Assessment and training system - CAPTIVATE - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture

Grant programme: Erasmus+ programme (KA220-VET – Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training)

Start date: 1st of November 2021

End date: 31rd of October 2024

Coordinated by: ÖMKi Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Hungary

Partners in the consortium: Agroinstitut, Slovakia; FiBL-AT, Austria; IPS Konzalting, Croatia; Neumann János University, Hungary; ÖMKi, Hungary

cap-tivate.eu

CAPTIVATE (CAP Transfer of Information Via Assessment, Training & Extension) project

The main aim of the project is to develop a farmer-centred assessment and training system by connecting the EU’s new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) requirements with proven, innovative, sustainable eco-management practices, in favour of better implementation of the various measures, increased uptake of support, improved efficiency in production and protection of the natural environment. Our objective is that farmers better understand conditionality, eco-scheme and rural development regulations and their linked undertakings, they choose (supported by a farm assessment tool) and participate in the certain schemes with more responsibility and awareness, carrying out the measures more consciously and effectively.

For farmers to be able to apply the practices in a professional, efficient, successful and sustainable way, it is essential that they understand how they work, the production (and not only support) benefits they can expect from their application, they are genuinely convinced to introduce and maintain these methods in production practice. Only then can meaningful progress be achieved, whether it is more efficient use of pesticides, higher yields, or less environmental impact. The key to a change in farmers’ attitudes is the right transfer of practical knowledge, which requires advisory support, demonstration farms events and forums that bring together actors to transfer knowledge.

What are the project’s planned main results?

The CAP Eco-Practice Knowledge Base, which extracts the rules and requirements meaningful for farmers, and linking them with the detailed description of relevant good practice methods.
An Eco-Farm Assessment Tool, which provides a detailed assessment of the characteristics, capabilities and potential of the farm in relation to the new CAP regulations and requirements, and also pays particular attention to the farmer as the decision-maker skills and attitude towards the available measures.
The CAPTIVATE Digital Platform, to present a one-stop-shop access to all the other innovative results of the project, and support the exploitation of those results using a multilingual interface in English and in the project languages.
Methodological and professional training, accompanied with modular learning materials on high importance areas in green farming for members of the extension network (advisors, specialists).
Methodology guides, which provide detailed information on the modules and content of the CAPTIVATE digital platform, as well as contextual information and a step-by-step guide on how to use them together.

ÖMKi’s role

ÖMKi takes the role of the overall project coordination, with tasks of monitoring and supervising administration, financial and professional reporting, quality assurance and dissemination activities (where other partners also have their own allocated tasks). ÖMKi provides general professional leadership, support and control in each PR task, based on the main conceptual background for the alignment with technical objectives, also leads PR1 for knowledge base, and the learning content development task in PR4/A1. The Hungarian partners participate in the pilots with 12 advisors and 150 farmers (PR2, PR4). ÖMKi is organizer of the Project Kick off meeting, one Multiplier Event and the developer of the mobile web-app tool for eco-farm assessment.