Farmer Regeneration: Why Are Young People Reluctant to Enter the Dairy Farm World?
11 December 2025
5 months ago
Farmer regeneration has become one of the biggest challenges in Indonesia’s dairy sector. Most dairy farmers today are over 45 years old, and interest from younger generations to continue the family business is steadily declining. Despite strong market demand for milk, dairy farming is still seen as hard, dirty work and less prestigious compared to modern jobs that offer flexibility. Limited access to capital, unstable milk prices, and high feed costs also make dairy farming seem financially unattractive to young people.
On the other hand, younger generations tend to seek jobs with stable income, clear career growth, and a more modern work environment. Yet FAO reports show that modernizing dairy farms such using sensors, monitoring apps, and improved feed management systems can significantly boost efficiency and make daily work much easier for new farmers. Still, without education, training, and affordable access to technology, this transformation remains difficult to achieve.
Farmer regeneration is not simply about replacing an aging workforce, it’s more about securing the future of the national dairy industry. Government, cooperatives, and industry stakeholders must work together to build an ecosystem that appeals to young people leading to a more modern, more profitable, and more sustainable.
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