YOUNG FARMER SUPPORT IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Abstract

The countryside aging is widely considered European problem. The same could be observed at the level of farms, where in several European countries farming population is getting statistically older. Thus, this paper aims to define the main aspects of the young farmer support policies and programmes applied in the Czech Republic. Also, in addition, we tried to identify policy process which is related to young farmer issues at the level of the EU and the Czech Republic. To achieve this aim we collected the data on the support mechanism related to young farmer (below 41 years of age) mainly from the official European and Czech resources. Based on the results received we can identify large number of resources which are provided to farmers below 41 years of age or individuals starting with farming activities. We identified 2 main instruments – direct payments and investment grants, both sourced from the EU budget. At the level of the policy processes, we identified several organisations involved in lobbying however only one is exclusively oriented to young farmer issues.