Europe’s agricultural sector is facing a mounting legacy crisis: the people who run farms are getting older, and too few young farmers are stepping in to replace them. According to European Commission and Eurostat data, just 11% of farm managers are under 40, highlighting a widening generational gap that threatens the long-term resilience of the sector.
This demographic imbalance comes at a time when farming is becoming more complex and more precarious. Climate change is intensifying weather volatility; input costs remain high; and market pressures continue to squeeze margins. For small and medium-sized farms in particular, these converging challenges are raising serious concerns about succession, viability, and food security across the continent.
Without targeted intervention, industry groups warn that Europe risks losing not only farms, but also the accumulated knowledge and rural economies that underpin them.
Future Harvest: A targeted response to the succession challenge
It is against this backdrop that EIT Food, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), has partnered with the PepsiCo Foundation to launch Future Harvest: a new programme explicitly designed to support young and next-generation farmers.
Set to roll out across France, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, and Türkiye, the initiative aims to reach approximately 900 farmers in 2026, focusing specifically on those already managing or preparing to take over family farms.
The objective is not simply to attract new entrants into agriculture, but to ensure that those already embedded in the system are equipped to succeed. This distinction reflects a growing recognition that the succession crisis is as much about supporting continuity as it is about recruitment.
From knowledge to action: building viable farm businesses
Future Harvest combines online learning with hands-on, farm-based experiences, attempting to bridge the gap between theory and real-world application.
Participants will follow tailored learning pathways, covering sustainable and regenerative farming practices, farm business management and financial planning, entrepreneurship and leadership skills and digital tools and agri-tech innovation.
Crucially, the programme also introduces the Future Harvest FarmHub, which provides access to farm clinics, field visits, mentoring, and peer-to-peer exchange. By linking participants to wider innovation ecosystems, the initiative seeks to accelerate the adoption of new practices at farm level.
The approach reflects a shift in how agricultural support programmes are being structured: less about one-off training, and more about embedding farmers within ongoing networks of innovation and expertise.
Addressing resilience in a changing food system
For programme backers, the case for intervention is clear. The generational gap is not just a labour issue; it is a systemic risk to Europe’s ability to adapt to climate and economic shocks.
“Europe’s farming future depends on whether the next generation sees agriculture as a place to build, innovate and lead,” said Richard Zaltman, CEO of EIT Food. “Future Harvest is part of our wider commitment to building a more resilient agriculture sector across Europe.”
From PepsiCo’s perspective, the initiative also reflects the importance of farming resilience to global food supply chains.
“As a food and beverage company, PepsiCo’s connection to agriculture is fundamental,” said Monica Bauer, Senior VP of Global Social Impact and President of the PepsiCo Foundation. “Farmers are facing growing pressure, from rising costs to climate uncertainty. Through the PepsiCo Foundation, we aim to support initiatives like Future Harvest that help farming communities build resilience and opportunity over time.”
Local delivery, continental ambition
While Future Harvest is structured around a shared European framework, it is notable for its localised implementation model. The programme will be adapted in each participating country to reflect national farming systems, challenges, and policy environments.
“A new generation of European farmers is being called on to revitalise agriculture and secure the sector’s long-term future.”
