Young Farmers as Innovation Enablers in Rural Areas: The Role of The EU’s Support in a Portuguese Peripheric Region, Trás-Os-Montes

The European Union has suggested several approaches to decrease regional asymmetries and develop its rural areas. The main purpose of this paper is to study one of these policies, the Young Farmers Program, in the rural region of Trás-os-Montes, an area threatened by ageing and depopulation. This initiative might reverse such phenomenon and increase the attractiveness of the rural lifestyle to younger generations. But do these farmers bring innovation to Trás-os-Montes? Do they have a significant environmental and sustainability awareness? Are they aware of the potentialities of the circular economy? Is the digital usage already a reality? Do the associative leaders encourage the sustainable development of the region? A tentative answer to these questions is searched by means of a detailed survey by questionnaire to a representative sample of young farmers in the region and by interviewing their main associative leaders. Overall, a positive conclusion emerges from the results, as young farmers truly have the potential to bring change and development to Trás-os-Montes.