<< Objectives >>The main MILIMAT objective of this project is to raise training and awareness of farmers and migrant workers in the agricultural sector, so that they are able to lead and manage these new multicultural teams in a professional and responsible way, to ensure a labour and social integration in farms where codes of conduct based on diversity, equality and respect are followed to guarantee the rights of all workers. Supported by a cooperative platform for communication, management and mutual planning<< Implementation >>Based on our previous needs analysis, on the National Reports and the Transnational Analyses Report-TaR (WP2), on the knowledge and experience of the partners, and on the Manual of Best Practices (WP3), the consortium will design and develop dual training materials for migrant workers and farmers (WP4) that will be hosted on the corresponding training platforms (WP5/R5.4.) in conjunction with the MILIMAT collaboration platform (WP5/R2.2) founded on the MILIMAT Code of Good Conduct (WP5/R5.3).<< Results >>The project results are:-WP1: Management-WP2: R1: Workshop; R2: NRs; R3: TaR; R4: Database; R5: TPM1+VM1-WP3: R1: Best Practices; R2: Case Studies; R3: Good Practices Manual; R4: Extended Database2; R5: TPM2/3 + VM2/3-WP4: R1: Training Modules; R2: Self-Assessment Tool; R3: Introductory videos; R4/5: VM4 + TPM4-WP5: R1: Requirement Document; R2: Code of Good Conduct; R3: CWP; R4: Training System; R5: Pilot Test; R6/7: VM5 + TPM5 -WP6: R1: Dissemination M R2: 5 Diss. Conferences.

The demand for professional knowledge of milk processing has recently increased, which has been noted in every participating project consortium country. Increasing demand for dairy production training/education is mainly from farmers and their (family) members who are interested in on-farm dairy processing on a smaller scale. This trend is mostly a consequence of prices of milk falling considerably in recent decades to a point where farmers are not able to cover production costs and the only way to keep their farm alive is by adding value to their products by processing the milk into dairy products. Even the policymakers of the Common Agricultural Policy note, that the solution for farmers is to create added value for their products with on-farm processing of raw materials as a subsidiary farm activity. The main target groups of this project are Farmers and farm members; Workers in dairy production companies; Dairy production experts who wish to upgrade and share their expertise; and other interested individuals. Specific needs of these target groups were identified with the help of a survey conducted by BC Naklo, and by day to day work with target groups of other partners. According to the survey, our target group is willing to participate in an online course due to its availability, convenience, free access etc. Majority of people are interested in combining traditional with modern milk processing techniques. Furthermore, they expressed interest in innovative technology and modern products. However, the main need identified in all partner countries is simply to gain sufficient knowledge and skills to be able to process milk on their farms and to learn how to market their products efficiently. MILK-ed project has the following objectives:- To offer LEARNERS free access to the dairy processing course, which can be recognized as part of formal or non-formal (NVQ) education, which corresponds to their needs- To enable EXPERTS (teachers and trainers) in the field of dairy production exchange of knowledge and skills- To ENCOURAGE DIGITALISATION in participating organizations- To promote RURAL DEVELOPMENT, the existence of dairy farms, by encouraging farmers to participate in multifunctional and subsidiary activities on farmsThe main project results:- CASE STUDIES - EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM - Modern innovative milk processing CURRICULUM- TRAINING CONTENTS to be uploaded to the educational platform - 2 Learning, Teaching, Training activities - curriculum development workshop in Spain where we will design a draft curriculum as a framework for further reference. The second workshop will be carried out in Croatia as a study trip and the pilot filming of video materials. With MILK-ed project, we aim at developing a training programme that is going to equip farmers with the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies for the establishment of an on-farm dairy processing subsidiary activity. To ensure sustainability of small farms, the backbone of all rural areas, we need to provide farmers with knowledge and skills to diversify their farms to ensure they are not dependent on only one source of income. The training programme will be prepared with the cooperation of different partners – existing farmers and practitioners of on-farm dairy processing, professional dairy processors, farmers that are interested in establishing dairy processing on their farms (direct beneficiaries), training providers in agricultural VET and university researchers. That way we will be able to identify and address all the necessary training needs and prepare a tailored made training, which will lead to the creation of new successful on-farm dairy processing activities.In addition to this, the training programme will be designed and uploaded on an online Educational platform in English, Croatian, Italian, Serbian, Slovenian, and Spanish language and it will be freely available to all interested farmers and other actors. The training materials also will be uploaded on other OER repositories making them available to an even wider audience.The MILK-ed consortium is made of the following partners:BC Naklo (SI): A public educational institution COAG (ES): A professional farming organisationOnP (ES): A project management and project evaluation consulting enterpriseVUKA (HR): Karlovac University of Applied SciencesUNS (RS): University of Novi SadISIS TODI (IT): A public educational institutionBETI (LT): Educational technology institute

"Agricultural markets and farming business changed considerably over recent decades. EU Farmers are facing a need to improve their economic and socio-economic situation. From entrepreneurial view financing is an important task for the farmer besides production and marketing. Decisions in financing - may it be ""traditional"" or innovative - have long term influence on the farm, its liquidity and its income.Especially for young farmers taking over the business of their parents or simply aiming at business development it is very important to have a solid financial basis for their agricultural businesses.Financing affects the sustainability of the single farm (together with effects on and importance for income security) as well as it addresses sustainable development of rural areas as a whole.Innovative financing exists on niche level, but a lot of possibilities are not widely known. To make good decisions in the field of innovative financing farmers need to be equipped with more skills, knowledge and competence, and with experience from successful practice. It is a huge challenge for the farmers to:(1) Keep the business running in a profitable & sustainable way.(2) Respect societal demands towards agricultural production which are increasing constantly.(3) Get financed in adequate and sufficient dimension.There are possibilities to fulfill all 3 aspects at the same time.With FARMINFIN project, we aim at developing a training programme that is going to equip farmers with the needed competences for the implementation of innovative financing means tailored adequately for his own farm, entrepreneurial approach and personal circumstances.In addition to this, we also aim at reaching the following objectives:- Foster professional handling of innovative financing means by farmers.- Strengthen economic and socio-economic viability of family farms.- Deliver added value to rural development.These objectives will be achieved by providing to young farmers a training programme based on the OER approach and on case studies about sustainable and innovative financing ways for farming sector enterprises.The training system will be made of:- A guide about alternative ways of financing in the farming sector.- A set of 12 case studies gathering best practices related to alternative ways of financing in the farming sector in the involved countries;- Training curriculum and training modules providing the knowledge needed to successfully implement a sustainable business initiative in the farming sector.The training materials (in English, Swedish, Czech, German, Spanish, Italian and French) will be fully available free of charges on the project training platform and will be also uploaded on OER repositories (such as www.oercommons.org) making them available to an even wider audience.The FARMINFIN consortium is made of the following partners:CEJA (BE): CEJA is the voice of Europe's next generation of farmers, representing some 2 million young people through a membership comprised of 32 recognized national member organizations in 23 EU member states and an associate member organisation from Serbia.HuL (DE): HuL is an independent private body focused on agricultural family enterprises. HuL is consulting in Germany in all types of agricultural business: crop cultivation as well as animal husbandry, production and processing of biomass for food and feed as well as for energetic or industrial purposes. OnP (ES): OnP is a consulting enterprise specialized in project managing, monitoring and evaluation. Its staff has a wide experience in ERASMUS+ projects and in the development of VET materials in the farming and rural development sector.FU (SE): FU is an adult educational association that offers a wide range of adult education all over Sweden. FU has a broad open educational program in a variety of subjects; it also runs schools in higher vocational education, labour market education and further education and training for working life. AèV (IT): AèV is a Vocational Training Centre. Its main objectives are: to promote and stimulate the social-cultural and civic development and training, at any level, of all the citizens, and more specifically farmers, in many economic and social sectors (agriculture, food industry, administrative and advanced services).APF_CR (CZ): APF_CR is a voluntary professional organization of private farmers in the Czech Republic. Defending the economic, social and professional intents of the Czech private farmers in the Czech Republic and abroad is the fundamental activity of APF_CR.COAG (ES): COAG is a professional farming organisation which operates in the Jaén province, in Andalusia. It provides a wide range of services from the defense of farmers interests to training, information and technical advising, R+D, dissemination of technical improvements, rural development, etc."

Small farms make a considerable contribution to territorial development, they provide specialised local and regional products as well as support social, cultural, and environmental services. Farming activities which respect the landscape value and heritage bring added value to the landscape and create potential for agri-tourism development. However, agricultural production depends on unpredictable natural conditions and the direct sale of agricultural products from farms is not easy. These reasons motivate farmers to start doing complementary business in non-agricultural activities. The targeted group of the FEAL project are young farmers, young rural entrepreneurs and family farmers. The share of population participating in lifelong learning courses in rural areas of the EU-27, reaches only 6.6% (European Commission, 2013). People living in rural areas may represent a group at risk of exclusion. Therefore, free access to vocational education and training material for people living in rural areas is crucial. Digital training material of the project is available under a Creative Commons License allowing the use and the distribution free of charges thus granting the access to education for everyone. The project’s training concept is adopted to be accessible through the Open Educational Resources (OER).The FEAL project aimed at developing a flexible training system based on case studies that will provide young farmers, young rural entrepreneurs and family farmers the skills and knowledge to implement sustainable farming activities within different European Agricultural Landscapes (EALs). Outputs are available in 7 languages: English, Slovak, German, Spanish, Italian, Slovenian and French, thus making the results accessible to around the 70% of European citizens speaking these languages as mother tongue (European Commission, June 2012).The FEAL consortium consists of eight partners' organisations from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain. The variety of organisations guarantees a multidisciplinary approach reflecting in educational material; two institutions are public and provide education and research, three agencies focus on project management and provide advisory services for farmers, one is a local action group and one residing in Brussels is a unique federation of national associations from the EU28 representing the interests of the landowners, land and forest managers and rural entrepreneurs at the European political level.The project's conceptual research framework consists of a methodology to compare farming practices in different EALs considering landscape value. The project resulted into the development of a comprehensive and flexible e-learning training system. It is adapted to the learners' heterogeneous conditions showing sustainable and multifunctional farming practices improving the quality of EALs in a pan-European context. The project implemented several innovative elements mirroring in its intellectual outputs: O1: Summary report about the state of the art of the relation between sustainable / multifunctional farming practices and EALs; O2: Case studies. Online database represents best practices of farms situated in different EALs with specific regional and local features reflecting the variety of social and economic systems. Case studies implementing win-win-situations provide the opportunity for trainees to learn through real, successful experiences and, for the first time, an entrepreneurial exchange about the topic on regional, national and European levels; O3: FEAL complementary to OER includes training modules and interactive E-Atlas and both materials are linked with other outputs; O4: Pilot testing and development of the definitive training system – FEAL-EDUWEB and its adaptation to VALOR platform and Moodle. FEAL-EDUWEB contains educational material and online self-evaluation forms for knowledge testing.Farmers, rural development organisations, farmers associations, local action groups and representatives of policy makers were invited to multiplier events organized at the end of the project by the consortium partners. The aim was to raise awareness to stakeholders about the possibilities offered by sustainable farming activities, the win-win-situations within different EALs and to integrate the results of the FEAL project into wider national and European practices and programmes.

The COFARM project has successfully develop a suite of on-line resources to support cooperation and collaboration between farmers. Developed following extensive engagement with farmers across Europe, and based on a review of the state of the art, the on-line resources include summary reports, a total of 35 case studies and 4 comprehensive modules focused on each stage of the collaborative process.The rationale for COFARM emerges from the fact that agricultural markets & farming have changed considerably over the last decades across Europe and agricultural production faces more & more social & environmental challenges. Family farms are a central element of EU agricultural policy & the viability of many family farms is under threat. For example, only 37% of Irish farms are considered as economically viable; 31% are sustainable due to the presence of off-farm income; 32% are economically vulnerable (Teagasc). Cooperation provides opportunities to secure the future of these farms. Co-operative farming is seen as one possible way to overcome some of these constraints to growth though it is not widely practiced in Ireland & at the present time. ... the current low level of partnerships…is due to … a number of factors including financial issues… as well as social & cultural barriers.A similar situation exists in many countries in Europe. While the benefits of cooperation may be obvious to potential collaborators but farmers & other rural entrepreneurs need to be trained in the principles of B2B co-operation. Agricultural education levels of farmers in Europe is generally low. Eurostat figures show that 80% of farm managers in Europe have practical experience only & that less than 10% have full agricultural training. A major challenge for the agricultural sector is to enable farmers to develop their entrepreneurial skills. It may well point to the fact that if the sector is under as much strain as many would suggest, then farmers of all types will require economic support & greater emphasis on education & training may be necessary. The aim of this project was to develop & implement a training programme which will provide farmers with the knowledge & skills necessary to work in a co-operative environment. Co-operation in the reduction of production costs/ unit, optimisation of energy/ resources input in agricultural production, increase of share of added value for farmers in marketing of products, sharing of farm work-loads & purchasing & participating in the benefits of the processing of the raw materials supplied by farm enterprises all emerges as areas of interest during the project. The main project product, which development followed the OER approach, is a web-based Training App compatible both with desktop and mobile devices. The main elements of the training app are:- A Summary Report about the State of the Art of cooperation amongst farming entrepreneurs in Europe and in the involved countries;- A set of more than 30 case studies gathering best practices relate to cooperation processes in the involved countries;- Interactive training modules providing the knowledge needed to start and implement a cooperation initiative.All of the materials are available in the partner languages (English, German, Spanish, Slovenian, Czech, Italian and French) will be fully available free of charges on the project webpage and to other OER repositories making them available to an even wider audience.The CO-FARM consortium of 8 project partners worked very effectively together bringing a range of expertise from education, agricultural consulting, cooperative structures, dissemination and project management together to deliver the project on time with high quality materials. Extensive consultation was facilitated by the partners close working relationships with the agricultural sectors in their communities thus enabling the partners to gather data at a local and national level. This was also critical to facilitating the in depth case studies (35 in total) which were developed during the project. These case studies show cased a wide variety of cooperation and collaboration models from the partner countries. Examples of cooperation at all levels are provided from farm partnerships to informal collaboration between farming groups. Each of the case studies presents information in a standard format thus enabling users to compare and contrast different approaches and consider the context in which the cooperation was developed.4 training modules were developed based on the learnings from the case studies and also the national reports and are available via http://www.cofarm-erasmus.eu/ and http://learning.cofarm-erasmus.eu/. The four modules coverModule 1: The principles and benefits of cooperationModule 2: Factors that support and hinder cooperationModule 3: Steps to creating a successful cooperationModule 4: Managing Cooperation and Risk