A Community-Supported Agriculture collaborative training programme Erasmus Project

Project Title

A Community-Supported Agriculture collaborative training programme

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Rural development and urbanisation; Environment and climate change; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The overall goal of “CSAct!, a Community -Supported Agriculture collaborative training programme”, was to enhance and to extend the offer of CSA training programmes to European CSA members and farmers. This included simplifying the core training curriculum and deploying new materials, with a wide range of training opportunities and activities, in order to facilitate the spread of CSA initiatives by transmitting knowledge, skills and competences from experienced stakeholders and organisations to local communities. This overall goal was declined into 3 different key objectives.

The first major objective was to upgrade the core European CSA training program, developed in the frame of a previous project called Be Part of CSA. The training materials have been tailored to Italian, Spanish, Greek and Polish contexts, and have also been improved, with the creation of both a farmer-to-farmer booklet and a new training module on the Financial Sustainability of CSA.

The second objective was to expand the outreach of the training programme to new CSA communities. This has been done through multiple test training sessions, with gender balance and a high level of representation of farmers and youth. A new generation of “CSA multipliers” have been successfully trained and equipped with the right mentoring tools (incl. the knowledge transfer kit). Additionally, the outreach has also been expanded through the use of digital tools, that comprise the first ever international series of webinars on CSA and the creation of a Hub, e.g. a e-learning platform offering a diversity of pedagogical contents (tutorial videos, webinar recordings, booklet, modules…).

The third objective was to build and consolidate new alliances at local and international level. This was achieved through 2 different channels. First, through an improved cooperation with network members, other NGOs and policy makers, at all different levels of action: municipal, provincial, national, European and international. Second, the 3rd objective was completed thanks to awareness raising through social media and mainstream communication channels (national TV and radio broadcasts).

The project focused primarily on what is sometimes called the European CSA community, which includes all the stakeholders willing to engage, or are already engaged, with CSA: farmers, consumers, network staff.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 280060 Eur

Project Coordinator

RESEAU INTERNATIONAL URGENCI & Country: FR

Project Partners

• ZAMBRA, INICIATIVAS PARA LA ACCIÓN SOCIAL
• AGROOIKOPOLIS ELLINIKO DIKTIO AGROOIKOLOGIAS DIATROFIKIS KYRIARXIAS KAI PROSVASIS STI GH
• ASSOCIAZIONE DEAFAL
• TUDATOS VASARLOK KOZHASZNU EGYESULETE
• FUNDACJA EKOROZWOJU
• COORDINADORA DE ORGANIZACIONES DEAGRICULTORES Y GANADEROS INICIATIVARURAL DEL ESTADO ESPANOL