INSTRUCTION/ INTRODUCTION TO THE TRAINING MODULES

Submitted by tobias on Sun, 05/06/2018 - 16:35
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Welcome to the training modules section of the FEAL project. 

Before you start  checking the existing modules, we would like to give you an overview of all the training modules we have created and a short introduction on how and for what purpose to use them.  

Please go through this introduction carefully to gain as many skills and as much knowledge from the modules as possible.

1. The Principles of Multifunctional Agriculture and EAL 

Overview:  

This module explains how  knowledge concerning landscape values of European agricultural landscapes (EALs) might open new horizons for the establishment of a farm performing different non-agricultural activities, thus implementing multifunctional agriculture. The awareness of  landscape quality by farmers and stakeholders aims to tackle the challenges of the European Landscape Convention (CoE, 2000). 

Learning objectives  

Knowledge 

  • Understanding typology of EALs and attributes that make EALs multifunctional. 

  • Know-how in order to apply multifunctional activities within different EALs. 

Skills 

  • Recognizing a landscape type – EAL and values of different EALs and their landscape character. 

  • Practising multifunctional farming coinciding with the characteristics of a particular EAL. 

  • Providing adequate maintenance to EALs, preserving EALs values and improving their quality. 

Attitudes 

  • The awareness to improve the quality of EALs  and maintenance in a sustainable manner, regarding traditional land uses based on the deep ancestral knowledge of the environment and preserving the landscape character. 

Index: 

  • International context of EALs presented in case studies 

  • EALs presented in case studies 

  • National context of EALs presented in case studies 

  • Advanced multifunctional entrepreneurship based on EALs values 

  • Attractive landscape as a result of multifunctional and sustainable farming and as an asset for the further development of entrepreneurship  

  • Maintenance and preservation of EALs values 

  • Sharing and distribution knowledge on EALs values  

2. Entrepreneurial Concepts in the linkage of EAL, Sustainable Farming and Multifunctional Agriculture (MFA)

Overview:  

This module is focused on interactions between farming as a professional activity based on agricultural land management, and landscaping, as a land design associated to agriculture and other rural activities, consciously linked to the knowledge of the territory, its natural capital and landscape heritage. 

Learning objectives  

Knowledge 

  •  to know a large range of activities and services suitable for agri and rural tourism,  ecotourism, heritage food tourism and didactic farms  

Skills 

  • to gain  in-depth competence on all kinds of outdoor facilities and services that can be provided by  well-structured multifunctional farm planning   

  • to know and practise marketing solutions and commercial offers for ecotourism private clients, groups and tour operators.   

Attitudes 

  • to gain  overall knowledge and awareness of the traditional heritage of farming, constituting a basis to start successful  multifunctional farm activities based on agricultural landscapes  

Index: 

  • Overview 

  • Chapter I – Scheme for Interpretation of Agricultural Landscapes 

  • Chapter II – Cultural Principles Connecting Sustainable Farming and Landscape 

  • Chapter III – Multifunctional Agriculture, Sustainable Land Use and Landscape 

  • Chapter IV – Contributing to Landscape Protection, Conservation and Innovation 

  • Conclusions  

3. Business-planning and Successful Implementation

Overview:  

This module will show you the steps for elaborating a clear business plan and give you hints for success, promising its implementation. It deals with formal aspects as well as an entrepreneurial approach for setting up the legal and operational basis for a successful entrepreneurship in the linkage of farming and EAL. 

Learning objectives 

Knowledge 

  • Understanding of business-planning and its importance for successful entrepreneurship 

  • Clear picture of Business Management 

Skills 

  • Recognizing changing and challenging situations on the way and dealing with those in an entrepreneurial manner 

  • Recognizing chances and business opportunities in the linkage of farming and EAL 

  • Ability to implement business planning and business management in your enterprise 

Attitudes 

  • Awareness for improving/maintaining EAL quality  with a successful farming business 

Index: 

  1. Business planning – its need and  use for entrepreneurs 

  1. Entrepreneurial handling of business planning 

  1. Writing a business plan 

  1. Main contents of your BUSINESS PLAN  

  1. Your BUSINESS MANAGEMENT within MFA and EAL 

  1. Key Functions of BUSINESS MANAGEMENT  

  1. Start with your BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

4. SWOT-Analysis: sustainable use of regional specific EAL

Overview:  

This module offers a SWOT methodology to achieve self-knowledge in relation to factors linked to sustainable agriculture, multifunctionality and agricultural landscape. Based on this knowledge, you will be able to develop objectives linked to improve your weaknesses and threats, or to take advantage of your strengths and opportunities. 

  • Learning objectives 

Knowledge 

  • Achieve a self-knowledge of those factors linked to sustainable agriculture, multifunctionality and European Agricultural Landscapes. 

Skills 

  • Develop your capacity for analysis, through a systematic methodology of self-evaluation of factors. 

  • Develop your strategic capacity, trying to take advantage of your current situation to reach a better future. 

  • Ability to define objectives and develop them, until reaching the proposed goals.   

Attitudes 

  • Include in any analysis related to your farm aspects related to sustainability, environment, culture and landscape. As relevant factors that offer synergies with your present and potential activities.  

Index: 

  1. Introduction 

  1. Use E-Atlas as e-learning tool about diversity of EALs 

  1. Using SWOT analyses for strategic planning 

  1. Methodology of Self-Assessment Process 

  1. Self Knowledge: Factors for SWOT analysis 

  1. Self Knowledge: Questionnaires 

General  business framework 

Landscape and natural environment 

Sustainable Farming (respectful handling) 

Multifunctionallity (Touristic attraction, potential activities) 

  1. How to build your SWOT analysis 

  1. Goals settings 

  1. Goals achievement 

5. Communication Skills, Collaboration/ Cooperation

Overview:  

In this module, we will present factors that support and encourage cooperation, communication skills, the win-win-situations: detecting them and using these situations. For that purpose we will use links  to  Case Studies, Summary Report and additional matirial  where appropriate contents are more detailed presented. 

Learning objectives 

Knowledge 

  • knowledge about stakeholders involved in setting up operational basis for multifunctional farming for the sustainability of FEAL 

  • insight into the possible fields and forms of collaboration/ cooperation for multifuncional farming for the sustainability of FEAL which leads to win-win situations 

Skills 

  • ability to consider your own position and options for multifunctional farming for the sustainability of FEAL and possible win-win situations 

Attitudes 

  • awareness of options for establishing or improving multifunctional farming for the sustainability of FEAL 

  • awareness of importance of communication and communication skills 

  • awareness of the power of collaboration/cooperation 

 

Index: 

  • Stakeholders in setting up operational basis for multifunctional farming for the sustainability of EAL    

  • Communication skills and communication channels 

  • Collaboration and cooperation in multifunctional farming for the sustainability of EAL 

  • Win-win situations in multifunctional farming for the sustainability of EAL 

 

DURATION OF THE MODULES 

The training modules give you general information about background, concepts and entrepreneurial action in the linkage of farming and EAL, and you will also come across specific aspects and hints for a successful approach. 

We recommend that you study the modules intensively and not  rush through them. Take your time and maybe go through them several times – again and again if necessary. 

Depending on your personal setting and  the individual module, you should take at least 60 minutes per module to be able to fully benefit from it. 

 

YOUR USE OF THE MODULES 

We have created the training modules so that they can be used all over Europe and so that they can provide as much benefit to the existing variety of learners as possible. 

We recommend going through the modules step by step following the given order, as the content is developed from general information to more detailed from module to module. 

How to use the training modules: 

 

  • You can quickly browse through all the modules to gain an overview of the content and then have a second, deeper look at the topics you really need to know. 

  • You can go through all the modules step by step since the content was condensed from the needs assessed at the beginning of the project and, therefore, a broad range of important knowledge is provided. Possibly not everything will be relevant to your specific situation – but maybe it will be in the future. 

  • You can go through the modules on your own or do it in a group and exchange your findings or opinions about the information provided.