Innovative Young Farmers Discuss Global Food Issue

02 Jun 2014 --- Around fifty enthusiastic and innovative young farmers and horticulturists from sixteen countries worldwide are set to participate in the Rabobank-hosted Global Young Farmers Master Class, starting 2 June.

During the week-long event, the farmers will engage in discussion with each other, various experts and Rabobank on how to ensure a sustainable, food-secure future, as well as addressing the challenges they face as future agricultural leaders. The objective of the Master Class is to share and increase knowledge, enabling participants to ultimately contribute to agricultural success.

We all depend on the next generation of farmers and horticulturists to help feed more than nine billion people by 2050. One of the main challenges currently facing farmers is farm succession. Berry Marttin, member of the Executive Board Rabobank Nederland and host of this Master Class: 'The global farmer population is ageing rapidly: more than 50 percent of all farmers in North America, Australia and various European countries are at least 55 years of age. An additional factor is that the number of farmers and horticulturists who provide our food declines by 50 percent every two decades. This means that a shrinking number of farmers are expected to feed a growing number of people. Finding young people who are interested in the farming business has proved to be difficult, as it is a complex profession that comes with its fair share of challenges. Our job is to make the farming business appealing again to a younger generation in the long term, since - let there be no mistake - we desperately need farmers to secure our future.'

Farm succession is one of the key issues to be discussed during the Global Young Farmers Master Class, along with innovation. Berry Marttin: 'We are dealing with the depletion of our natural resources. The amount of arable farmland has been shrinking by around 1% a year since 2000, due to erosion, urbanisation and other factors. This means we need to produce more with less resources, and the next generation of farmers will need to come up with new production methods using intelligent technologies. That calls for innovative power and entrepreneurship. We are also seeing a growing use of social media, which is one way of strengthening the relationship between farmers and consumers.'

During the Master Class, Rabobank will be taking the participants on a tour of the world of innovation, technology, social media and methods for using data. There is a great deal of potential in the integration and analysis of local and global data across the entire production supply chain. If this data is used effectively, this will help us to create smarter equipment (including agricultural equipment) and ensure more efficient fertilisation and crop protection, as well as reducing waste and increasing revenues. Marttin: 'The Dutch agricultural industry is ahead of the game in this area and serves as a guide to other countries when it comes to F&A. Young farmers from around the world are therefore eager to visit the Netherlands, to learn from their Dutch peers and share thoughts and ideas. But our own country stands to benefit as well: it is certainly an added incentive to be able to learn about the methods used by these young farmers from across the globe.'

The book The Future of Farming: The Rise of the Rural Entrepreneur - published following the first-ever Global Farmers Master Class in 2012 - highlights a number of issues which farmers regard as their greatest challenges. The book also addresses the potential role the Netherlands can play in addressing the global food issue. During the Master Class for the young generation of international farmers, participants will be asked how they intend to double food production by 2050. The insights and findings from the Master Class can have direct value both to farmers and to Rabobank, as well as being useful from a macroeconomic perspective in the food security debate.

The programme for the Global Young Farmers Master Class includes contributions by leading international scientists, representatives from the business community, and industry experts. The event also includes field trips to various Dutch food & agri businesses.