• The National Rural Network (RRN) has organized a workshop on youth entrepreneurship in rural areas focused on organic production.
• Access to land, administrative processes, and business planning are the main challenges young people face when starting out in the world of organic farming and livestock.

Despite the difficulties imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the agricultural and livestock sectors, organic products and the organic sector have seen significant growth over the past two years. Young entrepreneurs can take advantage of this opportunity brought about by increased consumption through careful planning and training to implement their business plans in rural areas.
For this reason, the RRN organized the conference "Youth Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas on Organic Production," which featured experiences from the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Cantabria, Galicia, the Principality of Asturias, the Valencian Community, and the Region of Murcia, bringing together 161 participants.

The main objective of the event was to highlight some best-practice business projects and to share the resources and training available to young entrepreneurs who currently have viable projects in the world of agroecology and organic livestock farming . All this was done with the aim of using their experiences to inspire and connect other young entrepreneurs from different autonomous communities.

Patience and planning

"From planning to implementation, it takes a long time, but the effort is worth it." "I advise planning, not getting overwhelmed, taking it step by step." "We don't compete with conventional products; instead, we offer fresh, high-quality, and locally sourced products." "In recent years, more than 68% of the population has started buying organic products." These experiences and assessments are part of the two roundtable discussions that structured this event. Guest experts participated in each, along with young entrepreneurs.

The panel discussion on organic farming featured María Vela Campoy and Sara Serrano Latorre, from the Spanish Society of Organic Agriculture (SEAE) . They shared their knowledge with:

• Javier Sebastián Antón, from Friends of the Landscape , landscape farmers specializing in the conservation and regeneration of agricultural landscapes in Aras de los Olmos (Valencia, Valencian Community).
• José María de Soto, from Ecofinca Pura Vida in Santa Ana (Murcia Region).
• András Miklós Hajdu, from Tarruco Organic Garden in Villafufre (Cantabria).

The panel discussion on organic livestock farming featured guest expert Manolo Reina Marín, from the Innovation Department of the Spanish Professional Association of Organic Production (Ecovalia) , who shared experiences with:

• Marta Cornello Pérez-Calderón, from the Labrados Altos Farm - Extensive sheep and pig farming , located in Cazalla de la Sierra (Seville, Andalusia).
• Marta Amandi Tomás, from the organic farm Los Caserinos (Villaviciosa, Asturias).
• Isabelle Gómez Rodríguez, from Traloagro , cattle and agricultural ranching in Friol (Lugo, Galicia).

The event will soon be broadcast on the RRN's YouTube channel. All material generated will also be posted on the event's website .

Rural youth

The NRN is focusing its Action Plan these months on youth issues, through a series of activities designed to respond to the needs identified through a survey and a meeting of the thematic group of experts specifically established for this purpose.

The main need identified is to ensure the employability of youth in rural areas.

In this context, this was the fifth and final day of the rural entrepreneurship cycle organized by the RRN and aimed specifically at young people. This cycle had a territorial focus and reviewed different economic sectors, each with special relevance in certain regions but of interest to rural areas across the country.