Farm Incubator

Farm incubators are land access and business incubator programs. Incubators offer different services to their farmers, including but not limited to leased farmland, shared equipment, business mentorship, and marketing assistance. Most incubators are nonprofits, but some are housed by local government agencies or schools. 

The level of collaboration between farmers at a farm incubator will vary from program to program. But by growing their businesses in close proximity, farmers often build relationships and identify ways in which collaboration can enhance their operations. 

While farm incubators do not typically secure long-term land access for participants, some incubators are looking for creative ways to incorporate land security into their programs. Such solutions might include long-term land sharing between incubator participants. 

Nonprofits or other organizations looking to cultivate collaborative farming amongst farmers in their area might consider an incubator as one strategy. Farmers operating in community might build strong relationships, and incubators could transition the property and infrastructure to its farmers via a cooperative or collective structure upon graduation. This is just one option of many creative ways the incubator model could be used to support collaborative farming ventures. 

Case Study: Viva Farms

Photo courtesy of King Conservation District

Viva Farms is an incubator operating over 100 acres in King and Skagit Counties in Washington state. Their programming has influenced over 1,000 farmers in the area, and they current incubate 29 farm businesses.

Because of the level of proximity involved in farming in an incubator, they report that many of their farmers engage in collaboration. Some share equipment, two run a collaborative CSA, and some farmers who met through their educational series now co-run farms together.