The Ageing Farmer Crisis: Who Will Grow Our Food Tomorrow?

Agriculture is one of humanity's oldest professions. For thousands of years, farming knowledge has been passed from one generation to the next through families, communities and hands-on experience.

Today, however, an important question is emerging across many parts of the world:

Who will grow our food tomorrow?

The global farming population is ageing, while fewer young people are entering agriculture. This is not simply a demographic issue. It is a challenge involving food security, rural communities, labor, land ownership, technology and the future of agricultural knowledge.

A Farming Population Getting Older

The ageing of the agricultural workforce is increasingly recognized as a global policy concern.

According to a 2025 OECD analysis using FAOSTAT data, more than one-quarter of people working in agriculture across OECD countries are aged 55 or older. The situation is particularly pronounced in some countries: more than 70% of agricultural workers are over 55 in Japan and Korea. The share of older agricultural workers has also increased in many countries over the past two decades.

The trend is also visible in Europe. The European Commission reports that the average age of EU farmers was 57 in 2020, compared with 55 in 2010. Fewer than 12% of farms were managed by people under 40.

The United States shows a similar pattern. The 2022 Census of Agriculture recorded the average age of farm producers at 58.1 years, an increase from 57.5 years in 2017.

These numbers do not mean that older farmers are unable to farm successfully. In fact, experienced farmers possess valuable knowledge and skills. The real concern is whether there will be enough younger farmers ready to take over when today's farmers eventually retire.

More Than an Age Problem

An ageing farming population is not simply about replacing older farmers with younger ones.

Agriculture depends heavily on accumulated knowledge.

Farmers learn how soils behave, when particular fields should be planted, how weather affects crops, how livestock respond to conditions and how local environments change over time.

Much of this knowledge is practical and difficult to capture in textbooks.

When experienced farmers leave agriculture without an effective succession process, communities can lose not only a farmer but also years of local knowledge.

This makes generational renewal important for both agricultural productivity and rural resilience.

Why Are Young People Not Entering Agriculture?

There is no single reason.

For many young people, farming can appear financially risky. Access to land can be difficult, and purchasing farmland can require significant capital. Access to affordable credit, training, infrastructure and markets can also create barriers.

The OECD identifies limited access to land and credit, regulatory complexity and skills requirements among the obstacles facing new entrants in many countries.

There is also an image problem.

Agriculture is sometimes perceived as physically demanding, low-income or traditional, while young people increasingly see opportunities in technology, business and urban industries.

But this perception does not fully reflect the agriculture of today.

Modern farming can involve artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, satellite imagery, biotechnology, data analytics, automation and sophisticated financial and supply-chain systems.

The farmer of the future may be as much a data-driven entrepreneur and technology user as a traditional producer.

The Rural-to-Urban Connection

The ageing farmer crisis is closely connected to rural population change.

Young people often leave rural areas in search of education, employment, healthcare and better economic opportunities.

As younger populations move away, rural communities can become older and smaller. This can create a cycle:

Fewer young people → fewer farmers → weaker rural economies → fewer opportunities → further migration.

The OECD notes that countries including Japan and Korea are dealing with rural depopulation as younger people move toward urban areas in search of better employment opportunities.

The result can affect much more than farming.

Schools, transport, healthcare, local businesses and agricultural services can all be affected when rural populations decline.

Agriculture Still Needs People

Technology can reduce some of agriculture's dependence on manual labour, but it cannot eliminate the need for people.

The International Labor Organization estimates that approximately one billion people work in agriculture globally, representing around 28% of total employment. Agriculture remains critical for livelihoods, food security and rural development, particularly in developing countries.

Automation can help farmers overcome labor shortages, but agriculture still needs people with agricultural knowledge, technical skills, business capabilities and the ability to make decisions.

The challenge is therefore not simply:

“How do we replace farmers?”

It is:

“How do we create an agricultural profession that the next generation wants to enter?”

Making Agriculture Attractive to Young People

The answer requires more than encouraging young people to become farmers.

Agriculture needs to become a sector where young people can see a future.

That means improving access to land and finance, providing modern education and training, strengthening rural infrastructure and supporting new agricultural businesses.

Digital technology can also play an important role.

The OECD reports that new entrants to agriculture tend to have higher education levels and are more likely to adopt digital technologies and agricultural innovations.

This creates an opportunity.

Instead of presenting farming as an old-fashioned occupation, agriculture can be presented as one of the world's most important technology-driven industries.

A young farmer can operate sensors, analyze satellite imagery, use AI-based decision tools, manage digital records, monitor markets and operate automated machinery, all while working with soil, plants, animals and the environment.

Learning From One Generation to the Next

Generational renewal should not mean replacing older farmers and their knowledge.

It should mean connecting generations.

Experienced farmers have knowledge built through years of observation and practice.

Younger farmers can bring new technologies, business models, scientific knowledge and digital skills.

The International Labor Organization has highlighted the importance of intergenerational approaches, where younger and older workers can support one another through knowledge and skills development.

The future could therefore be strongest when an experienced farmer and a young agricultural technologist work together.

One understands the land through decades of experience.

The other understands the possibilities of emerging technology.

Together, they can create something neither generation could achieve alone.

Who Will Grow Our Food Tomorrow?

The ageing farmer crisis is ultimately a question about the future of our food system.

If farming is to remain productive, sustainable and resilient, countries must make it possible for new generations to enter agriculture and build successful careers.

That means addressing the barriers that make farming difficult to enter while respecting the knowledge of those who have spent their lives working the land.

The goal should not be to replace the older generation.

It should be to build a bridge between generations.

The farmers of tomorrow may use autonomous machinery instead of traditional equipment, AI instead of manual calculations, satellites instead of walking every field and digital platforms instead of paper records.

But one thing will remain unchanged:

Someone still has to care for the land.

The future of agriculture will therefore depend not only on new technologies, but on whether we can inspire, support and equip a new generation of people to use those technologies responsibly.

The question is not simply who will grow our food tomorrow?

The more important question is:

What are we doing today to make sure the next generation wants to farm?