Boosting the attractiveness of agriculture and the connection between the farming community and society

The main goal of this opportunity is to make agriculture more attractive and to strengthen the bond between the farming community and society. It aims to support generational renewal in agriculture, promote fair employment and social inclusion for farmers, and develop innovative governance models to guide effective future policies. The focus is on improving how farming is perceived by society, understanding what makes farming appealing, enhancing agricultural education and training, involving cultural and creative industries, and sharing solutions with policymakers, farmers, and businesses. Activities cover diverse regions across the EU and may include some non-EU countries with specific funding arrangements.

• Projects must address ways to make agriculture more attractive and improve the relationship between farmers and society.
• They should support generational renewal, fair jobs, and social inclusion in farming.
• Activities must contribute to developing innovative policy and governance models for agriculture.
• Projects should include actions to improve agricultural education, training, or knowledge sharing.
• They must involve dissemination of results to policymakers, farmers, and other stakeholders.
• Proposals must follow specified page limits and layout requirements.

Example projects:

• A pilot program connecting young people with farming mentors to encourage new generations to enter agriculture.
• An initiative that partners with creative industries to create campaigns improving the public image of farming.
• A research project that studies the effectiveness of new training modules for farmers and shares results with national policymakers.

• Staff salaries and personnel costs
• Costs for travel and accommodation related to project activities
• Equipment and materials needed for research or training
• Costs for organizing workshops, seminars, or public events
• Consultancy and expert fees
• Communication and dissemination activities
• Development of digital tools or platforms
• Subcontracting specific tasks or studies
• Administrative and overhead costs

Expenses are covered as a lump sum. All costs must be directly linked to the project’s objectives and activities.

• Budget for this Call: 12.000.000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 2
• Budget per project: 6.000.000€

• Consortium must include at least three independent legal entities from three different eligible countries, with at least one based in an EU Member State.

• All entities must be established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries and demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity under General Annexes B and C.

• Type of action: Research & Innovation Action (RIA) focused on increasing the attractiveness of the agricultural sector and strengthening societal connection with the farming community.

• Project must analyze socio-economic factors impacting generational renewal, fair jobs, and public perceptions of farming; and propose evidence-based strategies to enhance recruitment of new entrants and societal engagement.

• Should engage multi-actor involvement: farmers, researchers, policymakers, civil society and industry stakeholders to co-design governance innovations and communication strategies.

• Standard Horizon Europe ethics, integrity, exclusion, conflict-of-interest, data protection and legal compliance rules apply under General Annexes A–G