Many farms still receive advice from single experts, which often leads to fragmented recommendations, conflicting priorities, and low confidence in implementation. The Incubator model, tested within Latvian Community of Practice in ClimateSmartAdvisors project, addresses this by supporting the farm through a coordinated group of advisors instead of one consultant only. The core team usually includes an economist, business management specialist, agronomist, psychologist, and project leader. Additional experts can be involved when needed, for example in soil biology, composting, plant nutrition, or climate risk management.
This model helps farmers assess climate-smart practices in a whole-farm context. Measures such as compost-based soil management, soil aeration, or plant-health-focused strategies are discussed not only in terms of technical feasibility, but also cash flow, labour, investment capacity, farmer motivation, and long-term business goals. The psychologist supports behavioural change, stress management, and communication, while the project leader ensures structure, coordination, and follow-up.
In practice, this reduces contradictory advice and helps farmers make more informed decisions. Climate-smart actions are no longer treated as isolated measures, but as part of a strategy to improve resilience, productivity, and profitability. The main benefits are stronger uptake of climate-smart practices, better alignment between environmental and economic goals, and greater farmer confidence. Although the model requires more coordination and involvement of several experts, it offers a more effective pathway for turning climate-smart ideas into realistic, farm-specific, and economically sound action.
Daudzas saimniecības joprojām saņem konsultācijas no atsevišķiem ekspertiem, kas bieži rada sadrumstalotus ieteikumus, pretrunīgas prioritātes un zemu pārliecību par to īstenošanu. „Inkubatora” modelis risina šo problēmu, atbalstot saimniecību ar koordinētu konsultantu grupu, nevis tikai ar vienu konsultantu. Galvenajā komandā parasti ietilpst ekonomists, uzņēmējdarbības vadības speciālists, agronoms, psihologs un projekta vadītājs. Vajadzības gadījumā var piesaistīt papildu ekspertus, piemēram, augsnes bioloģijas, kompostēšanas, augu barošanas vai klimata risku pārvaldības jomā.
Šis modelis palīdz lauksaimniekiem novērtēt klimata ziņā gudras prakses visā saimniecības kontekstā. Tādi pasākumi kā komposta izmantošana augsnes apsaimniekošanā, augsnes aerācija vai uz augu veselību vērstas stratēģijas tiek apspriestas ne tikai no tehniskās īstenojamības viedokļa, bet arī saistībā ar naudas plūsmu, darbaspēku, investīciju iespējām, lauksaimnieku motivāciju un ilgtermiņa uzņēmējdarbības mērķiem. Psihologs atbalsta uzvedības izmaiņas, stresa pārvaldību un komunikāciju, savukārt projekta vadītājs nodrošina struktūru, koordināciju un turpmāko rīcību.
Praksē tas samazina pretrunīgus ieteikumus un palīdz lauksaimniekiem pieņemt apzinātākus lēmumus. Klimata ziņā gudras darbības vairs netiek uzskatītas par atsevišķiem pasākumiem, bet gan par daļu no stratēģijas, kas vērsta uz izturības, ražīguma un rentabilitātes uzlabošanu. Galvenās priekšrocības ir plašāka klimata ziņā gudru prakšu ieviešana, labāka vides un ekonomisko mērķu saskaņotība un lielāka lauksaimnieku pārliecība. Lai gan šis modelis prasa lielāku koordināciju un vairāku ekspertu iesaistīšanos, tas piedāvā efektīvāku ceļu, kā klimata ziņā gudras idejas pārvērst reālistiskās, konkrētai saimniecībai piemērotās un ekonomiski pamatotās darbībās.
This advisory system was tested during the first wave of the project and proved to be a practical way to deliver more coordinated and farm-specific support. Based on this experience, the approach has already been integrated into LLKC customer services. Its early use showed that farmers benefit from receiving aligned advice from different experts, which improves decision-making and supports the adoption of climate-smart and economically viable solutions.
The Incubator advisory process was tested during the first project wave using a structured, multi-step approach. The first meeting took place on the farm, where the farmer presented the farm as a whole system, including production activities and the family’s social engagement. This helped advisors understand how the farm is embedded in the local community and its cooperation with neighbors on top of usual farm activities. During this visit, advisors had one opportunity to ask open questions and take notes based on the farmer’s input.
In the following stages, the Community of Practice (CoP) met several times to reflect on the farm’s development. Each participant was encouraged to develop their own perspective on how the farm could evolve as a “farm organism,” based on their expertise. These ideas were then discussed collectively to build a more integrated view.
A final meeting was planned to present and align the proposals with the farmer. While the full process was not completed as originally intended due to limited participation, long travel distances, and restricted resources, valuable lessons were learned about the importance of team continuity and engagement in multi-actor advisory settings.
Importantly, the experience has already led to practical uptake: the Incubator approach has been adapted and implemented at company level within LLKC as a coordinated support system for clients, demonstrating its relevance and applicability beyond the project context.
Latvian CSA Community of Practice – Integrated Farm Advisory Based on Soil Health
