The main aim is to train rural entrepreneurs who are committed to multifunctionality on their farms in order to start up an agrotourism business or improve the management of an existing one, as a complement to agricultural income, with an offer linked to the territory and its resources, especially agricultural heritage, thus avoiding the intrusion of speculators with no connection to the rural environment. The goal is to provide these groups with the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies through the creation of specific training materials adapted to the labour market. They must lead the tourism sector in rural areas, as they are the ones who know it best and can generate a genuine offer of valuable experiences connected to the culture, environment, cultural heritage and local cuisine. Other related objectives are raising local awareness by promoting the tourist value of the area's heritage, fostering a proactive entrepreneurial spirit, encouraging agricultural diversification through multifunctionality (agritourism), offering an opportunity to retain young people in rural areas and encouraging the exchange of experiences between countries.
Europe is experiencing a decline in the profitability of traditional agriculture and livestock farming, increasing depopulation, an ageing rural population, and a lack of generational renewal in the countryside. Multifunctional agriculture is a strategy to tackle these trends, and the commitment to rural tourism and agritourism has a long tradition and potential profitability. The lack of training is an obstacle to setting up and managing agritourism businesses. Official vocational training or university degree programmes in Spain and Italy do not include agritourism, and training opportunities for rural entrepreneurs are scarce, especially in Spain. FORMAGRIT meets this need by offering a free, specialised digital training platform for agrotourism entrepreneurship that adapts vocational training to market needs, addresses digital transformation and increases the flexibility of opportunities in vocational training. This will provide farmers and livestock breeders in remote rural areas with fewer opportunities access to specialised, free, digital training.