Why Millennials are Leaving Desk Jobs to Work on Farms

According to new reporting in the Washington Post, a growing number of young people are leaving desk jobs to work on farms.

While the appeal of working in nature is not new, news of this specific shift and its demographic scope arrives at a time of massive technological tumult.

Around the world, people are leaving social networks like Facebook and Twitter by the millions— likely in response to concerns over privacy, mental health, tech addiction, and/or Russian intervention in U.S. political discourse.

All of which makes turning away from technology and maximizing one’s interaction with nature even more appealing.

“For only the second time in the last century, the number of farmers under 35 years old is increasing, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest Census of Agriculture,” the Post reports. “Sixty-nine percent of the surveyed young farmers had college degrees — significantly higher than the general population.”

What’s more, a survey conducted by the National Young Farmers Coalition shows that the majority of these young farmers did not come from agricultural families– which is likely a reflection of the growing popularity of the local food movement, which has cemented itself in the cosmology of American eating. In some states, the number of farmers under the age of 35 has increased over 20 percent.

Whereas older generations saw agriculture as a means to an end, young people, it seems, view growing food as a conduit for exercising political views, a symbol of aspirational living, and a deeply fulfilling vocation in addition to sustenance– and if the pattern continues, it will also prove itself to be a healthy, modern way to work. Read the full article over at the Washington Post.

Are you a college aged adult interested in farming? Check out this list of summer farm internships. Or, download these 9 great gardening apps for amateurs and professionals alike.