Rural youth transform agrifood systems

What are the challenges that rural youth in Europe and Central Asia face today? How to make rural areas more attractive for youth? What are the policy options to empower young people in the region? These and other crucial issues were raised during the Second Regional Rural Youth Forum organized by the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (FAO REU).

Rural youth play a vital role in transforming agrifood systems. A three-day forum (11-13 June) held in Budapest, Hungary, enabled participants to exchange information and views on the acute problems and challenges of rural youth in the region, share experiences and establish partnerships.

Opening the Forum, Viorel Gutu, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, highlighted FAO work on youth in the region. The FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU) intends to further support the engagement of young people in agriculture and policy processes, he underlined. “For FAO it is a high priority to support rural youth both at regional and country levels,” Viorel Gutu stressed.

He also accentuated that inequalities spread in the region despite its relative economic prosperity. High levels of youth unemployment, exclusion of marginalized groups, and gender gaps are often the issues that drive people to migrate from rural areas. Viorel Gutu provided insight on the FAO Rural Youth Action Plan, which addresses the importance of making rural areas more attractive for young women and men.

Photo: ©FAO/Anna Benoit

FAO Regional Representative encouraged participants to take part in the call to recognize Young Farmers in Europe and Central Asia, their achievements, and foster knowledge exchange in the food and agriculture sector.

Kazuki Kitaoka, Director of the FAO Office of Youth and Women, in his video message shared data on the FAO initiatives and opportunities for youth within World Food Forum such as Global Youth Action, Youth Assembly, and National Youth Chapters.

“To achieve our shared goals, we must put rural youth at the center of every discourse, and this means ensuring that young farmers, indigenous youth, young women and other often underrepresented voices are heard, valued and empowered to lead. 

I encourage you to think boldly, engage inclusively and act collectively. At FAO, we remain fully committed to working with all of you through the Office of Youth and Women and the World Food Forum youth initiative to amplify your efforts, support your vision and co-create sustainable inclusive agrifood systems transformation,” Kazuki Kitaoka concluded.

Marianna Bicchieri, Gender Officer, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU), moderated the session on the situation and needs of rural youth. “The most important point is that we need to engage youth, empower young men and women to ensure that they participate in policy dialogue, in policy development, that they will drive the change, bring their fresh ideas and enthusiasm into the policies and the actions that will shape the realities in rural areas.” She also emphasized the importance of digitalization in this context.

Photo: ©FAO/Mátyás Temesfői 

Generational renewal of family farming: access to land, investments, and policy

Youth living in rural areas across Europe and Central Asia encounter numerous obstacles to access, in particular, land, as well as financial resources and often struggle to access markets, decent employment opportunities, engage in policymaking. 

Morten Hartvigsen, Land Tenure Officer, FAO REU, touched upon issues related to access to land, secure land rights, and land markets. He noted that generational renewal of family farms and start up of young farmers often trigger farm development. Young farmers often need to invest in their farms to be able to have income and livelihoods like those living in urban areas.

Yannick Fiedler, Capacity Development Officer, FAO Headquarters, provided insights on enhancing youth responsible investment in agriculture by increasing access to business advisory services and incentives and introduced Agri-accelerator 2.0 for Responsible Agricultural Investment (RAI), the FAO initiative to catalyze viable agribusiness and support RAI by youth.

Youth issues in the region have been increasingly integrated into processes such as UN Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 (UNDFF). Anna Korzenszky, Partnerships Officer, FAO Headquarters, informed about the generational sustainability of family farming under the UNDFF. She also presented the UNDFF main results at national and regional levels and underlined that the Decade implementation is guided by the Global Action Plan.

Anna Benoit, Assistant Communication Specialist, Gender and Youth Focal Point, represented the FAO Moscow Office at the event. She also facilitated the group work on ideas and initiatives to support youth inclusion in agriculture and policy processes discussion on the Regional Rural Youth Advisory Group for Europe and Central Asia. 

Photo: ©FAO

In the framework of policy options to empower youth, country cases were presented. Among the contributors was Aliaksandr Sharenka, Chairman of the Council of Young Scientists of the Department of Agrarian Science of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NAS of Belarus).

He spoke about projects of the NAS of Belarus and cooperation for the development of youth initiatives. Sharenka presented various technologies for cooperation like production of agricultural raw materials and deep processing technologies (e.g. potato products). “I am currently working with our partners on the creation of a center for accelerating projects in the field of agrifood technologies that can be applied in the agro- industrial complex,” he informed. 

Photo: ©FAO/Anna Benoit 

Why are young people the key to green agriculture promotion?

The role of young people in the revitalization of rural areas is globally acknowledged. Gulmira Urmanbetova, Project Coordinator for Green Agriculture Initiative, REU, presented the Regional Technical Platform on Green Agriculture that contributes to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

“Youth are not just beneficiaries but drivers of green agriculture and agrifood systems transformation. They are innovative producers and stewards of natural resources, agents of innovation in agricultural production,” she highlighted.

Youth as catalysts for economic growth and development in rural areas

In his closing remarks Raimund Jehle, FAO Regional Programme Leader for Europe and Central Asia, addressed the topic of youth as agents of change and focused on the significance of strengthening such interactive platforms that bring together young people and other stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. He encouraged participants to work closely with FAO offices in their respective home countries.

The FAO high-level official announced the launch of the report “The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems” in the beginning of July 2025 which will provide an overview on how youth engage with, benefit from and contribute to agrifood systems on a global scale. He invited the forum participants to join its presentation.

Photo: ©FAO/Anna Benoit 

“We should build, despite any of the geopolitical and regional implication, on this momentum to expand the dialogue, take the narrative to your communities and institutions. Let's continue joint work in this context and thus ensure that no young person is left behind,” Raimund Jehle concluded.

Katalin Ludvig, Regional Youth Focal Point, and Regina Kistler, International Specialist on Youth and Rural Development, FAO REU, were among the event moderators, as they guided the group discussions.

Representatives of youth organizations and networks, and civil society organizations, governments, academia, private sector, young farmers and FAO Youth Focal Points from 22 countries took part in the Forum that also commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Organization by highlighting its commitment to empower rural youth in the region.

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