New Entrant Network - Newbie

Sustaining a cohort of new entrants is crucial for the agricultural sector and rural regions in Europe. New entrants bring innovation and entrepreneurialism, as well as practical skills and networks. However, new entrants face considerable challenges in entering the sector. The newbie network will address the challenge of enabling new entrants to successfully establish sustainable farm businesses in Europe.

The Newbie network will feature the development and dissemination of new business models, including new entry models, to the full range of new entrants - from successors to complete newcomers to the agricultural sector.

The Newbie network offers a unique platform by bringing together new entrants, successors, advisors, researchers, important regional and national actors and relevant stakeholders in national networks.

Who are new entrants?

New entrants are defined in the Newbie network as anyone who starts a new farm business or becomes involved in an existing farm business. They comprise a wide range of ages, agricultural experience and resource access. Newcomers and successors can enter farming at any stage in their working lives. They face common barriers: access to land, labour, capital, housing, markets, knowledge and the networks needed to acquire these resources.

Case Studies

Read about the inspiring Irish new entrants, they are new entrants in the following areas:

Newbie challenges

New entrants face quite a number of barriers in developing new sustainable farming businesses. Newbie aims to help new entrants to overcome these barriers. Examples of these challenges (barriers) are:

Access to land
Access to capital
Access to information
Access to markets

Actions

The Newbie project organised a diverse range of activities, both at the National and the European level. National discussion circles will be established with new entrants and relevant stakeholders.
Newbie created a video library of inspiring new entrants visual stories from all participating countries.
Bilateral exchanges were completed by new farmers and advisors across Europe.

For more information visit the Newbie website: http://www.newbie-academy.eu/

Download brochure: Teagasc Newbie Flyer March 2018 (PDF)