Andalusian agriculture continues to rely on an ageing workforce despite investment in young farmers

Andalucía may have one of Spain's largest areas of cultivated land, but the the number of farmers in the region continues to decline as the sector struggles with an ageing workforce and a lack of generational renewal.

This trend has been highlighted in the latest 'Direct aid and rural development' report, published by the Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FEGA).

The report shows that more than 4 in every 10 Andalusian farmers and livestock breeders (41.27%) who received aid in 2025 were aged over 65, a proportion that has continued to rise in recent years. By contrast, just 7.57% were aged between 25 and 40.

The imbalance has widened since 2021, when over-65s accounted for 40.23% of recipients while those aged 25 to 40 made up 7.63%.

Although the overall number of both younger and older farmers has fallen, older people still overwhelmingly dominate the sector. The number of farmers over 65 receiving aid has dropped from 83,552 in 2021 to 78,216 today, while the number of recipients aged between 25 and 40 has fallen from around 15,852 to 14,352.

To encourage generational renewal, the European Union provides financial support through the Common agricultural policy (CAP), with the Junta de Andalucía administering millions of euros in grants through its Regional Ministry of Agriculture.

The latest funding round, launched in June, awarded 130 million euros in grants to help 2,455 people under the age of 40 to establish themselves in the primary sector.

But despite that financial backing, which may have prevented an even steeper decline, the long-awaited generational handover has yet to materialise. The sector continues to face structural challenges, including low profitability for many farms, the long hours required to run agricultural businesses, and the greater appeal of other careers that offer better pay and work-life balance with less personal sacrifice.