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Creative communication and Soft skills for agriCultural Entrepreneurs for the sustainable Development Of Europe
FunderEuropean Commission
Funder Contribution €60,000.00
Funded underERASMUS+ | Partnerships for cooperation and exchanges of practices | Small-scale partnerships in adult education
Project code2023-1-IT02-KA210-ADU-000158029
Open Access mandatePublications: NoResearch data: No
Identifiers
Description
"<< Background >>We chose to create Crescendo to support EU farmers on a journey of personal and professional growth towards sustainability. The Commission is aiming for carbon-neutral agriculture by 2050, a goal that weighs heavily on rural areas. Focus groups and analysis of E+ projects revealed the need to develop transversal skills—values, attitudes, and interpersonal skills—essential for building and communicating one's vision of sustainability. This is where the project stems from: the idea that agricultural techniques alone are not enough; experiential training tools are needed to help farmers and trainers (re)discover their sustainability values and communicate them authentically. CRESCENDO responded to this need by developing an innovative action-learning training based on theater and communication, to make farmers true protagonists of change towards sustainability. An example of the needs met are the expectations stated by Rocco, a wine entrepreneur, when he signed up for Crescendo: ""To create a mini video presentation of the company, even for company visits or trade shows. To improve my empathy with people and my ability to communicate effectively without arguing.""<< Objectives >>We wanted to support small-scale farmers in developing an authentic vision of sustainability (=based on real values) and supported by appropriate communication skills. We created an innovative experiential course based on value-based learning and action-learning on sustainability, effective communication, and networking. We aimed to foster solidarity and self-help among participants and trainers. We wanted to document the results both qualitatively and quantitatively with a scientific approach. We conducted three pilot courses, collecting data on their effectiveness and strengthening the partners' skills, both in participating in European projects and in the methodology of analyzing and evaluating training impact. The goal was then to foster dialogue among partners on sustainability, training in rural areas, and theater methodologies, using an experiential and reflective approach. The development of a shared teaching guide consolidated the results, generating replicable content for sustainability training in agriculture. The dissemination allowed participants & trainers to put the acquired skills into practice and to create a (already active) support network for several further projects.<< Implementation >>February-March 2024: 5-day co-designing workshop (Conception Workshop) with 6 agricultural entrepreneurs and 7 partner trainers leading to 7 specific training modules, to define the training program, with the first data collection on effectiveness;June 2024: Paper on EPALE Journal #15 (Fanelli, 2024) with methodological reflections on co-design.Mar-Jun 2024: Project website, www.agricrescendo.org, and various social media channels.Mar-Oct 2024: Partner skills development; Trainer Manual; Training effectiveness evaluation methodology; Sustainability Strategy; Guidelines for National Reports (all in the PDF volume published on the website).Oct 24 - March 25: Three 36-hour pilot courses for 30 participants. in Italy, Spain, and Turkey, with side events where participants put the skills they developed into practice by promoting their activities to real audiences.May 10, 2025: Final dissemination event in Perugia with online connections from Spain and Turkey marked the culmination of the project;June 30, 2025: Publication of a paper in EPALE JOURNAL #17 (Fanelli 2025) detailing the Action Learning methodology and the results on CRESCENDO's training effectiveness.November 23 - June 25: Numerous online coordination meetings, etc.<< Results >>We have produced concrete results on multiple levels:Developed and tested an innovative course for 30 agricultural entrepreneurs in three countries, divided into two transversal modules (Theater, Action Learning) and five thematic modules (Ice-breaking & Team-building, Symbols & Metaphors, Clay & Fairy Tale, Communicating in Conflictual Situations, Guided Meditation), described in the Trainers' Manual published on the website. From the original 24, we opened the course to six more participants, bringing the total to 30.Developed key skills to promote sustainability in rural areas, measuring effectiveness quantitatively with measurement scales based on ESCO skills (results reported in the three national reports and in Fanelli (2025)).Developed skills and networking for trainers and partners to operate in the EU (in 2025, LiberoPensatore presented a new project KA153-YOU with Desarrollo Tecnologico Rural, recently approved by AIG), creating peer-reviewed scientific contributions on sustainability training and audiovisual content to support dissemination. The final event involved stakeholders, trainers, and local policymakers who will participate in a KA220-ADU submission by CRESCENDO."
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"<< Background >>We chose to create Crescendo to support EU farmers on a journey of personal and professional growth towards sustainability. The Commission is aiming for carbon-neutral agriculture by 2050, a goal that weighs heavily on rural areas. Focus groups and analysis of E+ projects revealed the need to develop transversal skills—values, attitudes, and interpersonal skills—essential for building and communicating one's vision of sustainability. This is where the project stems from: the idea that agricultural techniques alone are not enough; experiential training tools are needed to help farmers and trainers (re)discover their sustainability values and communicate them authentically. CRESCENDO responded to this need by developing an innovative action-learning training based on theater and communication, to make farmers true protagonists of change towards sustainability. An example of the needs met are the expectations stated by Rocco, a wine entrepreneur, when he signed up for Crescendo: ""To create a mini video presentation of the company, even for company visits or trade shows. To improve my empathy with people and my ability to communicate effectively without arguing.""<< Objectives >>We wanted to support small-scale farmers in developing an authentic vision of sustainability (=based on real values) and supported by appropriate communication skills. We created an innovative experiential course based on value-based learning and action-learning on sustainability, effective communication, and networking. We aimed to foster solidarity and self-help among participants and trainers. We wanted to document the results both qualitatively and quantitatively with a scientific approach. We conducted three pilot courses, collecting data on their effectiveness and strengthening the partners' skills, both in participating in European projects and in the methodology of analyzing and evaluating training impact. The goal was then to foster dialogue among partners on sustainability, training in rural areas, and theater methodologies, using an experiential and reflective approach. The development of a shared teaching guide consolidated the results, generating replicable content for sustainability training in agriculture. The dissemination allowed participants & trainers to put the acquired skills into practice and to create a (already active) support network for several further projects.<< Implementation >>February-March 2024: 5-day co-designing workshop (Conception Workshop) with 6 agricultural entrepreneurs and 7 partner trainers leading to 7 specific training modules, to define the training program, with the first data collection on effectiveness;June 2024: Paper on EPALE Journal #15 (Fanelli, 2024) with methodological reflections on co-design.Mar-Jun 2024: Project website, www.agricrescendo.org, and various social media channels.Mar-Oct 2024: Partner skills development; Trainer Manual; Training effectiveness evaluation methodology; Sustainability Strategy; Guidelines for National Reports (all in the PDF volume published on the website).Oct 24 - March 25: Three 36-hour pilot courses for 30 participants. in Italy, Spain, and Turkey, with side events where participants put the skills they developed into practice by promoting their activities to real audiences.May 10, 2025: Final dissemination event in Perugia with online connections from Spain and Turkey marked the culmination of the project;June 30, 2025: Publication of a paper in EPALE JOURNAL #17 (Fanelli 2025) detailing the Action Learning methodology and the results on CRESCENDO's training effectiveness.November 23 - June 25: Numerous online coordination meetings, etc.<< Results >>We have produced concrete results on multiple levels:Developed and tested an innovative course for 30 agricultural entrepreneurs in three countries, divided into two transversal modules (Theater, Action Learning) and five thematic modules (Ice-breaking & Team-building, Symbols & Metaphors, Clay & Fairy Tale, Communicating in Conflictual Situations, Guided Meditation), described in the Trainers' Manual published on the website. From the original 24, we opened the course to six more participants, bringing the total to 30.Developed key skills to promote sustainability in rural areas, measuring effectiveness quantitatively with measurement scales based on ESCO skills (results reported in the three national reports and in Fanelli (2025)).Developed skills and networking for trainers and partners to operate in the EU (in 2025, LiberoPensatore presented a new project KA153-YOU with Desarrollo Tecnologico Rural, recently approved by AIG), creating peer-reviewed scientific contributions on sustainability training and audiovisual content to support dissemination. The final event involved stakeholders, trainers, and local policymakers who will participate in a KA220-ADU submission by CRESCENDO."
