Farmers in Malta might go ‘extinct’ in the next 15 to 20 years, according to Malcolm Borg, Head of the Centre of Agriculture at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST).

In an interview released on the Times of Malta, Mr Borg addresses a number of issues affecting the sustainability of local agriculture in Malta and Gozo, citing competition from imported produce, water scarcity as well as the growing age of farmers and the lack of young people wanting to go into the tough job.

The horticulture course at MCAST has been welcoming as little as two new students per year in recent times, and people are giving up their full-time farming jobs to look for other means of (higher) income.

Could all these factors contribute to the disappearance of the figure of the full-time farmer in Malta?

For more information, see the full interview with Malcolm Borg here.