Young People in Farming: A Story of Land and Sea

This report explores how young people are engaged, supported, and represented within agriculture and aquaculture through youth organisations (YOs) and young professional networks (YPNs). While both sectors are food-producing and rural in nature, they differ significantly in maturity, structure, cultural embeddedness, and ownership models. These differences shape how young people enter, experience, and progress within each sector.

Agriculture benefits from centuries of cultural familiarity, geographic spread, and family ownership. These factors have enabled the development of deeply embedded youth structures that engage individuals from a very young age, often before career intent is formed. Organisations such as Young Farmers’ Clubs and 4H provide social identity, community, and skills development, supported by strong parental involvement and, in many cases, public funding. These youth pathways play an important role in succession planning, sectoral pride, and long-term resilience.

Aquaculture, by contrast, is a young and highly consolidated sector, often dominated by large, internationally financed businesses operating in geographically limited areas. Youth engagement typically begins later and is closely tied to employment, with YPNs focusing on skills, networking, and career progression rather than community or identity building. While these networks can be highly effective at accelerating individual careers, they often operate with limited resources, public recognition, and societal support.

Through case studies spanning the UK, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, Chile, Iceland, and Brazil, this report highlights how limited cultural visibility and weak social licence have tangible consequences for aquaculture. These include challenges in talent attraction, political vulnerability, and insufficient focus on succession. In contrast, agriculture’s embedded youth culture provides resilience, even as public funding for youth organisations comes under increasing pressure.

Aquaculture must become more intentional in designing its youth engagement ecosystem. This includes starting engagement earlier, placing greater emphasis on community and social connection, formalising succession planning, and securing blended, long-term funding models. Agriculture, meanwhile, can learn from aquaculture’s professionalism, clarity of career pathways, and strong alignment between young professionals and industry leadership.

Ultimately, youth organisations and professional networks are not optional extras; they are strategic infrastructure. If agriculture and aquaculture are to remain competitive, sustainable, and socially legitimate, both sectors must invest deliberately in the next generation—not only as workers, but as future leaders, advocates, and custodians of food systems on land and at sea.