Paula Nuévalos, a 27-year-old mechanical engineer, left a traditional career to manage her own organic vineyard and almond farm in Utiel-Requena. She values the autonomy and flexibility of self-employment, even as agricultural incomes remain unpredictable and the sector struggles to attract young talent.
Paula Nuévalos, known online as @agropauli, is not the typical face of Spanish agriculture. At 27, with a degree in mechanical engineering, she manages her own organic vineyard and almond fields in the Utiel-Requena region of Valencia. For Nuévalos, the greatest reward of working as a self-employed farmer is not the monthly paycheck, but the freedom to shape her own days and future.
In a recent video, Nuévalos set aside the usual talk of hardship in the sector to highlight what keeps her committed to the land. She points to the unique potential for growth that comes with running your own business. "There is no ceiling to what you can earn," she says, though she is quick to add that the same is true for losses. The risks are real, but so are the opportunities.
Freedom and Resilience
Nuévalos describes how self-employment has forced her to develop resilience. The daily challenges of farming—weather, market prices, and the unpredictability of each harvest—demand a "steel health," as she puts it. Over time, she has learned to handle frustration and to master a wide range of skills, from machinery maintenance to business management.
Yet above all, she values the autonomy to organize her own schedule. Being in charge of her time allows her to balance work, personal commitments, and ongoing education without being tied to someone else's timetable. This flexibility, she notes, does not mean working less. Agricultural cycles, weather, and crop needs often require long hours. The difference is in having the power to decide how and when to invest that effort.
Uncertain Incomes
Official salary references for agricultural workers in Spain hover around €1,400 to €1,500 gross per month. But as Nuévalos explains, these figures do not reflect the reality for self-employed farmers. Their income can swing dramatically from one season to the next, depending on harvest yields, market prices, farm size, and costs like fuel, fertilizers, machinery, insurance, and irrigation. Subsidies from the Common Agricultural Policy help, but Nuévalos insists that real sustainability depends on prices that cover actual production costs.
Taxation and social security contributions for self-employed farmers are also complex. From 2026, contributions are based on income brackets, and some farmers can opt for a special VAT regime, each with its own requirements. The financial landscape is as variable as the weather.
Few Young People in the Fields
According to Spain's Ministry of Agriculture, only 19.8% of self-employed agricultural workers are under 40. Among salaried employees in the sector, the share of young people is higher, at 40.1%. Many farmers continue working past retirement age: 7.8% of self-employed agricultural workers are over 65, compared to just 1.2% of employees.
Nuévalos's story is a rare example of a young person choosing to stay in agriculture. For most, the barriers are high: uncertain profits, significant investment, and the challenge of securing stable income. As she demonstrates, the rewards are real, but so are the risks—and the future of Spanish farming may depend on whether more young people are willing to take that gamble.
As reported by Talent24h, the debate over how to make agriculture more attractive and viable for the next generation remains unresolved. For now, stories like Nuévalos's offer a glimpse of what is possible when autonomy and resilience outweigh the comfort of a fixed salary.
