Malta has around 1,200 young farmers working in agriculture and, yet, they are often limited in what they can do because of constraints by older family members.
The observation was made by Jeanette Borg, founder of the Malta Youth in Agriculture Foundation (MaYa), who said that many wrongly assume the number of farmers under the age of 40 is dwindling.
“It is not true that there are no young farmers… you go to Mġarr and you start seeing them sprouting,” Borg told a workshop by Friends of the Earth Malta.
But while NSO figures show there are over 1,200 farmers who are under the age of 40, many of them often struggle to make any real headway because of constraints and restrictions by older family members. And the number of registered young farmers is decreasing, with Malta's average beingg 3.8% while that of the EU average stands at 5.1 % of the farming population.
Malta also has good fraction of non-registered young farmers and non-salaried labour, Borg said.
Meanwhile, Borg also said she often meets farmers in their 30s who are eager to work in the sector and implement much-needed changes. But are unable to make any decisions, because their older relatives disagree with their approach and are reluctant to diversify.
It is not true that there are no young farmers… you go to Mġarr and you start seeing them sprouting- Jeanette Borg, founder of the Malta Youth in Agriculture Foundation
Since it is often the case that the land belongs to the older members of the family, the young farmers have no other option but to comply with their relatives’ decisions. “What discourages them is that they work in the shadow of their family. A problem of succession persists in the sector. There is also the fact that farming is not financially attractive enough.
“But we are confident we can break the cycle because there is willingness,” Borg said. In recent years, people not coming from a farming background have expressed an interest in taking up farming, although the issue with lack of agricultural land is a problem for many.
Borg believes that farming is often not valued enough and, therefore, better education is needed to bring about a change in culture and mentality.
“When these young farmers go to the bank for a loan, the first thing they’re asked is whether they plan on developing their land. When they say they are not, their request is often turned down.
“We have also had farmers telling us their children were told in school that farming is not a real profession,” Borg said.
She highlighted a series of challenges farmers face on a daily basis, the main being limited resources, harsh competition, public perception, food fraud as well as reluctance to change.
“We need change but it’s not always easy to digest, especially with older farmers. Young people are more pro-change. That is a positive step and hope for the future.
“We also need healthy conversations that also involve the public,” Borg said.
Other speakers addressed the event, some of whom gave an overview of EU policies for the sector.