DEVELOPMENT OF WOMAN SELF – HELP GROUP IN THE AREA OF MULTUFUNCTIONAL FARMING Erasmus Project

Project Title

DEVELOPMENT OF WOMAN SELF – HELP GROUP IN THE AREA OF MULTUFUNCTIONAL FARMING

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Regional dimension and cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

A lot of long-term unemployed people are formed by women without proper education, living in the countryside. We have almost the same problem in Slovenia, Hungary and Italy. Utilization of farming as a tool for work training and social inclusion of disadvantaged people has increased recently especially in Italy, but also in Slovenia and Hungary. This approach currently appears as alternative to traditional working inclusion for disadvantaged people.Actually, project partners from all of participating countries are implementing training courses and other measures for working inclusion of disadvantaged people.

With respect to described rationale our OVERALL OBJECTIVE was to support women from countryside for acquiring knowledge and competencies needed for their personal development, employability and inclusion to the labor market.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES of the project were:
-to enable women from countryside for smooth transition to work and/or further education with the help of work based learning in the area of horticulture, social services in the countryside and entrepreneurship;
­-to establish a women self-help group, aimed to collectively overcome barriers at knowledge acquiring, at creating business networks and at mutual motivation;
­-to foresee steps for or integration of prepared programs and methodology into school system;
­-to prepare measures for integration of prepared programs for multifunctional farming in actions of local and regional development.

In the GROW project participated 6 organizations from 3 countries (ITA, HUN, SLO).Among partners was faculty for horticulture and medicinal plants, agricultural secondary school, training center in the field of social economy, social enterprise, consortium, operating in the area of working inclusion and organization dealing with countryside development.
Project partners had professional knowledge connected with introduction of self-help groups, development of group multifunctional farming practices, training, network building and policy preparation. Complementary knowledge existed in the consortium for carrying out project activities and preparing project outputs and results.

Most important RESULTS were:
1) Model for establishing woman self-help group in the area of multifunctional farming.
2) Handbook for establishing self-help group and for multifunctional farming.
3) Individual training plans for the women who were included in trainings and self-help groups.
4) Evaluation of training programs and methodology.
5) Program for integration of prepared programs and methodology into school system.
6) Program for integration of prepared programs for multifunctional social farming in actions of local and regional development.
7) Organized international conference for dissemination of intellectual outputs: In November 2016 was organized international conference in Ljubljana.
8) Training of trainers/mentors
9) Pilot training of the countryside women (end users).

Attained impact:
* on participants and target groups
Women, which were include in trainings, acquired competencies for team work and competencies in the area of multifunctional farming. This enabled them to establish a group for multifunctional farming. Better competencies of women resulted in self-employment of certain numbers of women in the area of multifunctional farming.
During implementation of training programmes and at providing mentorship after the end of training we have we have found out the following:
-Italy: 6 trainees established common cooperative and 1 trainee social enterprise.
-Hungary: 4 trainees are planning to start a new enterprise or develop the existing own business. Majority if trainees would like to participate in advanced course.
-Slovenia: 2 trainees have established common private institute. 5 trainees have prepared a network charter where they defined common competences, common goals and ways of collaboration.
* on participating organizations
New training programs and methodology to use in VET were prepared. Partners will use training program for establishing self-help group to activate vulnerable groups and promote entrepreneurship in the countryside. These training programs actually represent new services for partner organizations.
* at the local and regional level
In the municipality of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) in the documents for new programming period Institution Foundation BiT Planota with collaboration of NGOs and other stakeholders succeeded to include also contents for development of social farming:
– Regional development Programme of Goriška region 2015 – 2020
– Strategies of local development for the local action group (Leader Program)
In the Province of Trieste is in the phase of acceptance the Regional Law on Social Agriculture. Programs and training methodology, which were developed in the GROW project, in the future will be implemented with the use of the measures that will be foreseen in the mentioned law.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 164350,63 Eur

Project Coordinator

USTANOVA FUNDACIJA BIT PLANOTA & Country: SI

Project Partners

• BUDAPESTI CORVINUS EGYETEM
• SOFORM SCARL
• Interland Consorzio Società Cooperativa Sociale
• Zavod Gost na Planoti, so.p.
• Solski center Nova Gorica
• SZENT ISTVAN UNIVERSITY