Services and quality of life: making rural areas places to live and work

Becoming or remaining a farmer depends not only on access to land, finance and knowledge, but also on the quality of life in rural areas. Reliable services - from healthcare and childcare to transport, housing and digital connectivity - are essential for young people to live and work in the countryside.

Across Europe, the lack of such services is a major reason why younger generations move away. Rural depopulation, in turn, weakens local economies and makes farming less viable. Addressing this cycle means investing in the social fabric of rural territories, so that those who wish to farm can build both a livelihood and a life.

The EU Strategy for Generational Renewal in Agriculture places this goal at the heart of its vision, linking agricultural renewal with broader efforts to revitalise rural areas through the EU long-term vision for rural areas and the Rural Pact.

Why rural services matter

Strong rural communities are the foundation of sustainable farming. When services are missing, farmers face higher costs, longer distances and reduced opportunities for their families. Unequal access to infrastructure, from broadband to basic healthcare, can make rural life unnecessarily difficult, discouraging new entrants from settling or staying.

Improving these conditions means more than supporting farmers: it means creating vibrant, inclusive rural societies where people of all backgrounds can work, innovate and raise families. Quality of life is not a luxury - it is a precondition for generational renewal.

New solutions taking shape across Europe

The EU CAP Network's Assessment of Generational Renewal Strategies across Member States(2025) has mapped national and regional initiatives that are already improving living conditions and access to essential services in rural areas. Successful approaches include:

• Integrated rural service hubs that bring healthcare, childcare, administrative and social services under one roof, reducing isolation and travel time for rural residents.
• Digital innovation and smart village initiatives that enhance broadband access, e-services and remote learning opportunities for farming communities.
• Rural housing and mobility schemes that make it easier for young people to settle in farming regions and connect with nearby urban centres.
• Community-based projects that strengthen social inclusion, promote cultural activities and create spaces for cooperation between generations.

These initiatives show that improving quality of life is not separate from supporting agriculture. It is part of the same strategy to keep rural Europe dynamic and resilient.

A European strategy for lasting change

The EU Strategy for Generational Renewal in Agriculture builds on analytical work and evidence gathered by the EU CAP Network across Member States to make rural life more attractive, equitable and sustainable. The Strategy promotes a mix of social, digital and infrastructural measures designed to ensure that young farmers and their families can thrive in the countryside:

• Linking agricultural renewal with the EU Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas and the Rural Pact, ensuring that farming contributes to and benefits from rural revitalisation.
• Improving access to essential services, including education, healthcare, childcare and mobility, through coordinated investments across EU funds.
• Expanding digital infrastructure and smart village initiatives to enhance connectivity, innovation and entrepreneurship in rural communities.
• Supporting inclusive governance by involving young farmers, women and rural entrepreneurs in local development planning.
• Promoting synergies between the CAP and cohesion policy, ensuring that agricultural and regional programmes jointly improve quality of life in rural territories.
• Encouraging diversification and local value chains, helping rural economies generate jobs and services beyond farming alone.

By combining these actions, the EU aims to make rural areas places where people not only work, but choose to live, ensuring that farming remains a rewarding, future-oriented profession rooted in thriving communities.

For more information

Press release: Commission proposes measures to support generational renewal in agriculture to secure Europe's food, farming and rural future

Communication: Strategy for generational renewal in agriculture (PDF)

Generational renewal in agriculture

CAP Network study on the best practices in Member States

Analytical brief presenting the 'picture of a young farmer in the EU today' (PDF)