23 de April de 2026
Dinamización rural
Resiliencia y competitividad
The “Red Carpet” project, promoted by the Generalitat of Catalonia, specifies 10 priority measures to facilitate the incorporation of young people into the agricultural sector
- The “Red Carpet” project, promoted by the Generalitat of Catalonia, specifies 10 priority measures to facilitate the incorporation of young people into the agricultural sector
- It includes personalized support, tax advantages, and access to tailored financing.
- The aging of the sector and the decline in new hires reinforce the urgency to act.
Generational renewal has become one of the biggest challenges facing the agricultural sector. In recent years, the number of farms has decreased while the average age of farm owners has steadily increased, creating a scenario in which fewer and fewer young people are choosing to enter the agricultural sector.
To address this situation, the Generalitat of Catalonia has presented the “Red Carpet” project. (“Catifa Vermella” in Catalan), an initiative that seeks to facilitate the entry of new generations into the sector as much as possible. The approach combines immediate measures with a broader vision aligned with Catalonia's Agricultural Generational Transition Strategy , which proposes a structural change in the support model for the new agricultural sector.
10 measures to address the challenge
The “Red Carpet” project outlines ten priority actions to transform the model:
Comprehensive support for young farmers.
Improving governance with stakeholders in the sector.
Farm transfer programs .
Simplifying access to land.
Development of tailored financing .
Promotion of digital tools .
Strengthening of support for integration .
Reduction of bureaucracy .
Promotion of agricultural entrepreneurship .
Policy coordination public .
Beyond the specific measures, the initiative is part of a broader strategy that understands generational renewal as a key issue for territorial balance and sustainability. The incorporation of new generations allows for:
Maintaining economic activity in rural areas
Preserving the landscape and agricultural ecosystems
Strengthen food sovereignty
Prevent depopulation
In this context, Catalonia seeks to position itself with a more structured and coordinated model, also aligned with the European debate on the so-called "young farmer problem".
Comprehensive support
One of the pillars of the project is to improve support for young people throughout the entire incorporation process, from the initial idea to the consolidation of the agricultural business:
Assignment of a technical reference in each Regional Office.
Personalized technical, administrative and training guidance .
Monitoring from the application for aid to the consolidation of the operation.
Specific support in procedures, training, financing and business management.
This model seeks to reduce the complexity of the process and prevent new professionals from dropping out in the early stages, one of the most frequently identified problems in recent years.
Measures to facilitate access
The project relies on tools already in place to improve access to the sector:
99% reduction in taxes related to the transfer of farms.
Strengthening funding with specific lines for young people.
Increased and prioritized agricultural aid.
Promoting innovative incorporation models.
Furthermore, access to land is reinforced as a key element, in line with recent initiatives such as the call for disused agricultural plots promoted in Catalonia , aimed at recovering productive land and facilitating new incorporations.
Rural youth in figures
The regional data provided by theDepartment of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of Catalonia clearly reflect the scale of the challenge. In just over a decade, the number of farms has fallen significantly, while the sector's workforce is progressively aging.
Reduction of 8% in agricultural holdings and 19% in livestock holdings between 2009 and 2020.
Only 12.4% of the holders are under 41 years old.
32.9% are over 65 years old.
Applications for first-time installation grants have fallen by almost half in recent years.
These indicators highlight a structural problem that affects both Catalonia and the entire European agricultural sector.