b'Dear readers of European Seed,Young people are the future of humankind. This is of course true for all sectors in society, but with the seed sector, and agriculture being literally at the basis of our food production, this fact is particularly true for these two. But most countries are faced with a massive problem: an aging population! The average age of people across the globe has been increasing, and nowhere is that more felt than in agriculture. The age structure of farm managers in the EU is alarming. Almost 60 per cent of EU farmers are 55 years or older, and only around 5 per cent is younger than 35 years. In the MOST INSPIRINGseed sector the situation is slightly better, but not great either.For the future of our food, the employment and engagement of young people in these sectors is crucial. GEN Z EMPLOYEESUnfortunately, the sectors have not been attracting a lot of young people over the past decades, and there is an urgent need to strengthen the appeal of agriculture and food systems to a younger generation. Luckily the seed IN THE EU SEEDand agri-food sectors are filled with a very wide range of diverse activities, and there is a large, untapped reservoir of employment opportunities to be discovered.In this issue of European Seed, we would like to SECTOR IN 2022 put the spotlight on some of the young people that are active in our sector, and provide an inspiration for others. We selected the age group until 30 years, often termed as Generation Z (or Gen Z).To find out if there are any Gen Z employees out there in the seed sector, we asked all national seed associations in Europe, and many other peers in the European seed sector to send us their nominations of employees who are making an extra effort to that end.And as each year, the reactions were overwhelming. What I particularly enjoyed was to see the level of enthusiasm and passion for plant breeding and the seed sector that all nominees were showing. So, there is some hope left. As in previous years, you will again find a few lines of text per winner, explaining in a nutshell who they are and how they are inspiring others. We hope you enjoy the list, and as usual, we very much welcome and look forward to any feedback you wish to share.Marcel Bruins16IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'