Improving the access of producers and sellers of farmhouse and artisanal cheese and dairy products to training programmes adapted to their specific needs, using networking and mobility around Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Improving the access of producers and sellers of farmhouse and artisanal cheese and dairy products to training programmes adapted to their specific needs, using networking and mobility around Europe

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cooperation between educational institutions and business; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

Project Summary

Farmhouse and artisan production of cheese and dairy from cow, goat, buffalo and sheep milk is widespread all over Europe.

The enterprises concerned are generally family businesses, which make locally recognized products based on traditional, specific know-how. They are often a major support for difficult rural territories where dairy farming is one of the only possible activities. Moreover, they are economically profitable. On one hand, it is due to the strong demand from consumers for products from “local farming”, and on the other hand, this activity guarantees the equilibrium of the value chain: through short supply chain, the added value is not divided by a large number of intermediaries.

To guarantee the following of this “positive chain” from the milk production to the table of the consumer, the quality of the products of the sector must be irreproachable. This requires very good technical skills from the farmers and the cheese and dairy producers and also good knowledge about the products from the retailers. That is why training is a key issue for the sector, in particular at the commencement of one’s own enterprise, but also all along his/her working life. Moreover, as farmhouse and traditional activity is based on practical know-how, the trainings for this sector must be highly based on experiences gained on the field.

FACEnetwork represents farmhouse and artisan cheese and dairy producers in 16 European countries. Producers’ associations, dairy schools and technical centres are members of this association. Through its members’ organizations, which are all closely linked with the field, FACEnetwork has observed that:
– at the European scale, the offer of trainings adapted to the specificities of small scale milk processing sector seems weak with regard to the needs and not equally distributed among the different countries.
– the practical experience needed to complete the education of small scale cheese and dairy makers and retailers of traditional milk products is sometimes difficult to obtain.

The main objective of the project “FACE in itinere” formulated here by FACEnetwork is thus to provide to current and prospective cheese and dairy makers and retailers a better access to trainings adapted to their needs. This project will put a specific attention to open opportunities for experiences in real working situation (internships, co-working periods…) as essential complements to “classical” education.

The project will take place over 16 months with the following main actions:
1- a web-based platform will be built to exchange offers/requests for internships, co-working and visits
2- an online inventory of training courses will be achieved
3- as a consequence of the two previous workstreams, an analysis of the specific strengths and weaknesses of the existing training system will be made. Where gaps are identified, the information will be used to formulate relevant working plans and future projects for the development of suitable courses
4- the outputs of the project will be disseminated, in particular through the organization of information meetings open to a large public in several European countries at the end of the project.

The project will be coordinated by 3 partners:
– FACEnetwork, as a consortium already existing at a transnational level, will mobilize its members in 16 countries for the achievement of the tasks planned
– VHM from Germany, linked to FACEnetwork, will act as a separate partner in this project because it will bring its specific expertise on IT systems
– AgenForm in Italy, also linked to FACEnetwork, will act as separate partner in order to bring its specific experience and knowledge of training and education centre, involved since a long time in transnational cooperation programmes.

The project will provide a precise overview of the training offer in 16 different countries. It will constitute a step that will prepare a more ambitious project to be set up by the following years about adapted trainings in our sector. In this goal, FACEnetwork will share its achievements with other organisations specialized in the sector of education, during the multipliers events planned at the end of the project.

Moreover, the IT platform of exchange developed during the project will stay as a concrete tool for the long term. It will be available online and contribute to ease the realization of internships and co-working for future and current farmhouse and artisan cheese and dairy producers and sellers willing to complete their education through practical experience.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 143231 Eur

Project Coordinator

Farmhouse and Artisan Cheese and Dairy producers European network & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Verband für handwerkliche Milchverarbeitung im ökologischen Landbau e.V.
• Agenform – Agenzia dei Servizi Formativi della Provincia di Cuneo Consorzio