Notes from the European Rural Youth Forward Conference

"Getting back to the Rural shouldn't be a heroic act, but a livelihood opportunity"

This quote by Mr Pedro Sánchez (roughly translated from Spanish), whom we had the chance to listen to in person, captured the essence of the whole European Rural Youth Forward Conference that took place in Piloña (Asturias, Spain) between 24 February and 1 March 2026.

The conference was organised by Rural Youth Europe in collaboration with the Spanish rural youth association EPA!, with the aim of bringing together leaders from rural youth organisations, agricultural organisations, and policy-makers to discuss inclusive and participatory policy-making.

The four-day event highlighted the importance of youth and citizen participation in co-shaping practical solutions for rural communities to tackle issues such as depopulation, lack of meaningful job opportunities, scarce youth engagement, and barriers to education, mobility, and connectivity in marginal areas. Moreover, thanks to the interactive involvement of policy-makers, it proved effective in bringing EU institutions closer to European youth, while showing the transformative potential of EU-funded initiatives in shaping community participation. These challenges were addressed not only through keynote speeches by organisers and policy-makers, but also through dialogue with the local inhabitants and through the Petardo Methodology, an interactive role-play game where participants took on assigned characters, responded to timed “firecracker” interventions, and co-created practical prototypes addressing specific topics in their communities. We also had the chance to network with like-minded youth organisations from across Europe during the Rural Stakeholders Marketplace.

I attended this conference on behalf of MaYA (Malta Youth in Agriculture Foundation). Malta, as a country, is often underrepresented in international and EU contexts, so we wanted to be present and do what we do best: advocate for local rural communities and speak about our beloved Malta.

When it comes to the Rural in Malta, it must be said that the country faces unique challenges and constraints compared to other Member States. Indeed, while in other countries the Rural is understood across multiple dimensions and a place can still be defined as rural even without agriculture, here it can be affirmed that the little rural areas that still exists do so precisely because of agriculture (because yes, most other rural space has already been built over thanks to real estate speculation and overtourism). Yet the farmers who are still there continue to face well-known obstacles such as access to land, fragmentation, and outdated structures that are not conducive to innovation and generational renewal, as MaYA founder Jeanette Borg explains in this article. While the local Planning Authority and Lands Department systematically fail to address such challenges and the sector reaches a point of critical fragility, other Member States are actively backing their rural citizens and youth.

Indeed, the findings from the study “Here to stay? The transitions of rural youth before and after the Covid-19 pandemic” on the situation and needs of rural youth across Europe were presented for the first time and laid the groundwork for discussion. Unfortunately, Malta fell within the group of “Uncertain Citizenship”, together with Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, and Spain - countries providing a low level of support to young rural people and where labour market integration strategies may exist, but are not comprehensive. Put simply, rural youth’s needs are not being truly acknowledged. Moreover, it was pointed out that, despite Malta’s tiny size, the latest rural indicators available date back to 2022. As anticipated, safeguarding rural areas in Malta means safeguarding agriculture, and from this study it seems that the Government is not even addressing this issue by collecting updated data on the rural world.

MaYA is here to support young farmers (but also “less young” ones) in accessing rural opportunities, receiving professional guidance, and advocating for their “right to stay on the agricultural land”. Nonetheless, our bottom-up approach needs to meet action from the authorities when it comes to regularising permits, ensuring access to land, and securing leases. Now, with the geopolitical challenges we are facing and the resulting increase in costs, this has become even more urgent.