Agriculture is increasingly a profession for young people

In a historical phase in which agriculture is becoming digitalised and, in Italy as in the rest of Europe, new concepts are emerging to make the primary sector more resilient in the face of the epochal challenges of climate change (above all that of regenerative agriculture, which also arouses great interest in Brussels and Strasbourg), the contribution of 'digital natives' is crucial. Because it is becoming increasingly urgent to open up to the world, to new knowledge and new practices, while obviously preserving the specificities and peculiarities of local production that are the great strength of Italian agrifood. As Marco Marani, professor and director of the International Hydrology Centre at the University of Padua, explained, in the face of climate change 'a change of mental and cultural paradigms is necessary. But nothing will happen if it is not loudly demanded by those on the front line, including young people, because requests must be made in advance to be ready, before it becomes an emergency'. For his part, Enrico Parisi, national leader of the Coldiretti young people, emphasised that 'Oscar Green is proof that young people can stay in their own territory by having the courage to innovate without giving in to standardisation'.

According to the president of Coldiretti Veneto, Carlo Salvan, in agriculture today 'we must not be afraid of the new, we must be ready for new challenges, showing that we are not just farmers but true custodians of the land. Distinctiveness is our characteristic and must become our mantra. At the same time we must be more European, but not as spectators but as protagonists even if there is a lot of work to be done'.

The centrality of agriculture has long been known in Venice, where farmers under 40 account for around 8% of the total, for a sector where (as in the rest of Italy) more advanced age groups prevail. This awareness of the regional government has also been translated into concrete actions. With the 2014-2022 Rural Development Programme, the region has sought to promote generational change in agriculture; in fact, through the 'youth package', more than 2,700 young people have become 'farm managers', with a total support of more than 271 million euro. Also worthy of note is the first call for investment support under the 2023/2027 Rural Development Complement, with which almost 138 million were committed, activating investments totalling 268.50 million if we consider the part covered at farm level. This is a sign of the vitality of the sector, and of the attention paid to new recruits. In fact, the part dedicated to the under-40s taking over or starting up an activity in the agricultural field provides for aid of over 40 million. As many as 306 new activities have been financed: of these, 255 (or 59.6%) refer to the modernisation of farms, but the number of those who have focused on sustainability is also notable (98 young entrepreneurs, who have given priority to reducing emissions, saving water, and the welfare of their animals); finally, 9 activities concern business diversification (agritourism, educational and social farms, etc.). The total investment activated thus exceeded (with the part borne by the companies themselves) 62 million.