Lleida's agricultural sector is facing significant demographic challenges, with new data revealing an ageing and predominantly male workforce. According to the annual mandatory agricultural declaration (DUN), 43% of farm owners in the Lleida region are over 65, nearing retirement age.
In contrast, only one in ten farm managers is under 41 years old, highlighting an urgent need for generational replacement to secure the future of Catalonia's primary sector. The same report also indicates that the agri-food sector remains largely male-dominated. Only 29% of farm owners, specifically 4,912 individuals, are women, a mere one percentage point increase since 2015. These two aspects, the advanced age of owners and the low female presence in the countryside, require immediate attention.
Generalitat Boosts Rural Services
To address some of these challenges and bring public services closer to citizens, the Generalitat of Catalonia launched five mobile citizen service offices across the region starting on 26 April 2020. These offices follow five distinct routes, aiming to serve 200 municipalities and over 600,000 people. In the Lleida demarcation, two of these routes are operational: one covering the northern Noguera counties and another serving the southern and eastern areas of Ponent.
Albert Dalmau, the Minister of the Presidency, presented this initiative on 25 April 2020, stating that its purpose is to bring the administration closer to citizens and streamline bureaucratic procedures. The mobile offices, which will visit participating municipalities once a month, will allow users to carry out various administrative tasks and procedures. This includes direct assistance from qualified personnel and access to computer equipment for those who are technologically self-sufficient.
While the reception of this new service remains to be seen, the initiative is generally welcomed. Efforts must continue to make agricultural professions attractive to both young people and women, supported by incentives and necessary infrastructure from public administrations to minimise deficiencies in rural life, whether technological, communication-related, or in diverse services.
