Coordination Committee (6 December 2012). The initiative must be considered in the wider framework of a series of activities undertaken by the ENRD to accompany the preparation of the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) for the 2014-2020 programming period.

The ENRD youth initiative considers how best to improve the ways in which rural youth and young farmers can benefit from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) support, through:

identifying and understanding what worked well and less well in the implementation of RDPs in regards to supporting young farmers and rural youth;
exploring ways in which young people can be involved in the design and implementation of rural development policy at EU, national and regional level; and
raising awareness of the possibilities offered by rural development policy in support of youth in rural areas, while emphasising the needs of young people.

The youth initiative does not operate within a specific age bracket as the definition of youth varies according to stakeholders’ perceptions. Thus, the lack of a unique definition meant that the initiative took an inclusive approach when studying the multiple actions and projects targeting the rejuvenation of rural areas. As far as young farmers are concerned, the initiative adopted the definition used by the rural development regulation. In particular, the eligibility condition that the beneficiary be less than 40 years old to receive support for setting up as a young farmer (measure 112).

Outcomes

The initial findings that emerged from the work carried out during the first phase of the youth initiative are presented in the documents below, together with examples of the case studies collected.