Agricultural High Schools

The European Union recognizes the vital role of farmers in providing safe and affordable food for almost 500 million European citizens while identifying the major problem of an ageing agricultural population and the need for generational renewal.

The agricultural sector must attract a new generation of farmers with the needed skills to live and work in a challenging context. They will have to produce more efficiently, while protecting the environment, to contribute to the fight against climate change; to meet society’s requirements for healthy and balanced diets, to keep pace with increasingly rapid scientific and technological progress.

It is essential that farmers receive adequate agricultural education and training to acquire the complex skills needed to adapt to a changing environment. On average, only 8.5% of the current generation of European farmers have benefited from full agricultural training, and 70% have only practical experience. Agricultural education systems vary widely across the EU, offering different paths to a wide range of careers in agriculture and forestry.