Generational renewal has become one of the major priorities of the Common Agricultural Policy. According to Eurostat (2024), only 10% of Romanian farmers are under 40 years old, but their number is increasing thanks to new support programs. In 2024, AFIR approved over 4,000 projects under intervention DR-12 – Installation of Young Farmers, with a total value of 260 million euros.

In 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) expanded the eligibility criteria, allowing young farmers to associate with family farms and cooperatives. The amounts granted range between 60,000 and 70,000 euros per project, and beneficiaries who achieve their production objectives may receive additional bonuses of 10%, according to the National Strategic Plan (PNS) 2023–2027.

Young farmers are the driving force behind the modernization of agriculture: they are more open to technology, to the use of digital data, and to cooperation. According to a DG AGRI report, farms run by farmers under 40 have an average productivity 20% higher and an innovation rate 2.5 times greater than the European average.

The main challenge remains access to land and private financing. Therefore, future rural policies must combine non-reimbursable support with bank guarantees, technical advisory services, and know-how transfer. Romanian agriculture needs a new generation — not only to continue the tradition, but to reinvent it.

(Photo: Freepik)