Small agricultural enterprises and farmers are often in a disadvantageous position in relation to other bigger players in the food chain. This is why many smaller businesses face a common problem: their efforts to maintain and improve their market position or to upgrade their market share and expand their business activity internationally go unrewarded.  Competition is becoming fierce and innovative marketing methods and tools are necessary to increase their bargaining power.

Changes are occurring in both supply and demand structure. On one side, the issue of sustainability is urgent and producers are recognizing the relevance of environmental friendly processes for long lasting economic profits. According to Francis (2011), the limitations of fossil fuels, fresh water, and available farmland, educators are changing focus from strategies to reach maximum yields to those that feature resource use efficiency and resilience of production systems in a less benign climate.

On the other side, consumers are more and more informed about food, through social media and several ICT tools easily affordable, as well as with the growing curiosity pushed by TV programmes and formats on food, cuisine, chefs and gastronomy. Thus, it is worth to understand if consumers are able to acknowledge and appreciate farmers’ efforts to get higher quality food products through sustainable practices and processes. Several research questions become relevant, not only for academicians but also for professionals, practitioners and trainers: how social, ethic and ecologic commitment contribute to products value enhancement? How to communicate this added-value to consumers? How Vocational, Educational and Training (VET) providers and farmers’ associations could support farmers in facing these new challenges?

Farm Inc. project (www.farminc.eu) aims at strengthening the competitiveness of agricultural SMEs as well as to improve the quality of continuous vocational training and the acquisition of skills in the agricultural sector. Farm Inc is a Leonardo da Vinci project targeting agricultural enterprises with a special focus in Italy, Greece, Latvia, Cyprus, Belgium, stressing the importance of using marketing tools such as branding and internationalisation to improve their market position and expand their business internationally.

Image 1: Farm Inc website

During the first step of the project, a research has been carried out to understand farmers’ learning needs at cross-country level. Analysis of results demonstrated that some common requests emerge at European level: understanding local consumers’ needs, increasing level of sales, planning and updating business plans, finding the right distribution channels, making use of synergy and networks.

In terms of desired learning formats, farmers prefer learning through experience rather than classroom training, as demonstrated by the high score reached for activities such as participation to fairs, conferences, farm and study visits, field days. However, VET providers and experts highlight the need to combine practical experience with basic theoretical background, insisting on the method of blended learning. They underline that classroom training helps farmers acquire knowledge of basic marketing concepts while experiential learning helps develop more advanced and specialised skills.

Experiential learning techniques encourage students to directly apply what they are learning, engage in reflection, and then be able to generalize the information outside of the learning environment (Beard & Wilson, 2006). By taking into consideration the dimensions of experiential learning, agricultural educators can create meaningful learning experiences. Kolb (personal communication, September 7, 2010) stated that, “You [teachers] have such an advantage in agricultural education because it is so easily experiential.”

A study conducted by Brown (2011) that investigated the viability and effectiveness of generating and delivering information to farmers via a video-conferencing-based learning approach shows that e-learning has potential as experiential learning approach for farmers.

On the basis of such evidence the The Farm Inc. project has developed a specific tool that offers training in branding, marketing and internationalisation, tailor-made to the needs of small farmers and farmers associations.

The goal has been reached developing an innovative and interactive training tool to facilitate the Farmers learning process. The tool consists in an online platform structured in 6 flexible and integrated Modules. The platform starts with Marketing definitions and theories and it ends with some suggestions on how to face International Markets. Other modules are devoted to Marketing Plans, Farmers' Markets, Quality Products, and the importance of Rural Branding. It can be used as a self-learning tool for Farmers or as an opportunity to integrate official VET systems. The output is innovative because all basic theoretical concepts, practical experiences and self-assessment exercises are integrated into a single training tool, proposed to become the vademecum for marketing in the agricultural sector (a Beta version of the platform is available here: http://farminc-training.gg.dev.militos.org/).

Image 2: One of the Italian Piloting Events

Currently the piloting phase has been completed and the platform is being finalized. On September 27^th, the outcomes of the project will be officially presented at EXPO 2015 in Milan at the Italian Pavillion / Biodiversity Park with the presence of Italian and European Institutions. During this conference, all Consortium partners will enjoy to meet all interested VET providers, agricultural entrepreneurs, farmers and their stakeholders to say:”This Farm is MY Business!”

Bibliography:
C. Beard & J. Wilson (2006) Experiential Learning: A Best Practice Handbook for Trainers and Educators, London, Kogan Page.
C.A. Francis, N. Jordan, P. Porter, T. A. Breland, G. Lieblein, L. Salomonsson, N. Sriskandarajah, M. Wiedenhoeft, R. DeHaan, I. Braden & V. Langer (2011) Innovative Education in Agroecology: Experiential Learning for a Sustainable Agriculture, Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 30:1-2, 226-237
D. A., Kolb (1984) Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

The TRADEIT Food Safety Brokerage event on October 1^st and 2^nd  will bring together traditional food producers and experts in food safety technologies from across Europe.

The purpose of the event is to present technologies suitable for the traditional food sector, and to facilitate exchange of best practice between food producers, technology providers, researchers and food safety experts.

This two-day event focuses on the latest food safety information and technologies that are of relevance to artisan and traditional food producers. Day 1 is a combination of talks, meetings, and pitches between traditional food producers, food safety experts and food safety technology providers. On Day 2, participants will visit local food companies and have the opportunity to engage in further networking.

Technology Explorer Brokerage meetings will take place, organised around specific food safety themes. Participants will have the opportunity to book face to face meetings, both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-academia (B2A). These meetings will facilitate business exchanges, as well as opportunities for industry/academia collaboration, knowledge transfer, access to talent, and business development.

Main Topics:

• Detection of Food contamination
• Tracking, Tracing and authentication of Foods
• Cleaning and Disinfection
• Novel Technologies for Safe Food processing

Who will benefit from participating?

Traditional and artisan Food producers. You will meet other traditional and artisan food producers to discuss common food safety challenges and exchange ideas on best practice. You will hear the latest information on food safety relevant to your business, meet companies who have food safety technologies to offer, and meet researchers that are developing new relevant technologies.

Food Safety Technology and Service companies. Companies will have the opportunity to promote their products and services to European food producers and network with food companies, food safety experts, food safety organisations and collaborators.

Researchers and Technology Transfer Offices. Researchers will promote new and emerging food safety technologies or services to food companies. Participants in EU-funded or nationally-funded projects are invited to present food safety related research findings or technologies. TTOs can promote relevant innovations and technology transfer offers.

This is a unique event and opportunity to share food safety experiences and technologies. If you are looking to give your business a competitive edge, network or find a partner this event is for you. There is no fee to participate, but you do need to register at www.b2match.eu/tradeitfoodsafety

If you are interested in securing a promotional stand, technology pitch, or poster presentation, please submit a short summary (not more than 250 words) of the technology

On Saturday October 3^rd the TRADEIT project is hosting EuroFoodVision, an event providing food producers in the TRADEIT network with the opportunity to meet key buyers from the Irish and UK markets.

The Dingle Food Festival involves taste trails, food markets, food workshops, entertainment and cookery demonstrations. One of the key highlights of the event is the Blas na hEireann Irish national taste awards, which attracts over 2,500 entrants. The winners of these prestigious awards are selected by a panel of Irish and UK buyers.

The EuroFoodVision Marquee will be located in the heart of the festival. Each food producer will be provided with a stand to display their products and marketing materials. Buyers meetings and discussions will take place in the morning and the Marquee will be opened to the public in the afternoon.

Taste of Science is a new free online magazine about innovation in the food industry. Taste of Science will keep you informed on trends, new scientific knowledge and technological developments in food sciences.

The world is changing fast. On top of tasty and safe foods, consumers want food to tell a story, have natural ingredients and be prepared in a transparent and sustainable way. This magazine aims to present solutions that enable food producers to meet these demands.

The easy-to-read-articles bridge the gap between theory and practice. Taste of Science also looks to inspire you by sharing experiences of entrepreneurs who have successfully found ways to improve their business, or who have jumped into a a gap in the market. Besides, the magazine will inform you about workshops and events across Europe that you can join.

Dermot Walsh of Walsh’s Bakehouse in Waterford, Ireland with three other bakers arranged EU protection for the regional specialty named ‘Waterford Blaa’. To promote this famous bread roll and save the local bakeries.

About five years ago the local bakeries in Waterford city were closing down one after another, Dermot Walsh of Walsh’s Bakehouse recalls. “Industrial bakeries were moving in and the popularity of par-baked products was growing. The only product that we had and that nobody could replicate was the Waterford Blaa”, says Walsh.

Distinctive
The Waterford Blaa is a round bread roll with a heavy dusting of flour and a lot of history. Huguenot refugees introduced the blaa, made from leftover pieces of dough, in 1702. A century later, the founder of a Christian movement made the rolls popular by baking them to feed poor children in his school. “Waterford Blaas have a very distinctive, look, texture and taste. They taste like the old fashioned French baguettes from thirty years ago”, explains Walsh.

EU protection
“We were afraid that, if all the bakers in Waterford would close down, the art of making these lovely blaas would actually die out”, Walsh says. The basic ingredients are fixed, but each producer has his own take on the recipe. During a discussion about Irish foods on a conference for small businesses, Walsh heard about the possibility of EU protection for regionally manufactured foods.

“All our businesses are expanded. The protection enabled us to make investments and employ more people.” Dermot Walsh of Walsh’s Bakehouse

The greater good
With three other local bakeries Walsh decided to see if the Waterford Blaa was qualified for the so-called Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). “Before we were in competition but we started working together for the greater good, to protect our bakeries and our regional specialty”, Walsh declares. The bakers did lots of research, set up the Waterford Blaa Bakers Association and applied for the PGI.

Guarantees
After a process of two and a half years, the protection was granted by the EU in November 2013. A lot of extra paperwork is involved with the PGI. Auditors of the European Commission make inspections twice a year. “But it is worth it. Consumers now know that the quality, traceability and transparency are guaranteed”, states Walsh.

Benefits
Now, about 12,000 Waterford Blaas are produced daily for consumption in Ireland and exported to England, France and Dubai. Walsh: “All our businesses are expanded. The demand for other products rose as well. The protection enabled us to make investments and employ more people. The theory behind it is that the commercial, social and community benefits from the protection all come to the geographical area in which the product is manufactured.”