Small and Medium Farm Holders as Agents of Sustainable Change in Agriculture and Society

<< Background >>We live in the Anthropocene. Four of the nine planetary boundaries scientists introduced, referring to processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth System, have now been crossed as a result of human activity: climate change, loss of biosphere integrity, land-system change, altered biogeochemical cycles (Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2015.) While agriculture plays a vital role in every aspect of our lives, and it holds answers to challenges facing people and planet, it is directly linked to the four aforementioned problematic threat sectors.The agricultural sector is acknowledged as one of the most important sectors in the transformation of the EU economy and society towards a long-term sustainable future. For Europe to avert the worst effects of environmental change, assure ecosystem benefits and to accomplish the ambitious goals of the pillars of sustainability a collaborative, transformative action should be taken, with farmers playing a key role, as they are strategically positioned to be part of the solution. Sustainable agriculture is at the heart of global and EU strategies, such as the 2030 Agenda and the EU Green Deal. << Objectives >>Farm4SD aimed at developing a holistic, innovative and inclusive approach to farmers’ and especially to medium and small farm holders’ training on the pillars of the sustainable agriculture–The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, EU Green Deal, From Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies and the new CAP – combined with entrepreneurial and soft skills, so as farmers and C-VET educators to upskill and reskill, in order to become true factors of change and contribute to environmental protection, to the sustainable growth of our planet and to rural development.For our target group of farmers, especially medium and small farm holders, VET providers, Teachers and Trainers, Advisors, Researchers and Farmer Organisations, HEIs, adult education institutions, local authorities, policy makers, and NGOs the project aspired to:• Develop a culture of sustainability and innovation among EU farmers and empower them by providing a set of cutting-edge training resources building on skills intelligence, available in digital and open media• Foster the capacity building of C-VET educators in sustainable agriculture, advanced training methodologies and skill’s recognition approaches• Support the development of micro-learning<< Implementation >>- Project Management activities that include all the management actions that were implemented to support the successful delivery of the Farm4SD project- Dissemination and Exploitation activities- Quality Assurance and Impact assessment activities- Jointed Staff Training Activity (LTTA)- Development of the Results<< Results >>R1-Farm4SD Methodological Framework on the Pillars of Sustainable AgricultureR2-Farm4SD Modular Training Course for FarmersR3-Farm4SD Train-the-Trainers Programme for VET EducatorsR4-Farm4SD Multifunctional and Interactive Platform R5-Farm4SD Recommendation & Good Practice Booklet