"<< Background >>As more attention is given to the Sustainable Development Goals, it is strategically important to take a serious look towards the development of new concepts, models, methods, and practices that will lead society towards becoming more ecologically sustainable and socially responsible, besides being economically efficient. Many small hold farmers struggle to make their products visible and find it almost impossible to compete against the big players on the market. Their competitors’ products are often mass produced and accessible, and they have the financial power to get the best placements, playing right into the hands of the consumers. But what they often are not; based on a long-term sustainability plan. The project idea became a reality, when the consortium found themselves asking; Why can consumers in super markets in Guadeloupe only purchase chicken that has been imported from i.e. mainland Europe? How does a microbusiness in agriculture let consumers know that they sustainably produce ecological produce of very high quality? And how can these small producers be part of the solution for the Sustainable Development Goals? Part of the solution to these questions is; innovation through sustainable agripreneurship. We say this, because it is proven that innovation can “radically change the ways individuals, organisations and societies do things and their relationship and are a fundamental issue for our societies facing globalisation, complex interdependencies, worldwide risks, natural resource depletions, biodiversity collapses, climate change, world population ageing, or urban inhabitant evolutions” (Motesharrei et al. 2014; Pueyo 2014; Barnosky et al. 2012; Dearing et al. 2014). Socio-cultural and economic challenges are central to the design and to the construction of a society in which all individuals feel integrated and responsible. And based on this, we feel that there is a great opportunity for small hold farmers in rural and outermost regions of Europe, to play into a market that is demanding more sustainable produce, and for larger companies such as the retail sector, to take real action towards the SDGs. These opportunities mean that small hold farmers have a market of buyers, but they need help to get there. On top of this, the COVID-19 crisis inflicted a disproportionate toll on microbusinesses, especially in rural communities. This is particularly concerning, as they are often the lifeblood of their local economies. While much attention has been paid to small business closures in urban communities across Europe, the same dynamic is unfolding in underserved rural areas, with desperate consequences. As rural communities all over Europe grapple with challenges such as these, they will undoubtedly require coordinated relief to get back on their feet after this crisis. (Rural small businesses need local solutions to survive: Hanna Love and Mike Powe, December 1, 2020) https://www.brookings.edu/research/rural-small-businesses-need-local-solutions-to-survive/. Rural areas can benefit from a vibrant small business and entrepreneurship ecosystem. These have been found to generate wealth that stays in the community, build local leadership, and even contribute to population health and cultivate vibrant “regional hubs” that foster locally owned businesses, and contribute to a sense of neighbourhood identity that retains residents and attracts new ones.Whether you’re looking for growth, perseverance or stability, the acorn symbolises it all. All the wonder in a mighty oak grows from a single acorn and is a reminder that the difficulties we incur help us to grow strong. The acorn is a constant reminder to continue; to persevere; and to keep working hard, because as we feel is the spirit of the project concept; “Everything that made that giant tree is already contained inside this tiny little seed”, and so, project ACORN contains all that we need to create sustainable ecosystems in rural communities.<< Objectives >>Some say that rural economic stagnation is a natural result of progress and that the only thing we can do, is to move towards opportunity in bigger cities. The ACORN consortium struggles to see where the sustainability mindset is at, in this attitude. As an alternative to the traditional industry mindset, rural areas can benefit from a small business and entrepreneurship ecosystem. (April 26, 2017: John W Lettieri, Economic Innovation Group) We can instead aim for creating a change for the achievement of the SDGs, by implementing strategies that are holistic and not designed for a singular purpose of attracting tourism or preserving historic buildings or even growing businesses, but to bring to their communities the resources and services that national retailers and groceries often will not, ultimately, improving the quality of life and prospects for residents, that often go unnoticed. The ACORN consortium aims towards the creation of a concept that will develop a sustainable agripreneurship competence in small holder farmers in rural and outermost areas of Europe, specifically in Guadeloupe (France), Portugal, Czech Republic, and Denmark. The concept idea has its roots in the sustainable development dimensions; environmental protection, social equity and economic viability, and is designed around the creation of a circular approach to everything from business development to the mind-sets of the people. A sustainable Agripreneur is someone in the field of agriculture who takes risks, manages & organises a business enterprise which is regenerative by design and aims to gradually decouple growth from the consumption of finite resource.The consortium feel that we can help to achieve the SDGs and especially create attractive, vibrant and sustainable rural communities, by developing end user friendly resources, presented as an an opensource, online learning tool that will help small holder farmers acquire the competences needed to become sustainability agripreneurs.The concept will address some of the key unanswered questions on “how” a management model can contribute towards becoming a sustainable enterprise, better integrating the environmental, social, and economical spheres. Management innovation capable of establishing a balance between nature and mankind, are required to overcome the impasse highlighted by the ecological, social, and economic crises. Through the application of innovation to meet new requirements, unarticulated or existing market needs, the partners aim to stimulate the emergence of more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments and society. By combining the skillsets needed to build sustainable businesses in rural areas, and by stimulating innovation competence, we will develop the ability in people to generate ideas and act upon them. This will not only help the consortium radically change the ways we conduct our own businesses, but also show how individuals, other organisations and societies can do things and relate to each other.The overall outcomes of the project will be to shift the focus from a ""Western linear type thinking"" towards a more circular one, especially when it comes to how we conduct business, with whom and why. Furthermore, with an angle that plays into the retail industry's CSRs for achieving SDGs (whose clients demand more and more sustainability) small holder farmers will be able to think flexibly and stay dynamic in a rapidly changing market, and as a result; gain the opportunity to compete with bigger, financially stronger, but less sustainable competitors.<< Implementation >>From the modern environmental movement and the establishment of environmental regulations in the 1970s, the sustainable business has become a strategic concern driven by market forces. More than 90 percent of CEOs state that sustainability is important to their company’s success, and they are attempting to develop sustainability strategies, market sustainable products and services, and publish sustainability reports for consumers, investors, activists, and the public at large. The consortium believes that this trend is unlikely to die out any time soon, and we are all working towards this same agenda. We will be promoting the coming together of small holder farmers through the implementation of a circular and sustainability mindset to doing business, to improve the prerequisites for lifting rural communities in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. The combination of best practice from Sustainable Agripreneurship, Collectives ideologies, and a hands-on approach to the acquisition of knowledge perspective on enhancing creativity, communication, networking and innovation competence, we will empower thoughtful, labour efficient designs for the improvement of societies and the relationships that are the connections between all things. And through the introduction of our concept, we will contribute to the achievement of the European Green Deal and help small holder farmers gain more stability, particularly in times of crisis.Through collective creations and networking skills development for people in rural and outermost regions of Europe, we create sustainable rural communities with local produce, and by providing non-formal learning resources within a framework that is designed to suit small hold farmers, we put the power into the hands of the people to be the change they need. The resources will also be available to adult training centers in rural and remote areas, where people are facing socio-economic difficulties. By proposing our content to them, we provide them with the opportunity to create such activities themselves. By stimulating small business and entrepreneurship ecosystems in rural areas, we help generate wealth that stays in the community, builds local leadership, contributes to population health, cultivates vibrant “regional hubs” that foster locally owned businesses, and contributes to a sense of neighbourhood identity that retains residents and attracts new ones.The nature of the concept encourages the coming together of individuals through flexible learning offers adapted to the learning needs of adults which stimulate networking, communication, intercultural understanding (necessary for intercultural collaboration also within a country), technology and social media presence, and innovation, subsequently contributing to vibrant hubs in rural communities. And by exploiting digital technologies we can encourage civil society and the wider community to join in on the movement.The project outcomes will overall contribute to the acceleration of the transition towards a sustainable food system that will have a neutral or positive environmental impact; help to mitigate climate change; reverse the loss of biodiversity; ensure food security & nutrition; make sure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, nutritious, sustainable food; preserve affordability of sustainable food; generate fairer economic returns; foster competitiveness of the EU supply sector; promote fair trade; and last but not least; create environmental, social, and economical gains for rural areas through dynamic and sustainable ""agripreneurial ecosystems"", that provide opportunities for new innovative players. By collaborating with associated partners form the beginning, we create activities that kick start the sustainable agripreneurship processes from the time the development of the concept takes place. By acting and testing during the development phases, we ensure that the resources can stand alone after the project ends.<< Results >>The preparation of the team will take place via the joint learning event, where the partners share their expertise and create a common language and references, which will result in a joint understanding of each others' processes and the tools that we work with, as well as insights into the demography and circumstances of each partner country. The work will circle around the production of tools and good examples for i.e. network creation; learning frameworks & best practice examples, illustrating opportunities for people who want to work together and share skills, knowledge and attitudes to gain stronger profiles & make a greater impact.The resources and inspirational audio-visual materials will be published on a learning platform (suitable for different learner styles, and the zone of proximal development of the end users) with the following topics:1. Sustainability Business Model; tool for the development of a sustainable business which is based on an adaptation of the Business Model Canvas, SWOT & PESTLE combined with sustainability dimensions integration (environmental, social, and economical). The user will be able to get answers to the questions; What am i doing?, and; What opportunities do I have? and through processes for mastery, will become better at understanding their own business. The resource will include illustrative models, and not be solely based on academic content, to open up the creative parts of the brain, ideal for hands-on people .2 Marketing;Many small local producers of quality and sustainable produce have trouble reaching out to buyers, making it difficult for them to stay afloat financially. To support this, we will develop resource for brand core strategy. This includes my identity through the 3 dimensions & how I present my company physically and on SoMe , and which activities for marketing can be helpful in gaining a foothold alongside the bigger players. I.e by proposing super markets and chain stores to collaborate on achieving their CSR goals in the race to achieving the SDGs.3. Networking;Involves the development of networking skills in order to find different ways of creating microbusiness collectives, development of sustainable communication skills for equality, empathy, diversity, conflict management, democratic processes, and how to collaborate and engage with a.o.; others like me, local businesses, local talents, and potential clients.4. Relations building & client feedback;We will show users how to connect with others ""unlike me"". I.e.; other industries for potential collaboration, or to sell products/concepts, and how a group of SM/microbusinesses get a foot in the door of the big players like supermarket chains, & how they can use this to innovate.5. Sustainable innovation;These resources will be structured around design/innovation processes, filtered through the 3 SDG dimensions. The focus of the innovation will be on how our target groups can gain advantage, not by working more efficiently, but by harnessing initiative and creativity for people in rural and remote ares, designing new activities that ie. gain new clients. Inspired by the creative platform from Aalborg Uni, we will combine traditional innovation methods ideal for our target groups, seen from the perspectives of the 3 SDG dimensions.The resource will be set up in a flexible - circular process. The user can choose to start with step 1 and work their way through the 5 steps, or simply select the 3rd step, if that is most relevant at the time. Users who follow the circle step by step, can keep returning to step 1 to adapt to market changes and start the cycle again, asking themselves, where am I now?Piloting Workshops to test the resources will be held during testing phases, and the official multiplier events will implement the resources with end users in our respective regions."