What began as a small French-fries stand and a desire to grow their own potatoes brought two young farmers into the heart of one of Europe’s most pressing agricultural challenges: access to land. Since founding their organic farm near Münster, David Büchler and Sarah Hoffmann have followed a path familiar to many new entrants, marked by long searches, uncertain opportunities, and dependence on personal networks just to get started. But a collective purchase model made long-term security possible, after a legal case that finally culminated in a win.
Their experience reflects a wider structural trend. Across Europe, fewer than half of farms have identified successors, while access to land is increasingly determined by capital and investment dynamics rather than farming activity. Rising land prices, heavy administrative burden, and competition for land continue to exclude new farmers.
By Christine Etienne
For young farm founders or non-family farm successors, access to land is a major hurdle. Those who manage to secure leased land are fortunate; depending on it, however, carries uncertainties. But what happens when key parcels come up for sale? Buying land is barely affordable even for established farms given today’s high land prices. Models for collective purchases are still relatively new, and official bodies have little experience dealing with them.
At the end of October 2025, a ruling by the Hamm Higher Regional Court (OLG) became legally binding, giving greater legal certainty and momentum to communal land purchases aimed at securing farmland long-term for the farmers working it. After two years of nerve-wracking legal dispute, young farmers and start-up entrepreneurs David Büchler and Sarah Hoffmanns were able to purchase 5.7 hectares of arable land with the help of more than 230 supporters, under the umbrella of the Kulturland cooperative (eG) — even though the purchasing entity had been classified as a non-farmer.
The agricultural senate of the OLG Hamm stated: “The purchase agreement to be assessed here (…), in conjunction with the overall concept submitted by the parties involved (…), is suitable for addressing the agrarian-structural problems outlined.” The North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture — the approving authority that had initially refused the purchase and appealed a positive first-instance ruling — accepted the decision.
When land is purchased through Kulturland cooperative, a locally based limited partnership (KG) is always established – in this case, Kulturland Westfalen KG. The farmer working the land locally becomes the fully authorized general partner (Komplementär), while the cooperative (eG) acts as the capital-providing limited partner (Kommanditist).
Christian Köhler, the lawyer at Kulturland eG responsible for contract processing, underlines the broader practical significance of the court ruling: “We now have, with this ruling and a previous one by the OLG Frankfurt on a comparable case, two important legal assessments. We can draw on these in the future as arguments for obtaining the necessary approval for upcoming purchases.” He is convinced that several earlier purchase projects might have been decided differently on this basis.
Büchler and Hoffmann are glad to know that the core parcels of their young farm, Biolee, are now secure for the long term. Being an active learning site is part of the concept. All products are marketed directly in the Münster region. The land is located close to the young family’s home. As start-up farmers, purchasing land of this size from their own resources would be unaffordable – and economically unreasonable, because it would tie up financing options that are urgently needed in capital-intensive agriculture for everyday operations, such as machinery and storage.
The administrative burden for the Kulturland Westfalen KG — set up specifically for the purchase — is handled by Kulturland eG.
From farm to fries – the dream comes true
The couple’s legal battle could not have been foreseen when they made their first step toward an own agricultural enterprise by having a French-fries stand—“We started with the idea that one day we would grow the potatoes ourselves,” Büchler explains.
As new entrants, they spent several years searching unsuccessfully before finally being able to lease land and establish a business combining production, processing, and short supply chains. When the land they were using was put up for sale, securing access to land became a decisive issue.
Büchler believes that people should be able to connect with the land where their food comes from. Speaking during the drawn-out court case, he defended their dream: “We want to make agriculture tangible for people; the location is easily accessible, and, for example, our potato-digging days are currently taking place here. With Kulturland’s help, we could secure the land in a way similar to ownership, with very long-term lease agreements.”
After the positive legal outcome, Büchler and Hoffmann are now seeking more supporters to take out shares in the cooperative. “That was held back by the lengthy proceedings,” explains Büchler. They are also trying to engage more with the existing members of the cooperative. They send out newsletters, and on 8 May the first cooperative members’ celebration is planned, so members can get to know one another. “We want to make the added value tangible, so that the concept is carried forward — with the vision that we will one day have a significantly larger share of collectively owned land.”
This is a translation of an article originally published in German in the May 2026 edition of Unabhängige Bauernstimme, with excerpts from previous Unabhängige Bauernstimme articles that covered the story as it unfolded in 2025.
Christine Etienne is Editor of Unabhängige Bauernstimme
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