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Spain's governing authorities continue to try adopting measures to encourage generational renewal among those who work the land, as the agricultural workforce ages at an alarming rate. Andalucía's regional government is showing its commitment to this cause with a new call for subsidies totalling 130 million euros for young farmers to set up in business as owners of agricultural holdings.
"Never before has such a large amount been made available in a single call in which, in addition, we have reserved 15 million euros for women and another 15 million for the livestock trade", said Consolación Vera (regional minister for agriculture, including rural development) in a statement. Her message was given after having visited the greenhouse business of Lorena López Domínguez, the beneficiary of one of these grants awarded in 2022. Her business is based in the province of Almeria.
The regional minister has been able to learn about the "success" of this type of subsidies that "contribute to giving access to young people to engage in an economic activity and to generate wealth from the land." Lorena's case is a good example: with a degree in social education she was tired of "precarious" work contracts and her family encouraged her to go into agriculture. She won one of the grants for young farmers two years ago and today she has a commercial greenhouse business with 26,000 metres of greenhouses in San Isidro (Nijar) and is now in her third season of growing courgettes. "I had to bet on someone and who better than me", she says with conviction.
After her visit to the greenhouse operation the minister, accompanied by the Junta delegate for the area Antonio Mena, Nijar's councillor responsible for agriculture Jesús Guerrero, and Juan Alberto Castillo (director at the regional agriculture office), stayed on in Almeria to visit the town of Campohermoso where they were holding one of the informative talks on this aid package for young farmers, which was attended by more than 50 interested people.
Those keen to hear more are reminded that the call for applications will be open until 10 January and that the maximum amount of aid per person is up to 90,000 euros. It has also been explained that the regional ministry has heeded all the concerns raised by the agriculture industry in previous calls for applications, such as the possibility that young people who started the activity the previous year can apply, a higher score being given to greenhouse crops and the need for an advance payment. "From the Junta de Andalucía we are aware of the effort that farmers have to make and we wanted to help them as much as possible," said Vera.
Finally, Vera encouraged all young people interested in the countryside, "Andalucía's main business activity", to obtain more information and apply. "The regional offices and the technical services of the regional ministry are at their disposal", she stated.
More information about this aid can be found on the Junta de Andalucía website.
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