Beyond the Farm: Why Young Farmers Need Markets, Financing and Entrepreneurial Support to Grow

At 28, Julino Cuffy represents a generation of young Dominicans seeing agriculture not simply as a tradition, but as an opportunity to build a livelihood and contribute to the country's food security.

Agriculture was not initially the career Juliano had imagined. He had ambitions of becoming an aerospace engineer, but financial circumstances changed his path. Farming, which had been part of his family for generations, became an opportunity.

Today, that opportunity is something he is working to grow.From his farm in Marigot, Julino produces a diverse range of crops. His short-term crops include cucumbers, purple cabbage, lettuce, parsley and celery, while his longer-term investments include cocoa, citrus, avocado and other fruit trees. He also practices plant grafting.

His approach demonstrates an important reality about youth involvement in agriculture: producing food is only one part of building a successful agricultural enterprise.

Young farmers also need access to markets, financing and business support that can help them move from production to sustainable entrepreneurship.

Julino understands this firsthand.

He strategically combines short- and long-term crops, using crops with shorter harvesting periods to generate quicker returns while investing in crops that may take years to become productive.

"Short-term crop farming takes a shorter period of time to get ready for harvest and is a much quicker turnover," he explains.

That type of planning reflects the entrepreneurial thinking increasingly necessary in agriculture. Yet having a good production strategy does not eliminate the structural barriers young farmers can encounter.

Among Julino's biggest challenges is access to markets.

He also identifies transportation as a constraint. Without his own vehicle, reaching the farm where he cultivates his long-term crops can be difficult. For a farmer, transportation can affect more than mobility; it can influence access to inputs, farms and ultimately markets.

Financing is another critical piece of the puzzle.

For Julino, access to finance is not simply about receiving money. It is about investing in assets that could make his operation more productive and efficient.

He points to the need for farm inputs, machinery and a greenhouse as examples of investments that could help him expand his operation.

"If I had the financial assistance... it would make my farming a lot easier and efficient," he says.

His experience illustrates why support for young farmers must extend beyond encouraging youth to enter agriculture. If farming is to provide sustainable livelihoods, young producers need an enabling environment that allows them to operate as entrepreneurs.

This includes access to appropriate financing, reliable markets, transportation, equipment and stronger coordination with institutions that can support agricultural development.His story demonstrates the potential that exists when young people bring ambition, experimentation and entrepreneurial thinking to agriculture. It also raises an important question: once young people choose agriculture, are the systems around them equipped to help their businesses succeed?

Investing in young farmers therefore means investing beyond the farm itself. Connecting youth to financing, markets, technology and entrepreneurial support can help transform agricultural production into viable businesses creating livelihoods, strengthening local food systems and giving young people greater opportunities to build their futures.