"I'd rather go to the plot of land than play in the park."

LleidaOne of the major problems facing Catalonia's primary sector is the severe lack of generational replacement. Although the demand for labor in this sector is very high, bureaucracy and the difficult conditions in which they work Farmers and ranchers seem to be discouraging younger generations from wanting to dedicate their professional lives to agriculture. The succession of family farms is at a critical juncture. At least, that's what this confirms. a technical dossier prepared by the General Directorate of Agri-food Companies in 2024 The study indicates that farmers under 40 years old represent only 11% of farms in the European Union (EU), while in Catalonia this figure plummets to 7%. "A combination of social, economic, environmental, and cultural factors affects the health of the agricultural sector and puts many current farms on alert, as they do not foresee a natural succession," the same study argues. And what is this natural succession? It's the children, who don't follow in their parents' footsteps.

For this reason, when a precocious vocation appears, it's met with great anticipation. These are children who, unlike the usual trends, express their desire to be farmers. Not musicians, not doctors, not firefighters, not YouTubers… not even footballers. A significant number of young Catalans, almost all raised in families linked to the primary sector, express early on their desire to continue their parents' work.

Agricultural schools

It's not known for sure how many children between the ages of 6 and 15 end up pursuing this early vocation. But Catalan agricultural schools and secondary schools with agricultural vocational training programs are a good indicator.

Currently, there are fifteen agricultural schools run by the Generalitat (Catalan government), half of them located in the Lleida region. These are complemented by centers like the School of Shepherds in Rialp and institutes with outstanding programs, such as those in Mollerussa, Olot, and Premià. "In the agricultural management program, we find that 90% of our students are children of farmers who want to manage their family's farms and livestock operations," confirms Maria Isabel Rovira, director of the Solsonès agricultural school. "Our students tell us that they were drawn to machinery and tractors from a young age," confirms the secretary of the management team at the Les Borges Blanques agricultural school. "The demand for jobs in the agricultural sector is so high that most of our students find work quickly," says Lluís Chavarria, director of the Amposta school.

However, farming vocations, like those in the professional world, are highly masculinized. "I think women's vocations appear later, when we are already adults," comments Mireia Masalias, a shepherdess from Solivella (in the Conca de Barberà region), a union activist, and a graduate of the School of Shepherds. Their vocations are surely more reflective and mature.

Al Creatures We collect the testimony of four children with a farming vocation.

Before heading to the bus stop that takes him from Arbeca to the high school in Les Borges Blanques, Xavier Mesalles gets up early in the morning to visit the sheepfold. There he tends to a handful of sheep. He's thirsty, and every day he takes care of them, cleaning them, feeding them, and occasionally helping the mothers nurse their lambs. He looks after them as if they were his own pets.

He was given his first sheep when he was only eleven years old. That one had a name: Chiviri. "A shepherd gave her to me in exchange for some old feeders from a farm we weren't using anymore," recalls the young Mesalles. At that moment, a passion began that has only grown stronger. As a child, he would take that little lamb for walks through the village streets. He was the talk of his school friends. But, deep down, it was like reviving his godfather's old livestock farming tradition, who had owned a much larger flock and practiced transhumance as far as the Pyrenees.

Since then, Xavier has gradually increased the number of sheep until he now has a small flock that provides the family with meat for when they feel like having a celebration. In the future, the young Mesalles would also like to own a proper sheep farm and revive his ancestor's tradition. Time will tell.

He's still in his fourth year of secondary school. In one way or another, he helps his parents with farm work every day. It's something he's known all his life. "He's always surrounded by the house; he can't stay cooped up," admits his mother, Judith Artigas, who says that from a young age her son has been particularly drawn to tractors and machinery. But aside from vehicles, Xavier has always shown great sensitivity and concern for the land. If it doesn't rain, or if it rains too much, if the harvest is delayed, or if prices fall… he often asks his father if things are going well in the fields. He even admits that sometimes he would do things differently than his parents do. "He's very inquisitive; sometimes he explains how he would do it, but for now, he just needs to be quiet and take our word for it," his mother says with a smile.

Farming Family

All members of the Mesalles family from Arbeca are involved in agriculture in one way or another. The eldest son, Marc, now eighteen, studies at the Agricultural School of Les Borges Blanques and is also showing promise. The family runs pig farms and farms with almond, olive, and cereal trees—a commitment to diversification that allows them to survive in a very complicated sector, where bureaucracy and markets are increasingly stifling them. But young Xavier isn't afraid at all. "My dream is to have my own sheep farm," he says. Like his brother, he will also enroll in the Agricultural School because he understands the importance of training and professional development in the sector. He doesn't mind sacrificing time with his friends because going to the countryside is what he loves most in life. In fact, he often takes some of his friends along during recess, sometimes running or other times cycling, another of his great passions (he's a fierce competitor with the Juneda Cycling School). "Our sons aren't really into going out partying at night, to be honest," confesses the mother, who acknowledges that the future of the sport that her two sons are beginning to shape is a source of satisfaction for the family. Besides the two boys, they have another daughter, thirteen years old, who hasn't yet shown the same inclination. "We still think it's too early, but she hasn't decided yet," admits Judith Artigas.

He But La Bastida is more than just a businessIt's a life project, located at an altitude of 1,700 meters, described as the highest cultivated farmhouse in Catalonia. In the Cerdanya region, within the municipality of Prullans, this farmhouse is just a few kilometers from the French border. Teresa Torner's family moved there in the late 1970s and, since 1989, they have officially raised organic Morena breed beef and Pyrenean horses. Currently, Paula, at only ten years old, is following in the footsteps of her family. Her mother is 44 years old, and when she was born in Bastida, her parents (Paula's grandparents) had barely begun this livestock project. As a child, Teresa became her father's right-hand woman. But, as is typical of youth, at 21 she decided to leave home to work for a season as a truck driver and agricultural machine operator. She was passionate about farm equipment. In 2015, Teresa decided to return to the region to manage a leased farm and, shortly after, with her father's death, she decided to take the reins of the family business. Due to the real estate speculation plaguing Cerdanya, Teresa and her family were forced to return to their roots in Bastida to manage the business from there: a vast farm with over a hundred animals raised in a simple, "but free" way, adds the entrepreneurial mother. "All of us in the rural world experience dizzying adventures," she concludes, summarizing her story. In Bastida, the winters are long. Paula attends a French school and spends her time at home helping her mother with all sorts of household chores, but she shows a particular interest in livestock farming. "The only advice I give her is to do what she loves most. She should be able to choose, and we, her parents, will support her as much as necessary and as much as we can," says Teresa.

An easy future doesn't seem to be in sight. With a globalized market and falling prices, organic farming has become a rarity that wouldn't be sustainable without public subsidies and this family's dedication.

Double the work

In any case, Paula has an innate affinity for animals, especially mares. "When she can, she runs off with them, and it's very difficult to find her," Teresa admits. "What I like most is nature and being around animals," Paula herself acknowledges, clearly determined to follow in her mother's footsteps. She isn't afraid of adversity, whether natural or administrative. Seeing her mother fighting on the front lines inspires her. "I'm not interested in other jobs," the girl asserts when other professions, such as teacher or doctor, are suggested to her. Besides animals, Paula also has a certain fondness for machinery and tractors. At her age, she already knows how they work.

It so happens that La Bastida is part of Coopyrene, a cooperative of producers from the Pyrenees who jointly manage a meat processing plant. The majority of members are women, a rare occurrence in this sector. “We have double the work, being livestock farmers and women,” Teresa acknowledges. “The primary sector still doesn’t seem ready enough to understand that women can perfectly well run a business and make our own decisions.” On many occasions, they encounter buyers who “try to take advantage of us.” Both Teresa and Paula represent a generational shift that no one expects. “Families always entrust the future to an heir, and we women now occupy a place that our fathers traditionally don’t give us,” Teresa laments.

Josep Espinach Solanes is the eldest son of a farming couple from Solivella, in the Conca de Barberà region. The family cultivates almond trees, olive trees, and, above all, grapevines and cereal crops. He enjoys doing everything, but what attracts him most is the tractor. His father inherited the family farm; his mother, Teresa Solanes, recently joined the business. Originally from Cabra del Camp, she has extensive experience in livestock farming. The couple now forms a strong team, and this situation has led their son Josep to show an early desire to continue the family tradition. This precocity stems from an environment where farming is a deeply immersive experience. "José has been in contact with the land since before he was born, because while I was pregnant I would go to the grape harvest," his mother recalls. And once Josep was born, the family always took him everywhere, from the farmyard to the fields. This constant connection, from Monday to Sunday, has shaped his entire childhood. "Ever since he was little, he's always preferred playing in the fields to going to the park," says Teresa, with a wink from her son, who nods in agreement. In fact, they've even had minor family arguments when young Josep prefers working in the fields to going to school.

The parents understand that it's still very early, and although they admit it's a complicated sector, they won't oppose it if he ultimately decides to go. They acknowledge that Josep is fully aware of all the challenges. "He knows what it is," Teresa admits, "and what we won't do is clip his wings and refuse to let him get involved." "But what we do want is for him to get an education, to study before going to work in the fields," the mother warns.

Unusual Passion

Josep works the land every day during the summer holidays. The rest of the year, he tries to balance it with school and extracurricular activities. "I'm not afraid of the rain or the cold," he says confidently. There have been days when he's gotten up at six in the morning to help his parents during peak times. "He's very responsible," his mother says with satisfaction.

He's not even intimidated by the problems plaguing the sector. "When I grow up, I'll be the one managing the land," he promises. The family embraces this vocation with pride, but also with caution. They know for a fact that farming is in constant crisis. "These days you have to work hard and manage a lot of land to end up with a modest life," Teresa warns. Farming is like a gamble. "You never know what's going to happen," she predicts. In any case, the boy isn't fazed. Josep has a sister who will be just two years old next April. "It's still too early to know which path she'll choose," they admit. "The passion I see in our son isn't common among his peers; he's a very special case," Teresa explains. The fact that both Josep's mother and father are farmers contributes to this exceptionality. When they go out to the fields, the young man always asks questions and shows a constant interest in farm work. "He knows perfectly well the difference between organic and conventional production," his mother offers as an example. Like many children his age, Josep plays sports. However, he insists that, above all, when he grows up he will be a farmer. And, in his case, also a footballer.

The context in which young Balian Santana was raised is also eminently agricultural. His grandfather and current legal guardian is Joan Caball, former national coordinator of Unió de Pagesos (Farmers' Union). And perhaps because of this same atmosphere in his home, Balian has had a farming vocation for as long as he can remember. "I've always liked this work, especially driving the tractor," Balian emphasizes. His connection to the farming world has, in fact, also been very activist. At his age, he has already participated in some farmers' demonstrations alongside his grandfather and has experienced firsthand the struggle for the sector's rights. His grandfather's role in the labor movement has taught him that it is often necessary to take to the streets. He is one of those who believe that the government doesn't adequately look after the needs of farmers. "More than once he has helped me put up banners," recalls Joan Caball.

Balian, in turn, experiences firsthand the hardships of an activity subject to weather conditions. "Sunflowers, wheat, barley... We practice dryland farming here and we suffer a lot from droughts," Caball acknowledges. The family also has livestock farming, with a few calf farms, but what Balian likes most is the countryside. "It's much more fun, because I can ride in the tractor," the young man argues.

He fears nothing. At least that's what he claims when asked about the difficulties of the agricultural sector, especially the obligation to work weekends and during summer vacations. Not a firefighter, not a teacher, not a singer... not even a soccer player. He's drawn to the work of a farmer. "I play soccer, but what I like most is the countryside," he insists.

He's in his first year of secondary school at a high school in Figueres. Every day he commutes to and from the city and spends as much time as he can helping out at home. He says he's the only one in his group of friends interested in the agricultural world. "But we don't talk about it much with our friends," Balian admits. "We just play football and hang out in the streets."

An exceptional case

The farming vocation in the Alt Empordà region is an even more exceptional rarity compared to other areas of Catalonia. At least that's the opinion of Joan Caball, who points out that the Empordà region has a large number of small, scattered villages and a significant job market linked to coastal tourism and logistics. "The improvements in irrigation taking place in areas like Ponent make continuity there more likely than in our region," says the union leader. In any case, the new generations of parents, much more flexible and attentive to young people's aspirations, and the professionalization of the union movement are making it easier than ever for new farmers to join.

The attraction of young people like Balian to the land is a phenomenon that requires a lot of patience. "It's still early, but it's essential that there's that predisposition so that he eventually joins the workforce," says Caball, who always advises his grandson to end up doing what he loves most. "With that, he's very likely to face adversity more easily," he acknowledges. Unfortunately, the academic training that is so necessary to professionalize the new generations is limited in the Girona region. "In any case, it's good for young people to leave home and experience the work being done everywhere for a good while," he says.

The only way to ensure that the new generations ultimately stay in the family business is by making what their parents and grandparents did attractive. According to the union representative, it's necessary to stop the exodus of frustrated university students.