Latvian Rural Forum
LRF
The Latvian Rural Forum (LRF) was established on the 22nd of December 2004 and registered in the Register of Associations and Foundations on the 27th of April 2005.
ID: 337643598255-29
Lobbying Activity
Response to Generational renewal in agriculture
14 Jul 2025
The Latvian Rural Forum (LRF) welcomes the European Commissions forthcoming Strategy for Generational Renewal in Agriculture and its recognition that demographic decline threatens the long-term viability of Europes agri-food systems. In Latvia, where only 5 % of farm managers are under 40 and the average age of a farm holder has reached 57.3 years, the challenge is particularly acute. Rural territories still shelter two-thirds (67 %) of the Latvian population, yet Latvia records the steepest population decline in the EU (-9.9 , 2024). Building on extensive discussions and debates we have had with rural communities, Local Action Groups (LAGs) and other rural stakeholders, including the Latvian Rural Community Parliament, we stress that generational renewal cannot be delivered by agricultural policy alone; it must be embedded in a territorial, multi-sectoral and youth-driven agenda that secures quality services, diversified economic opportunities and empowered local governance across all rural areas. OUR CORE MESSAGES: 1) Value rural youth in all their diversity. Entrepreneurs in agri-food, forestry, bio-economy, tourism, culture, creative industries, digital services and care sectors are all part of the renewal ecosystem. 2) Adopt a place-based, territorial lens. Generational renewal hinges on the attractiveness of rural regions. The forthcoming strategy must therefore align with the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, build upon the LTVRA roadmap and mobilise the instruments of the Rural Pact, explicitly reinforcing the right to stay for rural youth. 3) Make LEADER/CLLD the flagship for youth-led innovation. Programmes such as LEADER/CLLD have shown that community-led, bottom-up approaches can effectively support youth-led projects and participatory governance. LEADER has a proven significant impact on mproving quality of life in rural territories, creating local jobs and increasing social capital. Its potential to support youth retention and rural resilience should be explicitly recognised in the generational-renewal strategy. Ensuring stronger resourcing, stability and accessibility for LEADER post-2027 is a precondition for territorial cohesion and long-term sustainability in rural areas. 4) Guarantee equal access to quality services. In Latvia, 38 % of rural parishes still lack regular public transport and 14 % are without a pharmacy. The EU strategy should therefore set minimum service standards (healthcare, mobility, broadband) and include concrete targets for healthcare, childcare, education, mobility and gigabit connectivity in every rural region, backed by EU and national funds. 5) Strengthen resilience and security in EU external-border regions. Rural depopulation along Latvias eastern frontier and other EU border areas faces specific challenges linked to their proximity to Russia and Belarus, including demographic drain, disinformation pressure and heightened energy-market volatility. The strategy should therefore focus on social cohesion and civil preparedness. Prioritising young farmers, sustainable land use and diversified rural businesses in these zones is essential for food security (supporting local food-system resilience plans), territorial integrity and crisis-response capacity, including support for community safety, energy self-reliance and civil preparedness, and border-area relocation incentives, such as community shelters, start-up top-ups and housing vouchers for young farm families. Generational renewal in farming will succeed only if rural territories become places where young people can imagine a futureas farmers, teachers, coders, care workers or creatives. A multi-sectoral, youth-empowered and place-based strategy, rooted in the everyday realities of countries like Latvia, is essential for delivering that future.
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