SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 31 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Canary Islands Government has released the final decision awarding grants for the establishment of young farmers, amounting to 3,590,000 euros. This sum will be equally allocated over the fiscal years of 2024 and 2025 to support a total of 53 entrepreneurial initiatives led by 29 men and 24 women, with the objective of fostering generational change in the primary sector of the Archipelago.
Narvay Quintero, the councillor for the area, emphasised that aiding this demographic is a priority for the Canarian Executive due to the pressing need to attract young individuals into agricultural activities to ensure generational transition in rural areas. He noted, “This is one of the key challenges faced by the European primary sector in securing its future.” He further remarked that these funds provide essential financial backing as well as technical guidance to the recipients.
These grants, outlined in the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC) for the 2023-2027 programming period, receive co-financing from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the regional Executive, as well as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Following the publication of the resolution on the notice board of the electronic headquarters of the Government of the Canary Islands (https://sede.gobiernodecanarias.org/sede/anuncios/9452e3a8-3…), the beneficiaries listed in Annex 1 of this document are required to submit the justification form for the 2024 fiscal year by November 30 (https://sede.gobiernodecanarias.org/sede/procedimientos_serv…). For the 2025 fiscal year, the submission must be completed by October 31, 2025 (https://sede.gobiernodecanarias.org/sede/procedimientos_serv…).
Recipients must also demonstrate their training to execute the activity specified in the grant, and if they do not possess the appropriate professional qualifications at the time of installation necessary according to the productive direction of the exploitation, they are required to obtain it prior to the completion of the business plan.
To fulfil this requirement, beneficiaries must present, by October 31, 2025, a report detailing the training courses undertaken along with the total hours of instruction completed, in addition to the relevant supporting documents to validate their completion. Consequently, training and professional competence will be recognised as established once it is substantiated through qualifications in agricultural vocational training, a professionalism certificate in the agricultural sector, agronomic engineering, agricultural technical engineering, forestry engineering, forestry technical engineering, or equivalent qualifications; including degrees in veterinary medicine.
In the absence of a qualification or certification that confirms their competence and ability, it may also be demonstrated through participation in professional training courses that amount to at least 200 instructional hours in the following fields of knowledge, alongside other topics related to the company’s productive orientation: management of agricultural enterprises, information systems for agricultural and livestock farms, sustainable production methods concerning environmental issues, climate change, plant health, efficient water usage in agriculture, workplace risk prevention, and animal welfare.