As well known, livestock sector plays a multi-faceted role in socio-economic development of rural households. Livestock husbandry has significant positive impact on equity in terms of income and employment and poverty reduction in rural areas as distribution of livestock is more egalitarian as compared to land. In the recent decade, demand for various livestock based products has increased significantly due to increase in per capita income, urbanization, taste and preference and increased awareness of livestock nutrition. Livestock sector is likely to emerge as an engine for agricultural growth in the coming decades. It is also considered as a potential sector for export earnings. The rational animal nutrition is essential factor affecting profitability of animal production. Many livestock farmers still do not have the necessary skills in terms of innovation, diversification in livestock nutrition and development of local services what decrease the viability of such farms and consequently results in young people migration to the big cities for better social life. The farmers’ and animal production supporters’ actual knowledge, skills and competences are not sufficient and because of this reason they bear high costs resulting from inappropriate animal nutrition strategies affecting decrease in animal performance, quality of animal origin products and health and increase in quantity of undigested feed remains and metabolites excretion what generates high economic losses and negatively effects on natural environment. There is a great necessity of the innovative and intelligible curriculum on Rational Animal Nutrition in Rural Areas addressed to livestock production supporters: VET teachers, trainers, tutors and VET institution managers, livestock farmers, rural development agents, animal breeders associations and feed additive manufacturers, nutritionists, diet formulators and livestock consultants. The aim of the project is to develop innovative and absolutely updated training materials on animal nutrition and feeds management. The needs of rural livestock breeders in participating countries will be defined and the curriculum and materials will be adapted to specific regional and national needs, add modules and chapter on further issues such as rational animal nutrition, health protection of livestock and protection and development of pasture, also healthy animal products, quality criteria in the meat and milk, scientific methods in the fighting against nutritional diseases, the use of renewable energy and the sustainable use of water and forage crops, and other major challenges for rural regions in Europe. Starting from the training needs analysis, based on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) the target users will be directly involved in tests, under quality assessment . The international quality standard for training and further education (ISO/ IEC 19796-1) is a reference process model for the design and building-up of a sustainable quality management system, for vocational education and training. The project supports acquisition of new skills through development and dissemination of key competencies in accordance with European instruments: EQF and ECVET. The substantial LIVENUTRITION project's output will be e-learning platform and handbook The Rational Livestock Nutrition in Rural Areas. The LIVENUTRITION project contributes to RDP 2014-2020, especially in fostering knowledge and innovation transfer to agriculture, enhancement of balanced and sustainable agriculture and effectiveness and viability of livestock production. Seven participants from 5 countries will collaborate within LIVENUTRITION project. The consortium consist of experienced partners representing different profiles among them universities, research institutes and associations of regional initiatives and knowledge development, what makes the project high potential to deliver powerful and high quality products and make a huge trans-European impact through the networking activities of the partners. It also creates an opportunity to exchange their knowledge, curricula and know-how in area of key subjects connected with animal nutrition and make them familiar with problems of farmers and livestock breeders across European countries what will make possible to know they needs and foresee activities in this economy sector that should be take up in the future. The LIVENUTRITION project also creates a great opportunity to form within the project a lifelong partnership between PL, HU, RO, IT and TR and transferring good practice and innovations in agriculture sector, especially strategies of livestock nutrition that are crucial for viability of animal production and for rural development.
LiveNutrition project was realised under Erasmus+ programme - Strategic Partnerships for Vocational Education and Training KA202 in years 2014-2016. Assumption of this project was statement that many livestock farmers and other people involved and pretend to be involved in animal production still do not have sufficient knowledge and skills in livestock production with special attentio0jn to rational livestock nutrition and methods of mitigation of this production impact on natural environment. Proper nutrition is essential for profitability of livestock production but educational level of farmers in area of animal nutrition is not sufficient for rational livestock feeding. The main aim of LiveNutrition project was to develop a truly innovative curriculum supported with e-learning course on livestock nutrition and handbook addressed to all involved in animal production. The project assumptions contributed to the European Policy of Rural Development Programme for 2014-2020 paying special attention to fostering knowledge transfer in agriculture and rural areas, improving competitiveness and viability of animal breeders as well as reduce poverty and immigration, to sustainable development and to bring life to rural regions in Europe. Seven organizations were collaborating within LIVENUTRITION project: two from Poland: Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences and ARID Lacjum; two from Turkey: Balikesir Universitesi and Canakkale Onsekiz Mart Universitesi one from Romania - National Research Development Institute for Animal Biology and Nutrition; one from Italy - Confederazione italiana agricoltori dell'Umbria and one from Hungary - Tudás Alapítvány. The consortium was geographically and sectorial well-balanced and consisted of experienced partners representing different profiles research and training institutions, universities, farmer association and two NGOs – experts on innovation, knowledge and best practice dissemination what made the project high potential to deliver powerful and high quality products and made a huge trans-European impact through the networking activities of the partners. Activities that were conducted during project running were divided into seven Work Packages: 1st PROJECT MANAGEMENT – concerned mainly activities connected with documentation administering and dissemination; 2nd TRANSNATIONAL PROJECT MEETINGS – five transnational meetings were organized in all partners countries; 3rd NEEDS ANALYSES - accomplished for analyse and define the needs of project users in the partner countries, results of surveys made fine adjustments of the work plan – choose the subject and direction of the project activities; 4th TRAINING CONTENTS DEVELOPMENT - development of training materials (six languages) and implementation of materials with e-learning platform; 5th PROJECT WEBSITE AND E-LEARNING ENVIRONMENT DESIGN included all necessary activities to design and make e-learning the training system and the project website more functionally and friendly for user; 6th PROJECT’S OUTPUTS DISSEMINATION included activities concerned with development and localization of courses, promotion of a course textbook and other project outputs - organization of Multiplier Event that were organized on international national level in Poland and on national level in Turkey, Hungary, Italy and Romania. 7th PREPARATION, PUBLICATION AND DISSEMINATION of LIVENUTRITION handbook which were published in each participated country. Main outputs of implemented project are innovative curriculum in area of livestock nutrition consisted of e-learning platform and handbook “RATIONAL LIVESTOCK NUTRITION IN RURAL AREAS” that were prepared in 6 languages: English, Polish, Italian, Hungarian, Turkish and Romanian. This project and its main products had very positive feedback from projects targets groups. Impacts of the project focused on knowledge, innovations, know-how and good practices transfer in agriculture with special attention to animal nutrition. The innovated curricula, training courses affected the target groups’ awareness of animal nutrition and welfare significance in animal production and the necessity of lifelong learning and continuously up-skilling to enhance viability of livestock production and make it environmental friendly, especially in small and medium sized farms. The higher profitability of such farms may reduce youth migration to big cities. Expected the long-term impact of the LiveNutrition project is enhancement of the viability of livestock breeders, transfer of innovation to the agriculture, especially animal production, improvement of life quality, employment ratio and development in rural areas. Directly through enhancing farm viability the expected rationale of this project is reduction of poverty and economic development in rural areas. The LIVENUTRITION project also created a great opportunity to form within the project a lifelong partnership between PL, HU, RO, IT and TR.