Periodic Reporting for period 2 - YOUNG FARMERS (What can digital communications do for generational renewal in farming?)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-07-01 do 2024-06-30
The lack of interest among youth to work in the farming sector is a common phenomenon for developed economies. Undoubtedly, many young people do not consider farming as a “career option”, even if they graduate with an agricultural degree. The low percentage of young farmers in the EU and the USA impairs resilience in farming and threatens food security.
However, the negative perceptions towards farming among youth should not be misinterpreted as a lack of interest in agriculture. Globally, the number of protests against the current industrial agricultural system is growing. These increasing waves of protest behavior indicate that the younger generation is voluntarily more supportive for an ecological and non-industrial agriculture than the previous generation.
The YOUNG FARMERS project explores the relationship between these two parallel trends “lack of interest to work in the farming sector among youth” and “increased youth engagement in agri-food movements” in the USA and France. The project contributes to two main challenges: a global difficulty in attracting youth into farming, and the increasing pressure on institutions to provide efficient knowledge transfer to youth via online platforms.
The informal education initiatives such as internships, and apprenticeship programs for those interested in farming careers have increased in recent years. However, the average age of farmers in the EU and the USA is still between 50 and 60 years. Besides economic factors such as access to land, the challenges faced by aspiring new farmers are also strongly tied to societal and cultural norms. This generational renewal problem signals a need for strategic career communication approaches, with honest conversations about the challenges—as well as the opportunities—of a farming career.
Today’s youth are known for their extensive use of digital media, including for knowledge acquisition and sharing information on careers and jobs. Hence, it is important to explore the digital communication revolution and understand its effect on the career aspirations of the youth. Scrolling through digital media will show that there is still a knowledge gap in interactions that can successfully influence young people's career aspirations in the farming profession. e and reputation. The YOUNG FARMERS project shed light on the broader question, “What can digital communications do for generational renewal in farming?”
However, the negative perceptions towards farming among youth should not be misinterpreted as a lack of interest in agriculture. Globally, the number of protests against the current industrial agricultural system is growing. These increasing waves of protest behavior indicate that the younger generation is voluntarily more supportive for an ecological and non-industrial agriculture than the previous generation.
The YOUNG FARMERS project explores the relationship between these two parallel trends “lack of interest to work in the farming sector among youth” and “increased youth engagement in agri-food movements” in the USA and France. The project contributes to two main challenges: a global difficulty in attracting youth into farming, and the increasing pressure on institutions to provide efficient knowledge transfer to youth via online platforms.
The informal education initiatives such as internships, and apprenticeship programs for those interested in farming careers have increased in recent years. However, the average age of farmers in the EU and the USA is still between 50 and 60 years. Besides economic factors such as access to land, the challenges faced by aspiring new farmers are also strongly tied to societal and cultural norms. This generational renewal problem signals a need for strategic career communication approaches, with honest conversations about the challenges—as well as the opportunities—of a farming career.
Today’s youth are known for their extensive use of digital media, including for knowledge acquisition and sharing information on careers and jobs. Hence, it is important to explore the digital communication revolution and understand its effect on the career aspirations of the youth. Scrolling through digital media will show that there is still a knowledge gap in interactions that can successfully influence young people's career aspirations in the farming profession. e and reputation. The YOUNG FARMERS project shed light on the broader question, “What can digital communications do for generational renewal in farming?”
The main results of the YOUNG FARMERS project are presented below within three pillars:
Pillar I: Digital communication as a tool to establish farming as a career of choice
The project results highlighted that mainstream online career communication supported individuals who were already within the farming profession. However, digital career communication paid little attention to fostering a wider interest in farming careers. Careers in farming could be better integrated into digital communication strategies through online agricultural, environmental, and science communication and public engagement campaigns. The findings suggest that consideration of the changing nature of career motivations amongst today’s youth is essential. The current trend toward working in sustainable sectors, which are associated with self-fulfillment and personal achievement, could be a major motivator for the youth.
Pillar II: Farmer identity in the digital age
The project used the United Nations COP26 meeting as an opportunity to explore the voices of farmers (as agricultural advocates, environmental activists, or non-expert participants) that has rarely been involved in climate dialogues in the past. Social media analyses and interviews with TikTok farmers explore public engagement in farmer-led initiated climate dialogues. The research centers on the empathic dialogue principle. Even though food-related social movements (e.g. organic and local food movements) have motivated a growing number of youths, farmers are still in the early stages of using social media with their professional identities. These results give insights into the changing dynamics of farming identities in the digital age, where online farming identities signal a need for emotional and cognitive public support. Findings expand our knowledge on the effects of social media on farming identities, mainly giving insights into how digital empathy serves to break down self-silencing among young farmers.
Pillar III: The value of online social movements as motivators in creating farming careers
Based on the interviews with experts and young farmers in the USA and France, and social the project results were encouraging. Online social movements such as agroecology, back-to-the-land, and food movements were found to be valuable in motivating individuals to make farming career decisions. Among the alternative food movements, the project focused on the urban agriculture movement, in which the representative players are interested in farming with pro-social, pro-environmental, and pro-political intentions but often with a decreased knowledge of intergenerational transition. The project studied the Instagram pages of urban agriculture networks. Results highlight the potential roles that the urban agriculture movement plays in acting as a catalyst for professional interest (as part-time or full-time jobs) in farming. The project concludes that social media accounts can be crucial cultural imagery that reflects the portrayals of urban farmers within the social and cultural trends. The user-led messages in social media accounts provide insights into how urban agriculture initiatives are framed and by which tones. Analyses contribute to understanding the role of the urban agriculture movement in shaping public perceptions toward farming professions, impacting their social image and reputation.
Pillar I: Digital communication as a tool to establish farming as a career of choice
The project results highlighted that mainstream online career communication supported individuals who were already within the farming profession. However, digital career communication paid little attention to fostering a wider interest in farming careers. Careers in farming could be better integrated into digital communication strategies through online agricultural, environmental, and science communication and public engagement campaigns. The findings suggest that consideration of the changing nature of career motivations amongst today’s youth is essential. The current trend toward working in sustainable sectors, which are associated with self-fulfillment and personal achievement, could be a major motivator for the youth.
Pillar II: Farmer identity in the digital age
The project used the United Nations COP26 meeting as an opportunity to explore the voices of farmers (as agricultural advocates, environmental activists, or non-expert participants) that has rarely been involved in climate dialogues in the past. Social media analyses and interviews with TikTok farmers explore public engagement in farmer-led initiated climate dialogues. The research centers on the empathic dialogue principle. Even though food-related social movements (e.g. organic and local food movements) have motivated a growing number of youths, farmers are still in the early stages of using social media with their professional identities. These results give insights into the changing dynamics of farming identities in the digital age, where online farming identities signal a need for emotional and cognitive public support. Findings expand our knowledge on the effects of social media on farming identities, mainly giving insights into how digital empathy serves to break down self-silencing among young farmers.
Pillar III: The value of online social movements as motivators in creating farming careers
Based on the interviews with experts and young farmers in the USA and France, and social the project results were encouraging. Online social movements such as agroecology, back-to-the-land, and food movements were found to be valuable in motivating individuals to make farming career decisions. Among the alternative food movements, the project focused on the urban agriculture movement, in which the representative players are interested in farming with pro-social, pro-environmental, and pro-political intentions but often with a decreased knowledge of intergenerational transition. The project studied the Instagram pages of urban agriculture networks. Results highlight the potential roles that the urban agriculture movement plays in acting as a catalyst for professional interest (as part-time or full-time jobs) in farming. The project concludes that social media accounts can be crucial cultural imagery that reflects the portrayals of urban farmers within the social and cultural trends. The user-led messages in social media accounts provide insights into how urban agriculture initiatives are framed and by which tones. Analyses contribute to understanding the role of the urban agriculture movement in shaping public perceptions toward farming professions, impacting their social image and reputation.
The YOUNG FARMERS project is the first attempt to evaluate digital communication tools for generational renewal support in farming. The work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the first period provides new perspectives to public debates on the “generational renewal problems”.
Project findings provide practical applications for agricultural extension and rural communications specialists, as well as education institutions. The use of new media is not just changing in technology levels but also changes in behaviors and relationships, resulting in emotional, social, and moral consequences. Project findings mainly reported the emotional and social consequences of new media use for work among young farmers and gave tentative insights into the moral consequences. The framework of digital empathy holds the potential to understand rationales that mobilize dialogue engagement to the posts created by young farmers.
The results of the YOUNG FARMERS project were disseminated via policy consulting, academic journal article publications, articles for the press, policy briefs, academic/non-academic conference participations, and collaborations with experts at the Pennsylvania State University, University of Florida, University of Chicago, and Purdue University.
Project findings provide practical applications for agricultural extension and rural communications specialists, as well as education institutions. The use of new media is not just changing in technology levels but also changes in behaviors and relationships, resulting in emotional, social, and moral consequences. Project findings mainly reported the emotional and social consequences of new media use for work among young farmers and gave tentative insights into the moral consequences. The framework of digital empathy holds the potential to understand rationales that mobilize dialogue engagement to the posts created by young farmers.
The results of the YOUNG FARMERS project were disseminated via policy consulting, academic journal article publications, articles for the press, policy briefs, academic/non-academic conference participations, and collaborations with experts at the Pennsylvania State University, University of Florida, University of Chicago, and Purdue University.