Intellectual Outputs

Open courses for School students: “Start-up Farm” -Phase I. New skills for school students in Eco farming business.The transnational training programme will provide state-of-the-art pre-graduate education and will be realized in joint collaboration among the “Experienced Institutions” and the “Startuppers”. It shall not only equip students with knowledge on the agricultural business planning but will increase their environmental consciousness as well.  The courses will be implemented through the LLT Activity C1 and will be continuously available on the GEO-ERGON PAIDEIA platform.The Educational Objectives/ topics are:

-“Brand my Land”: landscape and culture in the municipalities. The students should know the advantages and disadvantages of their rural areas.

-“People and Environment”: The global environmental problems and introduction to environmental management.

-“Eco –Farming”: Environmental effects of agriculture activities ,Review of the importance of maintaining biodiversity in food production and farming and products.

-“Sustainable Rural Lands”: Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  A healthy and dynamic agricultural sector is an important foundation of rural development. Investments in environmental protection, rural infrastructure and in rural health and education are critical to sustainable rural development and can enhance national well-being.

-“Building Sustainable Agro Business”: Guidelines to Develop a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses that can  bring the business planning process alive to help today’s alternative and sustainable agriculture entrepreneurs transform farm-grown inspiration into profitable enterprises.

– ‘”Go Digital”: Marketing of agricultural products .The ‘Internet of Things’ is the most important trend of our time. It means: The internet will be used to ‘move’ physical goods and items. Creating your own online business with a woocommerce shop might not take you longer than 2 hours.  Local producers can benefit from online sales because the margin is considerably higher. Producers, exporters and importers create brand awareness and loyalty with their product.

-“Tourism in Rural Areas”: Rural Tourism does not only  comprise   farm   tourism   or   agritourism,   but   also activities  regarding  vacations  in  the  midst  of  nature, trips to rural areas, as well residential tourism, in which  services   include,   apart   from   accommodation,   also  social events, festivities, outdoor recreation, production  and  sale  of  manufactured  products  and  agricultural  products, etc.

e-Handbook for Open courses “GEO-ERGON PAIDEIA”.Development of the educational/training handbook in three languages.The handbook is intended to be used by the school students, teachers, and other stakeholders to give shape to their distance education curriculum/courses structure and course units in ‘Start up Farm’.The handbook will include the literature review on the aforementioned thematic areas and will be part of the interactive multimedia learning material. The University of the Aegean will be responsible for its production and the Romanian school Partner will undertake the Romanian translation.
The aim of this handbook is:
• to provide and promote an understanding of how to develop new curriculum or adapt existing classroom curriculum for open schooling to all those faculty engaged in developing self-learning materials of open schools and distance learners at basic and school education,
• to acquire the knowledge and skills involved in developing self-learning materials for school level distance learners.

You can look for the Handbook «Course Description Model», HERE

Open courses for School students: “Start-up Farm” – Phase II.Experiental Learning for school students in Start-up Business.

The transnational training programme will provide state-of-the-art pre-graduate education and will be realized in joint collaboration among the “Experienced Institutions” and the “Start-uUpers”. The courses will be implemented through the LLT event C2 and will be continuously available on the GEO-ERGON PAIDEIA platform.

UAegean, IZES, KEAN, with the support of the teachers of the 2 partnership schools will develop modules that cover the key course objectives:

“Learn by doing”: is the first and the most important step to use the student’s skills, and actually contain applied business plans in cooperation with farmers and farmer business, particularly with start-ups.
Leave your “home sofa”: Students are usually not interested in creating their own business, since they have little or no support from the government and families. The school students have to be ready for changes and know how estimating risks of decisions in their professional life as well as be aware of starting their own agro business as one of possible career paths.
Work cooperatively: Innovation is produced by teamwork. School students should obtain knowledge about advantages of teamwork and multicultural teams.
Start up your Farm: To make your own farm business, to create products that are healthy – eco and safe for consumers: develop in school students the spirit of independence, sharing with other farmer stakeholders new ideas, to show them the most successful examples.
Think as a Leader: Strategic thinking can be used to develop the strategy and policy for farm business and to make a business decisions.
Learn from Stakeholders: During the courses the school students will be involving with local stakeholders: farmers, Farm business through multiplier events and they will have the experiental learning study visit in Germany.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of network interactions.Qualitative and quantitative analysis of network interactions will be produced through the multiplier events of the project, which include workshops with the participation of the representative of the partners and the local stakeholders.

Seven stakeholders’ workshops will be organized; 3 in the municipality of Evrotas, 3 in Murfatlar and one in Saarbruecken, while some of them will run in parallel with other project actions. The final dissemination event will take place in Athens M23 of the project and will integrate all the results of the analysis.

In the first workshop which will be held in parallel with the projects’ kick-off meeting, the partners will have the chance to come in contact with the local stakeholders and set the base for the creation of the network which will be developed and grow during the implementation of the project. The needs of the local economy as well as the structure of the community and the unemployment will be assessed and current situation will be described in detail, in order to establish the current status as well as the potential for each region.

The establishment of an active network with interested parties will ensure future contact and information exchange.

Network – Cluster of Future Eco- farmers. A cluster for young Eco farmers in national level in Greece and Romania will be initiated in order to connect young school students in the eco farming field at national level with local stakeholders such as: parents, teachers farmers, business, universities and local communities related to sustainable agro business. The key objectives are:

The creation of virtual labs for the cooperation of schools with universities and regional policy makers.
To show the best and bad practices in the agricultural land management, business development, regional policies and initiatives.
To promote the Eco-Health Farms model, to revitalize traditional farming practices and preserve local cultural values by incorporating these techniques and values into current farming practices.
To promote mutual responsibility, synergy in farming and business.
To continue the Training and Education using the web platform (O1) for all types of students.
To raise awareness in national level for rural young people to keep their family lands.
The initiation of an interaction and open dialogue in which the school students will act as consultants in the agricultural sector, thus promoting the sustainability of the rural areas.

O1 e-Learning platform and collaboration space (Virtual communities of stakeholders).
The interaction with the local stakeholders through the multiplier events and the 3 LTT events C2 &C3 and the evaluation analysis (O5).
The interaction with the local stakeholders through the multiplier event E7.
The (O7) e guidelines and recommendations for teachers and policy makers .

e-Guide for Teachers and Policy Makers: Entrepreneurship for young Eco Farmers -‘Geo-Ergon Paideia’.During the courses implementation and dissemination there is a number of matters that would need to be discussed by Partners, involving in an open dialogue the local stakeholders as well.Questions to be answered:

Should the agro entrepreneurship course be elective or obligatory to all school students in rural regions?
What are the specific skills needs in different nationalities, regional agro business background and students’ professional dispositions?
How should an educational programme for school students respect local differences in society attitudes toward the political, economical and cultural differences in Europe?
Should the universities involve a certification system (ECTS, etc) for school students?
What are the specific skill needs in a teacher’s professionalism to teach entrepreneurship to school students in rural areas?
What are the political decisions to be made and what strategies  have to be adapted  by local and regional government authorities  in rural areas?
Measuring Community Success and Sustainability: is that possible?
How can we increase the skills, knowledge and ability of local people young people to stay in their lands?
The policy recommendations will come through the web platform (O1 )and the multiplier events (through the open dialogue with stakeholders), the lessons learned, the experience and the evaluation results from courses by teachers and school students and will be included in preparing the e-guide.

You can look for the Handbook «Roadmap for e-Guide for Teachers and Policy Makers: Entrepreneurship for young Eco Farmers – “Geo-Ergon Paideia”», HERE.