Open CAP Day – “CAP and Generational Renewal: The Future of Rural Life and the Role of Young People in Renewing the Agricultural Population”

Against the backdrop of generational renewal and the way in which the Common Agricultural Policy can contribute, through incentives, to attracting young farmers, the event Open CAP Day – “CAP and Generational Renewal: The Future of Rural Life and the Role of Young People in Renewing the Agricultural Population” was held at the Agricultural University of Athens on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The speakers at the event included the President of the Panhellenic Association of Young Farmers, Nikos Pavlonasios, and Konstantinos Soulis, Assistant Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens, specialising in “Geoinformatics and Spatial Analysis in Agriculture and the Environment”. The discussion was moderated by the Editor-in-Chief of Ypaithros Chora, Giannis Sarros. 

The discussion focused on:

• the application of technology and digital tools for crop monitoring,
• the demographic challenge facing rural Greece and the need to develop a new productive model,
• the creation of incentives for young people and the development of appropriate infrastructure,
• the education and training of young farmers in order to adapt to modern requirements.

Particular reference was made to the link between universities and research institutions, producers themselves, and policymakers, with the aim of creating an effective framework of implementable public policies at national level.

More information is available through the speakers’ statements on YouTube and in the corresponding feature published by the newspaper Ypaithros Chora, which you can read here.

The event was primarily aimed at a young audience and students, with the objective of informing them about the latest developments in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the available support instruments for young farmers.

Through the presentations and the ensuing discussion, the role of young people in renewing the agricultural population was highlighted as a necessary condition for shaping a sustainable future for Greek and European agriculture.

GAIA EPICHEIREIN implements the informational activity in the context of the CAP4Youth “CAP for Young Farmers: Generational Renewal and Sustainable Agriculture in Greece”, with the support of the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission