Since the age of 13, Mehmed Alagić from the village of Fajtovci near Sanski Most has been deeply involved in agriculture. Now, at 24 years old, Mehmed, a farmer and veterinary technician, manages a farm with around 60 dairy cows, calves, and bulls, and cultivates about 100 hectares of land. On Bego Farm, he took over responsibilities early due to his father's health issues. Today, with his wife Admira, a former schoolmate, and his mother Hatema, they produce approximately 800 liters of cow's milk daily. This Youth Day, we highlight how supporting young people like Mehmed and Admira in agribusiness sustains local economies and fosters innovation and resilience in rural communities.

Mehmed and Admira plan to develop a workaround for caring for cows and milk production on Bego Farm. During the summer, they plan to build a new barn that could house about 70 dairy cows. They also want to introduce machine milking, which will greatly ease their work and enable growth in production, which they estimate by at least one-third.

In the Una-Sana Canton area, there is a lack of silos for grain storage, and Mehmed considers this one of the urgent priorities that need to be ensured in the agriculture sector, especially during the current crisis in the European market.

In the area of the Sanski Most municipality, over seven million liters of milk were produced in 2021. The president of the Association of Local Agricultural Associations of the Sanski Most Municipality, Husein Selimović, explains that due to the increase in the prices of agricultural equipment and raw materials, many are giving up on agriculture, and today only a third of milk producers are working compared to 15 years ago.

"Milk production is a demanding job. There is great responsibility regarding production quality. Many could not meet the standards; some did not have suitable facilities for housing livestock, and some did not have the machinery. This farm is a positive example; the three of them are employed, and it is evident they are professionals," says Selimović about Bego Farm.

"When creating such project applications, it must be recognized which farmers are leading and have taken it seriously. Admira works just like any other farmer in the world, she gets in the tractor and does everything. And for that, the right machinery is needed," he adds.

Admira explains that work on the farm starts early in the morning, usually around five or six, when they first feed and milk the cows. After that, if the weather is good enough, they allocate time to work in the fields, and if she finds some free time, Admira prepares and sells cheeses of different flavors.

"There are no people even if we paid them to work," says Admira and adds that many young people have left this area, but she and Mehmed conclude with a smile, "Someone needs to stay in Bosnia as well."

The prices of purchasing fertilizers and animal feed also pose a problem for Bego Farm, and as Mehmed explains, milk producers need greater incentives for production.

"Milk production was profitable until the concentrate price increased, which is an additional feed mixture for cows. Now we are building a new facility where we plan to place a robot that will milk the cows. However, if the milk price does not improve in the coming period, we will have to switch to something else or beef fattening, which is less money but easier to earn. Milking cows is the most responsible job," he says.

The equipment procured through the EU4AGRI project has greatly eased the work on Bego Farm, and Mehmed recommends other farmers apply as well.

The total investment value supported through the project is about 78,780.00 KM, of which the co-financing amount by the European Union was about 51,207.00 KM.

"The biggest problem for farmers is paperwork and bureaucracy regarding construction facilities. This is not such a big problem in general; however, the problem is the slow municipal services. Administration burdens us," he explains and concludes that this is an excellent opportunity for farmers and that he plans to apply again.

The EU4AGRI project, with the support of the European Union, continues to improve agriculture and rural development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, providing farmers and local communities with the opportunity for prosperous and sustainable development. The EU, together with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Czech Development Agency (CzDA), provided various forms of support, from financial aid to education and the promotion of innovations.

Over the past four years, more than 213 projects have been supported across BiH, aimed at farmers, rural communities, small and medium enterprises in rural areas, agricultural associations, and research institutions. Along with improving agricultural production, EU4AGRI and EU4AGRI-Recovery have supported job preservation, and more than 475 new jobs have been created through the projects.