ABOUT THE AGROECOLOGY EUROPE YOUTH NETWORK
The Agroecology Europe Youth Network (AEEUYN) is a dynamic and diverse collective of young people dedicated to the transformation of European food systems through the principles of agroecology. Established in 2018 following a call from youth participants during the second Agroecology Europe Forum, AEEUYN brings together over 300 members from across Europe. These members include farmers, students, researchers, activists, and practitioners who share a common vision: to build a socially just, ecologically regenerative, and economically equitable food system.
The network serves as a platform to empower youth to influence agricultural policies and practices while actively contributing to rural revitalization, food sovereignty, and environmental justice. Through participatory methods and bottom-up decision-making, AEEUYN ensures that its actions reflect the lived experiences and aspirations of young people throughout the continent.
AEEUYN’s work spans across several core areas:
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- Youth participation and advocacy: Engaging with EU institutions, influencing the CAP reform process, and amplifying youth voices in key policy dialogues.
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- Mapping and knowledge exchange: Connecting grassroots agroecology initiatives and facilitating peer learning.
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- Policy development and participatory research: Organizing participatory workshops for youth and publishing declarations, such as the Youth Manifesto for Agroecology.
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- Capacity building and resource sharing: Offering training, sharing job opportunities, and building supportive networks.
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- International collaboration: Partnering with other movements and networks to promote systemic transformation at local and global levels.
We were proud to bring this collective experience to the European Commission’s Youth Policy Dialogue and thank the Commission for the opportunity to contribute. We believe agriculture and food systems must be a priority area in these dialogues and that youth must be central to shaping the future of Europe’s agricultural policies.
On December 11th, 2024, the Agroecology Europe Youth Network (AEEUYN) had the honor of participating in the first EU Youth Policy Dialogue on agriculture, hosted by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), in the presence of Commissioner Christophe Hansen. This event marked a historic moment for youth involvement in EU policymaking on agriculture, food systems, and rural development. It was a space where diverse youth voices, rooted in both activism and practice, came together to envision a more just and inclusive future for farming and food in Europe.
We were proud to represent the voices of young agroecologists at the table. Cristina Laurenti, Coordinator of the Youth Network, and Jesse Donham-Buratti, Coordinator of the Intersectionality Working Group, ensured that agroecology was part of the conversation on generational renewal. Their contributions emphasized the urgent need for youth-centered policies that promote environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic resilience across Europe’s food systems. They raised issues often overlooked in conventional agricultural discourse, such as the structural exclusion of marginalized voices, the need for community-driven food systems, and the dangers of treating food and farming merely as markets rather than human and ecological relationships.
Key Messages from Agroecology Youth
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- Beyond competitiveness: We called for moving beyond the dominant paradigm of competitiveness and towards an economy rooted in solidarity and food sovereignty, where cooperation and community well-being take precedence over capital and profit.
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- Holistic sustainability: Environmental, social, and economic sustainability must be addressed equally.
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- Support for small-scale farmers: Especially for new entrants who face systemic barriers to land, finance, and recognition.
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- Resilient local markets: We uplifted community-based models like CSAs and cooperatives that build resilience and restore rural vitality.
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- Agroecology as a path forward: Building on the conclusions of the Strategic Dialogue, we affirmed that business as usual is no longer acceptable, and agroecology offers a science-based, values-grounded alternative.
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- Capacity building: We called for more training, consultancy, and peer education opportunities focused on agroecological transitions.
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- Youth inclusion: We stressed the need for institutionalized youth advisory structures to ensure youth are not just heard, but have power in shaping policies.
Our participation in the Dialogue also emphasized the diversity of youth engaged in agroecology—those from rural areas, urban contexts, migrant and queer communities, those from academic, activist, or farming backgrounds—all bringing unique insights to the table. We are honored to represent an agroecology that is not only a scientific discipline but a social and political movement, and youth involvement must reflect this plurality of experience and perspective.
The Youth Declaration: A Collective Call for Change
The event also served as the launchpad for the Youth Declaration on the Inclusion of Young Voices in EU Agricultural Policymaking, a statement co-signed by AEEUYN and eight other youth organizations. This declaration calls on the European Commission to ensure the long-term, institutionalized participation of youth in the development of EU agricultural policy.
“Young people are not just the future — we are the present. To secure a resilient, innovative, and sustainable European food system, our meaningful participation is essential.”
The declaration outlines critical challenges such as access to land, finance, technical training, fair remuneration, and dignified working conditions. It urges EU institutions to integrate these priorities into ongoing and future policy frameworks, including the post-2027 CAP reform. It is a unified, youth-driven call to action for a more inclusive, just, and ecologically sound food system.
Looking Ahead: The Second Youth Policy Dialogue and Beyond
AEEUYN is actively preparing for the second Youth Policy Dialogue with Commissioner Hansen, scheduled for May 7th, 2025. Our focus will be on deepening the discussion on generational renewal, with a strong emphasis on the systemic barriers young agroecological farmers face, and how EU policy — especially the CAP — must adapt to support this new wave of transformative agricultural actors.
Drawing from our eight participatory workshops held across Europe since 2022, we bring lived experiences and grounded policy proposals to the table. These workshops have served as dynamic spaces of co-learning and mutual exchange, highlighting common struggles and grassroots solutions to the crises of access to land, financing, training, and market access. From Serbia to Portugal, from urban rooftops to mountain farms, youth are cultivating a different vision of agriculture—one that values ecological integrity, social justice, and local resilience.
In upcoming policy discussions, we aim to advance the following key priorities:
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Redesigning CAP subsidies to support young farmers practicing agroecology, with a rebalancing of funds towards smaller, more sustainable farms.
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Creating pathways to land access for new entrants, especially women, queer, migrant and non-landowning farmers.
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Developing tax incentives for youth-led initiatives in local food processing, cooperative development, and agroecological market innovation.
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Encouraging agroecological practices through targeted support for circular farm economies.
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Establishing youth-led advisory bodies within EU agricultural institutions, with real decision-making power and budgetary support.
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Promoting peer-to-peer agroecology education, intergenerational mentoring, and skill-building programs accessible to diverse communities.
A Youth Movement in Action
Our engagement in these dialogues is not symbolic — it is strategic. Agroecology Europe Youth Network understands policy as one tool among many for transforming food systems. We work across movements and sectors to ensure that agroecology is not just heard in Brussels, but rooted in communities across Europe. We are committed to building a movement that is anti-capitalist, anti-racist, feminist, and ecological.
We thank the European Commission and Commissioner Hansen for initiating this process and invite them, and all institutions, to go further. Dialogue must lead to structural change. Young people are already transforming food systems—now policies must catch up.
We look forward to May’s second Policy Dialogue and to co-creating the conditions for a truly generational, agroecological renewal.
Agroecology Europe Youth Network
Rooted in justice. Growing through solidarity.
Author: Cristina Laurenti