This Thematic Group (TG) will reflect on the broader societal value produced by farmers, giving the opportunity to share insights, experiences, good practice examples, and innovative ideas on how to raise awareness about the multiple roles of farmers in rural communities.
Uusi teemaryhmä viljelijöiden laajemmasta yhteiskunnallisesta merkityksestä - hae mukaan
EU farmers play a crucial role in our society. Beyond their agricultural and food production role, farmers can be specifically involved in providing healthy food for local markets and shortening the food supply chain. They can also play an important role in maintaining vibrant and thriving rural areas through their community involvement, delivering valued public goods, and stewardship of the rural environment.
However, these wider contributions of farmers to society are often not recognised or not communicated clearly enough. The public discourse is often centred around rather negative headlines and sometimes even an unfair criticism – so-called ‘agri-bashing’ – which leaves farmers demotivated and could even result in mental and physical problems. Furthermore, the negative narrative about farming could be among the factors that discourage young people from entering the sector. As outlined by the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, the repositioning of ‘farming as an attractive and rewarding career choice’ should be fostered to support generational renewal in farming.
How to change the prevailing narrative, recognise farmers’ societal contributions and make farming a more attractive and rewarding profession? What role can relevant stakeholders, such as farmers, rural networks, educational institutions, and media play in recognising the broader societal contributions of farmers?
This Thematic Group (TG) will reflect on the broader societal value produced by farmers. These can include individual, family, or community-based farmers, with diverse sizes of farms, and conventional or organic farming practices.
After establishing a common starting point by looking into the drivers of the existing narrative about farming, the key focus of the TG discussions will be on the multiple roles of farmers in society and how to raise awareness about them, taking into account the possibilities of different stakeholders and diversity of farmers across Europe. This would help valorise farmers and give greater importance to the farming profession.
Objectives
The objectives of this TG are to:
- Examine the drivers of the existing narrative surrounding farming, particularly those leading to the negative image of farming and related misconceptions.
- Discuss the multiple roles of farmers and their wider contributions to society, considering concrete examples and case studies.
- Collect insights, experiences, good practice examples and innovative ideas from TG members on how the role of farmers is, and could be, recognised in their own country and/or Europe-wide.
- Explore existing and innovative ways to raise awareness and recognise the wider societal contributions of farmers, as well as how to attach greater importance to the profile of the farming profession and attract new people into farming.
The TG will consist of a small (around 40) but dedicated cross-section of informed and engaged stakeholders, including individual farmers, representatives of farmers’ umbrella organisations, farming cooperatives at regional, national and EU levels, National Networks, agricultural journalists, representatives of agricultural educational institutions, researchers dealing with the topic, wider rural stakeholders, and policymakers. Participants will commit to engaging in two meetings and related activities, ensuring diverse perspectives and active contributions towards achieving the TG’s objectives.
- The first meeting will take place in person in Brussels on Wednesday 26 February 2025;
- The second meeting will take place in person in Brussels on Tuesday 6 May 2025.
The meetings will be held in English without interpretation.
Kustannuksien korvaaminen
There is no charge for attendance at these meetings. However, for the in-person meetings, travel and accommodation costs may be covered for TG members representing farmers, farmer organisations, non-governmental organisations, agricultural educational institutions, and researchers/universities. All other TG members will need to pay for their own travel and accommodation costs.
Näin haet mukaan
Expressions of interest can be submitted through the link:
In case of over-subscription, participants will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:
Necessary
- Experience/knowledge and motivation to explore themes related to valuing farmers’ wider societal contributions;
- Representing either individual farmers, representatives of farmers’ umbrella organisations and/or farming cooperatives, National Networks, agricultural journalists, representatives of agricultural educational institutions, researchers dealing with the topic, wider rural stakeholders, or policymakers;
- Capacity and willingness to engage, network and exchange effectively at national, regional and local levels;
- Firm commitment to participate in two meetings of the Thematic Group in person in Brussels, and the activities in between; and
- Ability to communicate clearly in English without interpretation.
Desirable
- Familiarity with the existing narrative about farming and potential challenges in recognising farmers’ contributions;
- Familiarity with examples, initiatives, and innovative ideas for raising awareness about farmers’ wider societal contributions;
- Commitment to share design and implementation models and best practices with other members during the TG activities; and
- Commitment to sharing TG outputs with other colleagues or networks outside of the TG.
Please note that when selecting the Thematic Group members from the expressions of interest, the EU CAP Network will – to the extent possible – also consider the need to ensure a balance of participants from EU Member States, sectors and topics, and gender. Successful applicants will receive a confirmation of participation as soon as possible and before 20 January 2025 at the latest.
Since places are limited and in the interest of fairness, successful applicants are asked to commit to participating in the TG activities. In case of unforeseen circumstances, TG members must inform the organisers as soon as possible if they are unavailable to attend a TG meeting. Non-attendance without prior notice may result in exclusion from future Thematic Groups and other EU CAP Network events.