This project explores how cultural factors shape young people’s willingness to pursue agricultural careers in the UK and Indonesia, and how these factors influence the resilience of farming communities. Young farmers are crucial for innovative and sustainable agriculture, given their higher propensity for organic farming (Läpple & Rensburg, 2011), adoption of ICT (Milone & Ventura, 2019), and improved animal welfare standards (Mann, 2005). Thus, declining youth participation in farming threatens food security and rural vitality. While existing studies highlight systemic barriers to farming careers, cultural barriers remain underexplored. Understanding cultural influences is vital as they determine whether interventions resonate meaningfully with farming households and their broader communities. The UK and Indonesia illustrate diverse contexts of these cultural challenges.
The future of agriculture hangs in the balance, with a global decline in young people entering farming threatening food security. In Indonesia, only 42% of farmers are under 45 (BPS, 2023), with starker figures of 15% in the UK (DEFRA, 2023), 12% in the EU (EC, 2025), and 9% in the US (USDA, 2022). This dwindling generation of farmers raises urgent questions: Who will grow our food, steward our land, and preserve agricultural heritage in the years to come?
The global shortage of young farmers has been attributed to a complex web of systemic and cultural barriers. Systemic barriers arise from market forces, economic policies and structural inequalities. For instance, the high cost of land acquisition, coupled with competition from large-scale agribusinesses, makes it increasingly difficult for young farmers to establish themselves. Meanwhile, cultural barriers are rooted in societal norms, traditions, and perceptions about farming. This includes the stigma associated with farming work and profession (Lähdesmäki et al., 2019), gender inequality towards women farmers (OXFAM, 2024), and the resistance of conservative farms to adopting modern practices (Knook and Turner, 2020), are likely to reduce the appeal of farming to young people.
While considerable effort has been dedicated to addressing systemic barriers (e.g., through financial support programmes and farm succession schemes), initiatives targeting cultural barriers remain inadequate, undermining the efficacy of well-meaning policies and initiatives designed to address youth participation in agriculture.
Addressing these gaps, our interdisciplinary UK-Indonesia research team will use participatory action research (PAR), combining qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups) and quantitative surveys, to examine how cultural narratives influence youth aspirations and community resilience. Co-designed, culturally informed interventions, including youth career guidance packages and digital storytelling, will be tested via quasi-experimental trials measuring farming aspirations and resilience outcomes. A structured bilateral exchange programme and targeted training will enhance skills, intercultural understanding, and practical knowledge-sharing.
