The main goal of the project was to help emerging initiatives in Germany, Spain, and Finland implement incubator structures to support new entrants into farming. By learning from the well-established incubator models in France and Belgium, we aimed to provide our partners with a framework to adapt these successful systems to their own national contexts. Through field trips and workshops, participants could gain first-hand experience of how incubators operate, interact with mentors and mentees, and understand the specific challenges and successes of the model. This knowledge would empower partners to develop pilot incubator projects, addressing the need for generational renewal in agriculture. We also wanted to facilitate exchanges between key stakeholders, such as local authorities and institutional landowners, to build support for these incubators in each partner country. By doing so, we sought to create a foundation for sustainable farm incubators across Europe, fostering rural development and innovative farming solutions
We applied for this project to expand our knowledge and that of our partners regarding existing farm incubator models, particularly from countries like France and Belgium where these structures are well-established. Many of our partners operate in national contexts where such incubators do not exist, yet they have identified a clear need for them to support new entrants into farming. The project aimed to provide these partners with practical insights into successful incubator structures, which they can adapt and implement in their own regions. Farm incubators have proven to be valuable tools in supporting newcomers to agriculture by providing land, equipment, mentorship, and a safe environment to develop their business models. The Agronauten and their partners sought to learn from these established models, applying this knowledge to create similar initiatives in their own contexts. This would help address the challenge of generational renewal in agriculture and foster innovative, sustainable farming practices.