Country: Poland
Wellbeing of Farmers: Social Wellbeing
Key Challenges: Low farm income (market vulnerability), Lack of attractiveness of certain farming profession
Key Target Groups: Young farmers, Farmers facing financial difficulties
Farm Size: Small/Family
Find Out More
Key contact: Kooperatywa Spożywcza “Dobrze”
Email: zarzad@dobrze.waw.pl
Organization: The “Dobrze” Food Cooperative Association
Relevant Links:
Summary
Micro-innovation “Agro-Eko-Lab” was aimed at encouraging young farmers who completed agricultural schools to run organic and traditional farming methods, and to sell their products directly to the consumers. The model of education implemented within the project met new trends and consumer needs was economically profitable for farmers.
Nevertheless, such a model had not been implemented yet within a formal farming education curricula in Poland. Agricultural schools promoted rather a conventional food production and marketing, which due to the low purchase prices often decreased farmers’ profit and might lead even to the farm exits.
The “Dobrze” Food Cooperative Association is a social enterprise who implemented the innovation in question. The “Dobrze” cooperative tested whether a conventional education system in domestic agriculture could be replaced by the cooperation with agricultural school by supplementing educational programme with the practical educational initiatives. The project was carried out in 2016-2019 as part of the “TransferHUB” social innovation incubator supported under the Operational Program Knowledge Education Development, co-financed by the the EU European Social Fund.
Objective
Encouraging young farmers who completed agricultural schools to run organic and traditional farming methods, and to sell their products directly to the consumers.
Activities
- Two four-hour workshops using interactive methods of working with students, conducted in the agricultural school;
- a two-day study visit within the hours devoted to professional training in agriculture;
- a test of the manual titled “Eco-farming and cooperation with consumers step by step”, which in a simple and transparent way (e.g. in the form of a checklist) presented the next steps that should be taken to run an agro-ecological/ecological farm and sell products directly to the consumers groups (e.g. like food cooperative associations) .
Main Outcome of the activity
A new model of young farmers’ education based on experience consisting of manual and scenarios of two (4-hour) workshops. Model was tested by third- and fourth grade students from the secondary vocational schools with agricultural specialization in Lubelskie province
Main Practical Recommendations
By developing a practical-oriented educational model designed for future young farmers project’s participants received a solid and new knowledge and skills to continue their professional route in agro-ecological/organic farming that could bring satisfying incomes
Key Stakeholders Involved
- The “Dobrze” Food Cooperative Association;
- students of secondary vocational schools with agricultural specialisation (August Cieszkowski’s secondary agricultural school in Jabłoń, Lubelskie province);
- The Foundation for Social and Economic Initiatives (FISE); TransferHUB
Most Innovative Aspects of the Solution
The model of education implemented within the project met new trends and consumer needs was economically profitable for farmers. Nevertheless, such a model had not been implemented yet within a formal farming education curricula in Poland.