Support for young farmers and rural women in Republika Srpska in 2026

Republika Srpska does not support young people and rural women through a separate programme. It does so through the annual rulebook on agricultural incentives. This text describes the 2026 version and applies to family farms, entrepreneurs and women's associations resident or based in Republika Srpska, including East Herzegovina.

In short

• Capital investments in 2026: support is 40% of eligible costs (20% for non-commercial farms). The higher rate of 50% (25% for non-commercial) applies to commercial family farms and entrepreneurs (legal entities stay at 40%) if the farm holder or sole entrepreneur is aged up to 40 (born 1986 or later) or is a woman, registered in the farm register (RPG) by 31 December 2025. The same higher rate applies to farms at 600 m above sea level or higher, farms in conversion or organic production, and tractor attachments made in RS. The cap per item (per article of the rulebook) is 50,000 KM for non-commercial farms, 100,000 KM for commercial farms and 200,000 KM for legal entities and entrepreneurs.
• Economic empowerment of women: 10,000 KM per beneficiary, for women resident in a rural area, registered with the Zavod za zapošljavanje Republike Srpske (Employment Institute) and registered in the RPG as holder of a non-commercial family farm.
• Self-employment: unemployed graduate agricultural engineers, food technology engineers and veterinarians aged up to 40 can receive up to 40,000 KM.
• Rural women's associations: up to 50% of the investment, maximum 10,000 KM per association, with an invoice or pro forma invoice of up to 20,000 KM in total.
• Agritourism: up to 50% of costs, maximum 10,000 KM, with extra ranking points for women and applicants under 40.
• Clearing of abandoned land owned by RS: for family farms whose holder or a member is under 40, with a lease signed by 31 October of the current year.

Who it applies to

• Women and people up to 40 who hold a farm registered in the Register of Agricultural Holdings (RPG).
• Women's economic empowerment: rural women registered with the Employment Institute. Anyone who received this support in the last three years is not eligible this year.
• Self-employment: unemployed graduates in the listed fields, up to 40, who hold a non-commercial farm and carry out production or processing on it, with residence in a rural area. They must not have used the measure before or had commercial farm status in the last ten years.
• Agritourism: those registered to provide hospitality services in rural areas. Anyone who received agritourism support in the last three years is not eligible this year.
• Women's associations: registered women's associations in rural areas, for purchase of fixed assets and equipment.
• Land clearing: family farms whose holder or a member is up to 40.
• The 2025 pilot programme for the economic empowerment of rural women (UN Women and FAO, grants of 5,000 to 10,000 KM) was a one-off and covered only 26 municipalities in Canton 10, Zenica-Doboj Canton and Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of BiH, not Republika Srpska. Its call closed on 8 August 2025, and no new call has been published for 2026.

What to do

1. Check that you are in the RPG with up-to-date data. For the higher capital investment rate, registration had to be done by 31 December 2025.
2. Follow the public calls of the Agencija za agrarna plaćanja (Agency for Agrarian Payments). The Agency publishes the capital investment call, which stays open 15 days from publication, and applications are accepted only under a published call. The capital investment rulebook applies only to 2026, so expect the next call after the 2027 rulebook is adopted.
3. For women's empowerment, self-employment, women's associations and agritourism, submit a request to the Agency with the documents set in the rulebook, depending on the measure: a business plan or project on the prescribed form, a pro forma invoice, a notarised statement on intended use (three years for self-employment and women's economic empowerment, five years for women's associations), a certificate from the Employment Institute and a residence certificate. For agritourism, attach the project proposal on Form 29v, the certificate of registration of the contract for hospitality services in the countryside, invoices or pro forma invoices and the municipality's decision on categorisation of the facility; no statement on intended use is required for this measure.
4. A commission appointed by the minister scores applications and makes a ranking list. Funds are paid on a decision of the Agency director, within the amount set in the annual funds plan.
5. After payment, submit a report on use of funds within 90 days, with invoices and proof of payment. For self-employment you must register a commercial farm and keep it for at least three years. If you take other employment or re-register with the Employment Institute within three years, you must return the funds to the Agency.

Deadlines and amounts

• Deadlines in the 2026 rulebook (request no later than): women's economic empowerment 30 April; self-employment 31 May; women's associations and agritourism 30 June. These deadlines have passed.
• Capital investments: the 2026 public call was published on 21 April 2026 (the document is dated 20 April) and stayed open 15 days, with applications due by 6 May 2026, so new 2026 applications are closed. The 15 October 2026 date applies only to beneficiaries who already received a reservation of funds: by then they must complete the investment and submit the payment request.
• Clearing of abandoned land (art. 62): the lease of RS-owned land must be signed by 31 October 2026, and the request is due by that date. The record of the cleared area goes to the Agency by 15 December. The amount depends on the type of overgrowth, from 3,000 to 10,000 KM per hectare, as set in the rulebook.
• The rulebook is adopted every year and incentives are paid in proportion to the funds plan for that year. Follow the 2027 rulebook from early in the year, and prepare in advance your RPG registration, Employment Institute status and business plan.
• The rulebook was amended several times during 2026 (27/26, 52/26, 65/26 and 80/26). Amendment 27/26 changes only articles 30, 31, 61 and 90 and the forms and scoring specifications. We did not check amendments 52/26, 65/26 and 80/26 against articles 42 to 44, 55 and 62, so confirm amounts and deadlines with the Agency before applying. The amounts and deadlines above come from the original text (Službeni glasnik RS no. 16/26).

Where to go

• Agencija za agrarna plaćanja Republike Srpske (Agency for Agrarian Payments): public calls and applications.
• The agricultural service of your municipality (Trebinje, Bileća, Gacko, Ljubinje, Nevesinje, Berkovići) for help with the RPG and documents.
• Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srpske (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management) for questions about the rulebook.

Laws and sources

• Pravilnik o uslovima i načinu ostvarivanja novčanih podsticaja za razvoj poljoprivrede i sela, arts. 42, 43, 44, 55, 62 (Službeni glasnik RS no. 16/26, later amendments 27/26, 52/26, 65/26 and 80/26)
• Pravilnik o uslovima i načinu ostvarivanja novčanih podsticaja za kapitalne investicije u poljoprivrednoj proizvodnji u 2026. godini, art. 5 (Službeni glasnik RS no. 29/26)
• Public call of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry for grants for the economic empowerment of rural women in 2025 (pilot programme, Službene novine FBiH 53/25)