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.
