Training the farmers of tomorrow

In 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture's figures are clear: 25 farms are disappearing every day and one in two farmers will retire without a replacement within five years. In the face of this emergency, training future farmers is an essential lever to ensure the transition and sustainability of the agricultural system.

It is in this context that Fermes d'Avenir has created the programme Compagnonnage, a practical, itinerant training program for the professions of maraîcher-ère and paysan-ne producteur-rice de PPAM (Plantes à Parfum, Aromatiques et Médicinales). The Class of 2025, made up of 40 future farmers, met last October in Boissy-les-Perche for the closing of the program. This week was an opportunity for the Companions and the farms, to talk about their training experience, exchange best practices and visit a local farm: the Jardins de la Rue farm.

Created in 2017, Compagnonnage comes in two tracks: agroecological market gardening and PPAM. Lasting 8 months, the training is based on 27 weeks of full-time internship, immersed on three agroecological farms in the Fermes d'Avenir network, supplemented by theoretical input and a possible dual curriculum with a distance BPREA.

Born of a desire to provide future farmers with high-quality, hands-on training, Compagnonnage ultimately has no equivalent in the agricultural training landscape.

For Marika, a former Compagnonne, "Compagnonnage brought to light what I was looking for: agricultural training that is also a lively, meeting place. I already feel I have the right to become a farmer. And that's powerful."

Last week, the 38 Compagnon.nes making up the class of 2025 gathered at the Cour Pétral, in the Perche region of France, to present their installation projects to a jury made up of the 22 training farms that had hosted them, as well as agronomists Charles Souillot and Jean-Pierre Scherer. This closing event was also an opportunity for the Compagnon.nes to celebrate the end of the program and begin the next stage of their installation journey!"

"At the end of the organic market gardening training I followed with Fermes d'Avenir, I came away enriched by a dense, concrete apprenticeship, deeply rooted in the realities of the profession. This immersion has given me a better grasp of the demands of organic market gardening, both on a technical and human level." (testimonial from a participant)

It's thanks to your donations that we can continue to train new farmers in agroecology. Thank you so much for your continued support!

For more information on our companion program, go to https://fermesdavenir.org/centre-de-formation/programmes-compagnonnage