Supporting Advanced Learning for Stakeholders Involved in Sustainable Food systems Initiatives Erasmus Project

Project Title

Supporting Advanced Learning for Stakeholders Involved in Sustainable Food systems Initiatives

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers

Project Summary

Food being one of three areas of production and consumption having the highest negative environmental impacts, it forms part of the European Commission’s keystone project called the European Green Deal. After decades of industrialisation, the need for more local and sustainable food systems is widely acknowledged in public policy discourse at international, EU, national, regional and local levels. Whereas the local and solidarity-based partnerships for agroecology (LSPA), among which Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is the best-known model, are increasingly recognized as an important initiative for sustainable territorial food systems, there is still a substantial gap at the policy-making levels in translating this acknowledgement into public policy objectives and bottom-up participatory and collaborative initiatives.

SALSIFI aims to develop and implement an innovative transnational education programme reinforcing the capacity of CSA networks and civil servants at local, regional, national and EU levels to engage in collaborative public food policy-making processes. It will specifically look into upskilling staff in non-formal education to foster knowledge sharing; implement training to strengthen capacity building staff’s knowledge to engage in collaborative institutional processes; and to adapt the training into an innovative digital learning content for public authorities and other actors having influence on key aspects of local food initiatives (such as (green) public procurement, financing, etc.).

The education and training programme will particularly target people associated with locally supported (LSPA) initiatives and CSA networks, and civil servants in local, regional, and national administrations whose work can influence the support of sustainable local food systems – engaging over 250 people in total.

SALSIFI will develop a modular training programme (Output 1) addressing three themes: building a collective understanding of how to engage in institutional processes and create relevant spaces for advocacy at EU level; increasing participant understanding of how to collectively position at the local level; and sharing best practices for collaborative local policy making on sustainable food systems. The framework will be supported by a comprehensive tool kit (Output 2), and will be adapted into an innovative digital e-training content (Output 3). Cross-cutting through all outputs, a number of adult learners from the network members of the project, the Capacity Building Agents, aka “CABBAGES” will be engaged in training and learning activities developing their knowledge and skills to engage in collaborative food policy making processes. Modules will be specifically pilot-tested in 8 countries (E1-8), and the framework will be implemented by carrying out three training sessions addressing specific angles (C1-3). A larger event will disseminate the outcomes of the project and seek to attract future participation into the e-training content (E9).

This Collaborative Training Framework is rooted in the Participatory Action approach for learning, whereby collective analysis and learning is at the core of the knowledge production, and serves to promote the active participation of participants in the issues that shape their lives. This approach is especially relevant for adult education as part of citizen action (whether as part of a citizen movement or as a consum-actor), as it affirms that experience can be a basis of knowing and that experiential learning can lead to a legitimate form of knowledge that influences practice. This reflects both the philosophy and objectives of the members of this consortium.

SALSIFI will help develop a culture of international cooperation, and enhance the training capacities and skills in non-formal education of participating organisations. The implementation of the training will further lead to an increased awareness of best institutional engagement practices and relevant institutional processes in their respective countries as well as at EU level for CSA networks, and of the role of CSAs in sustainable territorial food systems for local, regional and national authorities. It will also result in the development of an e-training programme on URGENCI’s e-learning platform.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 392252 Eur

Project Coordinator

RESEAU INTERNATIONAL URGENCI & Country: FR

Project Partners

• ICLEI EUROPEAN SECRETARIAT GmbH
• ZAMBRA, INICIATIVAS PARA LA ACCIÓN SOCIAL
• ASOCIACE MISTNICH POTRAVINOVYCH INICIATIV OPS
• SOLIDARISCHE LANDWIRTSCHAFT EV
• RESEAU DES ASSOCIATIONS POUR LE MAINTIEN D’UNEAGRICULTURE PAYSANNE EN ILE DE FRANCE
• Asociatia pentru Sustinerea Agriculturii Taranesti
• Le Réseau des Groupes d’Achat Solidaires de l’Agriculture Paysanne asbl