The proposed project will focus on entrepreneurship and business training for beginning aquaculture farmers in maine, who comprise the vast majority of the sector

After extensive discussions with maine's aquaculture farmers, they have requested that this project helps to improve their farms' resiliency by focusing on financial and risk management training, including improving upon maine aquaculture business planning and risk management tools, aiding farmers in developing diversification and marketing strategies, including the exploration of new markets, and providing an overview of farm financial benchmarking. The project's plan of action is to update the aforementioned tools and resources and then meet with beginning farmers to provide entrepreneurship, business, financial, and risk management training, while sharing the updated resources with the farmers. The meetings with the farmers will also include information and guidance on diversification and marketing strategies, including the exploration of new markets, along with how to take part in farm financial benchmarking. PD brayden will then continue to follow-up and meet with these beginning farmers as they progress through their business planning process, form their new marketing and diversification strategies, and begin their own benchmarking. The goals for the project are to help farmers assess, analyze, and plan for the future of their farms to create a financial safety net and improve sector resiliency, all while generating jobs and economic growth in the rural areas in which aquaculture often occurs, as nearly all of this planning will take place on beginning farms that are intent on expansion.