What is a Farmer Cluster?
A ‘Farmer Cluster’ is a community of farmers, located in the same region. They share knowledge, support, and motivate each other to improve biodiversity and the ecological health of their farmlands.
Why Farmer Clusters matter
There is only so much that an individual farm, acting in isolation, can achieve on their own. By working together, empowered by an advisor or ‘facilitator’ farmers and land managers can work more cohesively together in their locality. This enables them to collectively deliver greater benefits for soil, water and wildlife at a landscape scale.
Il cluster OliValgraziosa mi dà la possibilità di continuare a studiare e mantenere la biodiversità nel mio lavoro, a trovare nuove soluzioni, a capire meglio gli equilibri che mi circondano. Grazie a Framework posso anche beneficiare delle testimonianze ed esperienze degli altri clusters.
Farmer Clusters offer a great opportunity for farmers to network and a space where we can treat each other with respect. Every farm is unique and it’s important to learn how others approach similar challenges in different ways.
Most farmers want to feel like their farms are delivering biodiversity gains and Farmer Clusters are a fantastic way to do this cooperatively at a landscape scale. The farmers can direct their own conservation efforts and set their own priorities and targets together.
Farmer clusters allow activities for biodiversity or soil health to reach across a large geographical area, rather than one farmer working alone in isolation on a few hectares of land. They encourage cooperation between neighbours and other stakeholders and are an important social activity in an occupation that otherwise can be quite isolating.
One of my strengths in life is connecting with others and finding people to copy. In our farmer cluster, there's plenty of opportunity to share ideas.
Il cluster OliValgraziosa mi dà la possibilità di continuare a studiare e mantenere la biodiversità nel mio lavoro, a trovare nuove soluzioni, a capire meglio gli equilibri che mi circondano. Grazie a Framework posso anche beneficiare delle testimonianze ed esperienze degli altri clusters.
Farmer Clusters offer a great opportunity for farmers to network and a space where we can treat each other with respect. Every farm is unique and it’s important to learn how others approach similar challenges in different ways.
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Farmer Cluster Guidelines
Use these guidelines to set-up, manage and promote Farmer Clusters in your region!
Action
Meet Farmer Clusters in action across Europe
Dive into the everyday life and activities of Farmers Clusters, from Estonia to Spain, and from Italy to the UK.
Resources
Farmer Cluster resources
Explore a range of different resources related to and relevant for running a Farmer Cluster.
History
A success story
The Farmer Clusters concept originated in the UK and, since 2012, has spread over the country with more than 200 clusters actively running today.
