Evaluating Farmer Satisfaction from Rural Development Plan Measures: A Case of Young Farmers in Greece

Abstract

The measure for the establishment of young farmers of the Rural Development Plans in the European Union aims to face the problem of the aging of the rural population across Europe. With this measure an opportunity is given to young farmers to pursue farming, contributing to the sustainability of the agricultural sector. The main objective of the present research is to ascertain the level of satisfaction among young farmers participating in Sub-Measure “Establishment of Young Farmers” of the RDP 2014–2020. The research was conducted using the Multi-Criteria Satisfaction Analysis (MUSA) method with a sample of 89 young farmers who lived in the region of Central Macedonia in Greece and had successfully completed the program. The results show that the young farmers are mainly satisfied with their participation in the measure but there are many processes and procedures during the implementation of the program that can be improved. The Action and Improvement Diagrams of the MUSA methods show which parts of the processes need attention from the policy makers.