A cross-border analysis of key stakeholders' perceptions of the drivers and barriers to generational renewal in Irish agriculture

The need for greater generational renewal in agriculture is a pressing policy issue in the EU. This is reflected in current reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy which have made generational renewal a priority policy area and linked it with much-needed innovation and structural change. In Ireland, the need for generational renewal is apparent: the average age of farmers is almost 60, just one-third of farms are economically viable, and the climate crisis has demanded a step change in how farms are managed and operated (Dillon et al., 2021). Despite this, there remains limited empirical evidence on the drivers and barriers to generational renewal in Ireland. Previous literature has underscored the limitations of monetary incentives to facilitate renewal (Conway et al., 2021), but, to date, no study has holistically assessed the range of relevant factors across a range of stakeholders in Ireland. This project will fill that gap. The project will adopt a mixed methods methodology and include an extensive literature review, a survey and semi-structured interviews. Participants will be targeted on both sides of the border to provide an all-island, comparative dimension. The survey will be targeted at potential farmer entrants in agricultural colleges (e.g. Teagasc, CAFRE), while the semi-structured interviews will purposively engage with existing farmers at various stages in their career lifecycle. The main objective of the research is to identify the salient variables in generational renewal and then identify appropriate policy solutions. Throughout, the project will recognise the important role that stakeholders play in solving their industry’s generational challenge, and thus will actively promote their involvement in the design of policy solutions. Indeed, we recognise that the solutions to generational renewal are likely to emanate from building consensus and fairness across the farming lifecycle – from young, potential farmers to farmers with decades of industry experience.