About
VTskills, Cooperation for Upskilling and Building Regional Ecosystems in Sustainable Precision Viticulture, is a project focused on viticulture in the Mediterranean region.
Challenges / Needs
VTskills respond to three challenges: the need for quality nutrition, the need to reduce environmental impact and not cause significant damage, climate change.
Specific objectives
VTskills objective is to identify green, digital, and resilience skills necessary for viticulture farmers and workers to manage sustainable activity in the sector.
Work packages
VTskills have six main work packages.
Needs
NEED 1
Approaching, in an accessible and practical way, the use of new technologies and the removal of barriers to access for SMEs in the wine sector, which make up the majority of the European wine system.
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While technology is indeed an essential ally of sustainability, we have yet to create technology models designed for small and medium-sized enterprises, which are often at risk of being challenged by digital transformation. This is, on the one hand, because of a lack of knowledge and skills and, on the other hand, the proposed development models are very well suited to large companies but are hardly scalable, making them difficult to apply to small businesses. SMEs should be able to understand the opportunity and know that it can have a compelling benefit for their small businesses if they direct their efforts and investments correctly. Strengthening and promoting digital skills is the starting point for enabling farmers to adopt and manage new technologies (“Modernizing and Simplifying the CAP,” EC, 2017) would bring them closer.
NEED 2
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There is a dualism in sustainable approaches to agriculture: on the one hand, technological farmers tend not to adopt the systems approach of organic farming and, therefore, need to acquire green skills. On the other hand, there are small and medium-sized organic farmers who have know-how based on existing knowledge but are reluctant to implement technologies due to previous bias or lack of knowledge. It is therefore necessary to improve resilience skills to increase the capacity of the farming system to prepare for and respond to changes (COM/2020/274). Therefore, providing specific training on SPV is essential to give agricultural workers access to the latest knowledge, contributing to the implementation of the Council Recommendation on Vocational Education and Training and the Osnabrück Declaration (2020). This SPV training needs to be developed within an integrated and systematic framework of digital, green, and resilient skills so that farmers have a broad view of the opportunities and benefits and can improve their ability to plan strategically in the short, medium, and long term, managing with increasing dexterity the risks caused by a changing environment.
NEED 3
To create a favourable environment for developing skills: tackling the deficit of digital, green and resilient skills is not straightforwarrd.
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Providing SPV experts is essential to tackle the current skills mismatch. VET providers, such as consultants, technicians, and managers, play a vital role in the agricultural ecosystem, as “they represent one of the main information sources for farmers’ decision-making” (Preparing for future akis in Europe, SCAR, 2019). They need to integrate a wide range of specific issues such as technology, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, etc. Therefore, a favourable environment is needed to bring VET, HE, and farmers together to share their knowledge and cooperate by following the multi-actor approach to help build more sustainable food systems. Currently, no validated network allows a direct (physical) or indirect (virtual) link between the stakeholders of the viticulture chain. The existence of a place in a local area where subjects can create a new product, use it, or repair it is a necessary and inclusive condition to enable the effective use of a new product and lay the groundwork for system innovation. Additionally, this place where the different sector agents can interrelate, with the appropriate guidance, is essential to stimulate a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial attitudes, mindsets and skills in learners, academic staff and other workers, in line with the Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp).
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
SO1
By identifying the skills needed by current and future sustainable viticulture farmers/workers, it will be possible to provide the necessary training and support to enhance their digital, green, and resilient skills. This will enable them to adopt new technologies and implement sustainable practices in their vineyards.
SO2
By identifying the skills needed by current and future sustainable viticulture farmers/workers, it will be possible to provide the necessary training and support to enhance their digital, green, and resilient skills. This will enable them to adopt new technologies and implement sustainable practices in their vineyards.
SO3
This will enable them to adopt and use new technologies effectively and implement sustainable practices in their vineyards. By strengthening their skills, they will be better prepared to respond to changes and challenges in the sector.
SO4
By providing the necessary training and support, it will be possible to promote a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial attitudes among learners, academic staff, and other workers in the sector. This will also contribute to developing a favourable environment for the growth of sustainable viticulture businesses.
SO5
This will provide a platform for farmers and other stakeholders in the viticulture chain to share knowledge, expertise, and best practices. The e-demo farms will also serve as a space for testing and validating new technologies and practices in a collaborative and supportive environment. This will contribute to developing a validated network that allows direct or indirect links between the stakeholders of the viticulture chain.
SO6
This will reduce innovation capacity differences between EU member states, with free and open access, curricula, training materials, exchange of good practices and information through the e-demofarms, cooperation on conferences, paper preparations, etc.
Work packages
Work Package 1
Project management and coordination, quality assurance and evaluation.
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WP1 concerns the management and administration of the project. It aims to ensure that all project objectives, tasks and results are achieved on time and on budget. WP1 contributes to the management of project risks to ensure the achievement of objectives important to farmers, students and other stakeholders.
Work Package 2
Professional skills pillar assessment.
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Work Package 3
Preparation of training materials.