Projects that Support Young Family Farmers Case of National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC)

Abstract

Family farming includes all family-based agricultural activities, and it is linked to several areas of rural development. Family farming is a means of organizing agricultural, forestry, fisheries, pastoral and aquaculture production which is managed and operated by a family and predominantly reliant on family labour, including both women’s and men’s. Youth have a positive role to play as the future of family farming. There are several ongoing projects aimed at involving youth in family farming, in general, and sustainable family farming in particular. This paper aims to outline the role played by the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) in enhancing youth in family farming. It discusses the mission and strategies adopted by the NYFC (which is funded by individuals, foundations and businesses investing in the future of farming in America) for engaging young farmers to ensure their success. Also, this presentation gives description of selected stories of young farmers. In terms of methodology, secondary data (collected from various sources, including books, research reports, journal articles, Internet resources, etc.) have been analyzed using descriptive research method. Most of the data presented are qualitative in nature. The paper concludes that there are several ongoing projects aimed at involving youth in family farming, in general, and sustainable family farming, in particular. The NYFC is an innovative initiative in this direction. It is a national network of young farmers, ranchers, and supporters fighting to create opportunity for young people in sustainable agriculture in the United States. Today’s beginning farmers struggle with daunting barriers to entry, including: (a) access to land and credit, (b) lack of health insurance coverage, and (c) often tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. The NYFC works for young farmers by strengthening their social networks, helping them hone their skills through the facilitation of peer-to-peer learning, and fighting for the policies that will keep them farming for a lifetime.