Club of the Young Farmers

Mr. Šimon Marák Jr. is currently the President of the Club of the Young Farmers (CYF) which is backed by the Asso- ciation of Private Farming of the Czech Republic (APF CR). CYF is a voluntary vocational organization dedicated to young people aged from 15 to 35, offering meeting points for young farmers and supporting young people who live, work, and have an interest in the countryside. It is run by young people and aimed at young people in the agricultural sector of Czechia.

Basic information

Area: 320 ha

Mr. Šimon Marák is the current President of the Club of the Young Farmers (CYF). Here is a brief description of his family agricultural business:

This family farm specializes solely in crop production. The main crops that are cultivated are wheat, barley, garden peas, rapeseed, clover and field mustard. Today the total farm area spans over 320 hectares, but originally Mr. Marák Sr. began his business on a mere 2 hectares in 1993. His son Šimon – now 25 years old – joined his father in 2010.

The Club of the Young Farmers was established in 2014 as a voluntary association for young farmers between the ages of 15 and 35. The club was created to promote better communication between young people that are involved in the running of an agricultural family business through formal and informal meetings. Members appreciate the countryside and enjoy rural life, but most of all they treasure freedom and their independence. All members can make comments on legislative proposals linked to young farmers and may participate in negotiations with government institutions, and non-governmental and partner organizations within the Czech Republic and internationally. There are currently fifty young farmers in the group. CYF is a platform for its members to share their experiences and knowledge, or simply just meet other young farmers. “Led by young people, for young people” is their motto. Being in- volved in the organization allows young farmers to develop their skills, to work with their local communities, to travel abroad or visit different farms in the Czech Republic, and to be part of dynamic social scene associated with CYF. CYF supports its members if they are trying to apply for subsidies from the European or national agricultural funds. CYF also offers a helping hand to get their members’ businesses off the ground through start-up grants and other financial and practical supports such as training, legal advice, exchange of practical information, and knowledge of technological know-how about production. CYF also assists in the application of new technological procedures to agricultural production processes. Membership of the CYF includes benefits such as social activities and personal development through participation in competitions, travel, and sport. Members of the CYF must be a member of the Association of the Private Farming of the Czech Republic in the form of a direct membership or based on a mem- bership of a close relative. Non–members of APF CR may be inducted into the CYF for a maximum of 2 years by a decision of the CYF Committee. As President of the CYF, Šimon Marák is also a deputy in the Presidency meetings of the APF CR. He presents the opinions of the CYF members and submits their comments on issues that have been raised during the Presidency meetings. The Committee of the CYF is made up of five members that are elected during the General Meeting of the CYF. Initially the Committee met once per month. However, since farming is a time-con- suming job without fixed working hours, as time has progressed the initial enthusiasm for regular monthly meeting has subsided. The goal now is to encourage more cooperation among the members.

Advice/Recommendation

"The most important part is to find and establish a support network of people, including family and trusted friends, who share similar interests, ideas and goals and are willing to dedicate their free time to CYF activities. A successful club is one where all members can adopt and share ideas with a “all in this together” attitude, which is something that requires similar interests. The key point about this is that all of our members have evolved into the family agricultural business and they have genuine interest in being involved in the group.
Part of keeping interest alive includes doing more than just routine meetings and regular activities. We have to manage activities and events that they would actually like to attend and projects they would like to be a part of. It’s a good idea to collaborate and work with other clubs abroad too in cross-border cooperation. With other clubs involved, we can discover more ideas and new topics for our own development. For instance, new events that may be more meaningful or more enjoyable."

Queries/Questions

  • Do you think that the lack of sharing of experience and knowledge between farmers hinders the development of a more competitive agriculture? Do you think you could do more in this respect with farmers in your region?
  • Do you think that in your region you could set up a group of farmers to exchange experiences and knowledge like the one described in the case study? What would be the main incentives and difficulties in starting such an initiative?
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