e-dairy-farm

The e-Dairy Farm project was a 2 years European project accepted under the Leonardo da Vinci programme started on the 1st October 2006.
The full title of the project is:
"e-VET (Vocational Education & Training) for sustainable development of dairy farmers in multi-actor cooperation & terroir environment".

The vision and rational behind the project are based on:

  • Milk price for farmers/producers
  • Denomination and "terroir" (typicity related) products
  • Remote areas and Rural development
  • Sustainability of rural industries
  • Multi-Actor Cooperation.

Two key Objectives of the e-Dairy Farm project:

  • To help the farm level dairy sector
    • to restructure and make the transition / adaptation from a supported context (CAP, regulated milk price, GATT agreements, …)
    • towards a sustainable and independent environment (more added value on products; regional and product development based on Quality and Denomination; Own business development of farmers in a coherent and community based regional and sectored approaches).
  • By accompanying farm producers and regional stakeholders:
    • To better develop denominations (AOC/PDO/PGI/TSG), regional product and Terroir images strength
    • To increase their place in the added-value chain
    • To fully base their development on Quality approach and regulation implementation
    • To learn how to develop a self and autonomous sustainable activity in a community approach with increased exchanges

The e-Dairy Farm project developed a full training and support solution (including training slides, DVD, CD, manuals, videos, e-Learning and a decision-making software application to support rural diversification process) in national languages for various types of farmers, end-users and for training of trainers.

Some of the e-Dairy Farm outputs

  • Benchmarking of Practices mixing geographical and sector approaches + Best practices exchanges (including products denomination process)
  • Methodology & Process to support Qualitative approach in VET solution for regional development in difficult/restructuring rural areas based on a sectored approach ("filière").
  • 12 Pilot courses in national language: 3 per VET Centre, 1 for the Farmers, 1 for the Trainers and 1 for the Regional Developers.
  • Implementation of an e-Learning content adapted to: the Dairy Farmers, the Trainers/Teachers; the Regional Development Actors (for remote, face to face and blended use).
  • An on-going evaluation process of the project both internally and for impact and policy (training and development) measurement.
  • Several Web-sites: for the project; for local and Transnational Community building (Trainers, Farmers, Reg. Developers) and Valorisation of the results.
  • A Qualification/Certification approach at local and EU levels to further support:
    • the transfer of qualification recognition from initial VET to LLL and Continuous VET
    • the increase of the apprenticeship role by innovative combination of young trainees from initial VET to be placed at a retrained dairy farmer's to increase success rate of the transition from milk only producer to dairy AOC-like farmer.
    • non-formal training on top of formal training approach (by encouraging non-formal approaches across the local communities of farmers and field level regional developers, as well as informal training through the development of appellation, AOC-like and tradition-based process for validating farm cheese/dairy products. These processes are strongly participating to a personal development of users which brings strong added value input into the qualification of people. These processes can individually and collectively be valorised through the exchange of Best Practices across regions, regional activities and countries).

* Further info: Key outputs of the e-Dairy Farm project
* e-Dairy Farm Public repository