Sant Martí de Riucorb promotes a test space to attract new farmers

Saint Martin of RiucorbThe municipal farm El Camises, in Sant Martí de Riucorb, will become an agri-livestock test space starting in September with the aim of facilitating the incorporation of new professionals into the primary sector. The initiative aims to respond to the lack of generational renewal in agriculture by offering an environment to launch a livestock project with technical support, available resources, and a much lower economic risk than a conventional farm.

The project arrives at a particularly delicate time for the sector. In the last decade, new entrants into agricultural activity have decreased by approximately 70%, falling from over 800 people in 2015 to around 240 in 2025. Faced with this situation, agri-livestock test spaces have consolidated as an innovative tool to facilitate access to the profession, especially for people who do not come from an agricultural background but want to develop their own project there.

The selected person will have an initial herd of 60 Lacaune breed milk sheep, a fully equipped corral, pasture areas, machinery, feed for the livestock, and specialized training throughout the process. The production model will be semi-extensive livestock farming, with grazing both on the farm and in other areas of the surroundings thanks to agreements with the City Council and farmers in the municipality. This system also contributes to landscape management, fire prevention, and biodiversity conservation.

The objective is that, after an approximate period of three years, the participating person can assume ownership of the farm with an economically viable project.

The test space is part of Territori de Vincles, an initiative promoted by the Association for the Integral Development of the Corb Valley to generate new opportunities in the territory and face challenges such as rural depopulation and climate change. The project also aims to become a reference space for training and experimentation, with the intention that the model can be replicated in other locations.

The initiative is the result of collaboration between the Association for the Integral Development of the Corb Valley, the Sant Martí de Riucorb City Council, the Network of Agri-Livestock Test Spaces of Catalonia (XETAC), the Leader Association of Ponent, and the ADV Valls del Corb.