The Gaztenek Programme was launched in 2004 by the Basque Government and the three Foreign Ministers. The aim of this programme is to help young people who want to set up in agriculture, in the phase of ideas generation, as well as the creation of businesses and the consolidation of projects.

From 2004 to 2022, 919 people have gone through it: 353 from Bizkaia, 306 from Gipuzkoa and 260 from Álava. Of these, 594 were men and 325 were women, with an age ranging from 25 to 40 years when they participated in the program.

Only 175 ecological projects

By sector, the figures that have gone through the Gaztenek programme are similar: 476 people have joined agriculture, especially in horticulture, fruit and wine-making; and 443 in livestock, in general, care for dairy and meat cattle and sheep.

According to the Government ' s data, of the projects approved over all these years, approximately 175 develop organic or integrated production. The Government has not determined the total number of approved projects, but taking into account the 919 people who have passed, the percentage of people who have benefited from ecology would be 19 per cent.

Gaztenek's business vision and digitalization in Miran

The Gaztenek programme, presented on 18 July, focuses more on business management and digitisation than on sustainable production models. Mondragon Unibertsitatea will benefit from educational assistance and aims to “rejuvenate and modernise the primary sector, offering tools to meet the new challenges of the 21st century, such as business management, digitalisation of agricultural and livestock work or new techniques and innovations in this field”.

A total of 26 young people have enrolled in this year’s programme: 11 de Álava, 6 de Bizkaia and 9 de Gipuzkoa.