• Encourage diversified agricultural activities.
• Promote land transfer and generational renewal in agriculture.
• Strengthen dialogue, exchange and cooperation at all levels between project owners, existing farmers and support structures (local and national associations, agricultural networks, chambers of agriculture).
• Create synergies between projects so that everyone can achieve their objectives.
• Experiment with concrete solutions within a group of municipalities, focusing on the availability of agricultural land and local food systems.

Activities

To meet these objectives, the partners led activities across four key axes:

• Axis 1 – Producing an inventory of all existing diagnoses by subject and area, complemented by an 'agrarian diagnosis'. The partners gathered various diagnoses to ensure sufficient information was available before designing solutions or tools. During the project, they also benefited from an 'agrarian diagnosis' conducted by two university students in agroecology. This diagnosis examined the history of agricultural production in the territory and identified successful technical and economic practices.
• Axis 2 – Collecting survey feedback on the area's potential and organising a first forum open to all stakeholders. To build on the first axis, the partners conducted surveys among farmers and potential agricultural project owners. They extended their reach beyond the municipalities involved in the project, gathering feedback from farmers working in diversified agricultural systems (other than wine and milk). To conclude, the partners organised a forum to share the feedback and testimonies collected.
• Axis 3 – Working with local stakeholders to clarify expectations, obstacles, and leverage points, followed by a co-design process for possible solutions during a second forum. The partners collaborated with farmers to identify leverage points and obstacles regarding available land and the diversification of agricultural practices. They organised a 'propositions forum' to gather ideas and identify relevant themes for the next steps. For each theme, the goal was to determine how farmers could be supported by structures working in these fields. The criteria for selecting themes included feasibility (human and financial resources) and relevance to local challenges.
• Axis 4 – Conducting awareness-raising activities among local authorities on the development of agricultural projects and the tools available to support such actions. Finally, the partners launched a workshop involving elected representatives and civil servants to raise awareness about new entrants in agriculture. They also presented tools that municipalities could use to address land and agriculture issues and to better support both farmers and the development of local food systems.

• Axis 1 – A synthesis of the diagnoses from the Coeur du Jura group of municipalities was produced, along with an agrarian diagnosis focusing on four points: landscape and agriculture, the evolution of agricultural models since the mid-20th century, technical/economic aspects linked to agriculture and future trajectories for agriculture in the Jura area. The findings revealed the potential for the territory to develop different types of crops.
• Axis 2 – Ten surveys were distributed among farmers and local stakeholders working on the topic (such as those creating synergies with other farmers). Another ten surveys were launched among farmers and project owners not involved in any synergy projects. Subsequently, a forum was organised in August 2021, which welcomed 49 participants.
• Axis 3 – Ten surveys were launched among stakeholders representing agricultural sectors or farmers' unions. A second forum was organised, gathering 22 stakeholders in October 2021. The stakeholders worked from the results of the four themes chosen during the first forum to identify initial challenges: agricultural land, the pathway for project owners to become farmers, the territory, and the human factor and support for project owners.
• Axis 4 – A workshop was organised with civil servants and elected representatives. The workshop focused on three questions: who are the farmers who wish to develop diversified agriculture, and what are their projects? Which tools can municipalities use to foster local food systems? What are the possibilities for the future?

Key lessons

• The project led to improved dialogue among all stakeholders in the agricultural sector. It clarified the role of each organisation (such as the chamber of agriculture) and associations at territorial level, resulting in complementary interventions.
• The partner municipalities discovered tools and identified contact persons to support them in developing a more diversified local agriculture.