How is organising pastoralism in sensitive context ? Erasmus Project

Project Title

How is organising pastoralism in sensitive context ?

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 2020

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

In a European context of agricultural decline, a crisis in food systems (quality, safety, globalisation), the closure of landscapes and the extension of forests, multiple forms of pollution (air, water, soil), the loss of biodiversity, the loss of traditional and cultural knowledge, and climate change, extensive pastoralism appears to be a relevant response to these issues by maintaining open environments that promote biodiversity and reduce the risk of fire, and by quality production through natural herd feeding and the absence of the use of phytosanitary products (lower input costs). .. Moreover, pastoralism plays its part in the economy of industrial and artisanal sectors. Beyond the production of meat and milk, it abounds in others such as wool and leather, materials that are in vogue and whose development can be imagined because of their qualities and sustainability. However, pastoralism itself faces difficulties such as predation on herds (bears, wolves, wild dogs, management of tourism and patous), damage to crops and deterioration of grasslands by wild animals, access to land, the use of phytosanitary products to treat parasitism, meteorological disturbances (periods of drought and humidity), economic difficulties for farmers, etc.

Faced with the emergence and expansion of a multifactorial and uncertain situation, training must know how to adapt and seek new ways of responding. Our postulate lies in the idea that European diversity and collaborative methods are a way to achieve this. These are, therefore, the first bases for cooperation on the subject of formation for pastoralism that we wish to build here.

Starting from the observation that we face the same difficulties and that our contexts are similar in Spain, Slovenia and France, the partners of PastorEA set themselves the following objectives:
I. to refine the inter-mutual knowledge of the contexts and to identify the points of convergence and divergence;
II. to make an inventory of the organisation of training and the transmission of knowledge in pastoralism (including approaches, methods and pedagogical tools);
III. to analyse and compare training systems;
IV. to elaborate scenarios for the development of training in pastoralism based on field issues and to identify the relevant pedagogical elements with regard to these issues;
V. Contribute to making pastoralism visible so that it is recognized for the important place it can have in the agro-ecological transition.

The project brings together different institutions in three different countries:
– Spain (Federacion de Escuelas Agrarias de Galicia) in charge of training agricultural advisers and future herders,
– Slovenia (Naklo Biotechnology Centre), in charge of training managers, agricultural advisers and technicians, teachers and future breeders,
– France (L’Institut Agro – Montpellier SupAgro – Institut de Florac) in charge of teacher training.

Three training sessions of 3 days each will be organized in one country for a mixed public. About ten people per country will participate in the transnational training courses for farmers and shepherds, teachers, trainers, advisors and technicians in chambers of agriculture, from pastoral associations and unions, or organizations managing labels or brands. They will be selected for their expertise in their field (ecology, animal husbandry, pastoralism, pedagogy, technique, management, etc.), their ability to multiply information (networks), and their relevance to the development of training courses in their country at a later date. Each will bring their own vision of pastoralism, their own context and will be the bearer of the dissemination of the work.
Two seminars will be held during these training sessions. The first one will prepare them in form and substance. The last will analyse the elements collected, formalise the scenarios for the development of training and evaluate the achievements and the process mobilised. If need be, it will enable to position itself on the relevance of a second innovation development project.

The expected results are the sharing of the context and the stakes of each one; an inventory of the structuring and organisation of training in pastoralism in each country; an inventory of approaches, methods and pedagogical tools for the transmission (formal or informal) of knowledge; the constitution of the basis of a European cooperation network on the issue of training in pastoralism to envisage subsequently a project for the development of innovation on the aspects of training engineering and pedagogical resources; scenarios for the development of training.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 93690 Eur

Project Coordinator

Institut national d’enseignement supérieur pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Biotehniski center Naklo
• FEDERACION EFA GALICIA