Spain announces new measures to boost farmland access for younger farmers

The government of Spain ESannounced on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, a series of new measures intended to facilitate access to farmland for young agricultural workers. The initiative includes the launch of a centralized platform to organize farmland data and the assessment of approximately 17,000 state-owned rural plots to determine their suitability for use by new entrants to the sector. This move comes at a time of increasing pressure on rural economies and a widening demographic gap within the agricultural industry.

Current data highlights the scale of the challenge facing the agricultural sector in Spain, where approximately 40 percent of farm holders are currently over the age of 65. In contrast, fewer than 9 percent of holders are under the age of 41, signaling a potential crisis for the future of food production and rural stability. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pedro sanchezstated that his administration would push for 10 percent of the European Union EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds to be specifically set aside for generational renewal, although the proposal currently faces limited support among other member states.