Competence Development

Strong food systems depend not only on land, infrastructure and markets, but also on people, skills and viable futures in rural areas. Across the Nordic region, food production is facing a long-term competence challenge shaped by demographic change, recruitment difficulties and the changing realities of farming, food processing and rural business development.

The Growing Food(ies) project, led by Nordregio, explored how to attract more young people into food production and related bioeconomy sectors. The project examined barriers to recruitment, the image of the sector, the role of education and the wider conditions that influence whether young people see a future in farming and food-related careers.

Growing More Foodies builds on this foundation and moves the work closer to implementation. It focuses on stakeholder dialogue, competence needs, educational pathways and practical adjustments that can strengthen recruitment, support new entrants and make food production more attractive and accessible for the next generation.

Why this matters

Recruitment into agriculture and food-related occupations is not only a sector issue. It is also a question of regional development, local resilience and long-term food security. If fewer young people enter the sector, practical knowledge is lost, generational renewal weakens and local production becomes harder to sustain.

The challenge is broader than education alone. Young people also look for meaningful work, room for innovation, decent livelihoods and rural communities that offer social life, services and realistic futures. That is why this work connects competence development with entrepreneurship, identity, place attractiveness and the changing structure of food production.

Growing Food(ies)

Growing Food(ies) was a Nordregio-led project on youth participation and opportunities in the Nordic food sectors. The project examined why fewer young people are choosing education and careers linked to food production, and what this means for the future of Nordic food systems, rural development and long-term resilience.

The work combined literature review, statistics, survey material, workshops and dialogue with young professionals and sector actors. Among the main conclusions were that recruitment challenges cannot be reduced to agriculture alone. They are also shaped by the rural-urban divide, changing images of the sector, educational pathways, family and peer influence, and the wider question of whether food production is seen as a meaningful and viable future.

The project also pointed to the need for stronger early engagement with food-related education, better support for innovation and entrepreneurship, more visible rural opportunities, and a more active role for young people in shaping resilient food strategies.

Project page

Nordregio project page for Growing Food(ies)

Final report

Youth participation and opportunities food sectors

Policy brief

Key findings and recommendations from the project

Growing More Foodies

Growing More Foodies builds directly on the findings of the first project. The purpose is to move from diagnosis to application by exploring how earlier insights can be translated into concrete adjustments in education, sector support and recruitment efforts.

Identify competence needs in contemporary food production and related rural businesses
Examine how agricultural and food-related education can respond better to changing sector realities
Gather stakeholder perspectives from schools, advisory environments, sector organisations and young professionals
Explore how recruitment into food production can be linked more clearly to innovation, entrepreneurship and viable rural futures
Develop a practical basis for follow-up activities, recommendations and Nordic cooperation

Main aspects of the new project

Core questions

How can agricultural and food-related education respond better to changing competence needs in the sector?
How can recruitment strategies speak more directly to the realities and motivations of younger generations?
What kinds of support structures are needed for small farms, new entrants and hybrid rural livelihoods?
How can schools, advisers, sector organisations and local actors work more closely together?

Key themes

Competence development and educational pathways
Youth recruitment and sector image
Small-scale food production and new business models
Rural attractiveness, public services and community life
Practical skills, entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector

Results and activities

This page brings together material from both the original Growing Food(ies) project and the newer Growing More Foodies work. Reports, workshop material and interview-based outputs can be collected here as the project develops.

The first phase of Growing More Foodies is based on stakeholder dialogue aimed at identifying how earlier findings can be translated into more practical recommendations for agricultural education, sector support and youth recruitment.

Project network

The work draws on a Nordic network of educational institutions, sector organisations, advisers and project partners. The exact composition may vary between phases, but the common purpose is to connect education, practice and rural development more closely.

LinkNordic

Lead partner in the broader project development and Nordic policy perspective.

Nordic Insights

Analysis and project management in agriculture and food

Nordic Food College

Educational partner contributing practical and pedagogical insight from the food sector.

Naturbruksskolornas Förening

Network perspective from Swedish agricultural education.

Farm organisations and advisers

Sector-based insight into recruitment, new entrants and practical barriers.

Nordic project partners

Collaboration around interviews, analysis, communication and follow-up activities.