Rural Youth & Young Farmers Workshop was held from 22nd to 25th October 2015, at the school for biodynamic farming Warmonderhof near the town of Dronten in the Netherlands, 5 m below sea level.
The workshop was organized by Forum Synergies, together with the Future Farmers Movement. The purpose of the workshop was to gather, strengthen and spread sustainable practices in rural areas and the exchange of knowledge and experience between the participants and organizers of the workshop.
Participation of an active youth force in rural economies and local development is usually limited by:
- Lack of preconditions and preparatory actions for return of youth to rural areas
- Difficulty to get access to land & finance, both for youth and for young farmers
- Low level of quality vocational and non-vocational education in rural areas
- Lack of appropriate support for youth and young farmers’ activities in rural areas
Youth including young farmers in rural Europe face these and other challenges, for which there is few motivation to talk about and act for. But here we are ready to broaden the discussions, tackle issues and find common solutions, inspired by Rural Youth initiatives and Young Farmers initiatives around Europe!
The workshop included visiting farmers in surrounding area, “market of initiatives” where participants presented their projects, excursions and group discussions among participants.
The workshop was attended by Iztok, where he presented Land sharing project in the “market of initiatives” and share the experience of the Institute with other workshop participants. The workshop was an opportunity for gaining new knowledge, experiences and meet new people that are interested in international cooperation with the Institute and Land sharing project.
