In the Towards 2015/2030 Agricultural Report published by the FAO, many environmental issues related to agriculture are predicted to continue to be severe during the next 30 years. It is also stated that agriculture has a great influence on the earth, and 70% of clean water resources are used in agriculture. The EU has created regulations on this issue. Within the framework of harmonization with the EU legislation, legislation for the protection of soil and water resources has also been published and implemented in our country. With the increasing world population and the demand for food, agriculture gains importance every passing day. Sensitive production should be done using modern farming methods and protecting human health, soil and water resources. Indeed, among the strategic objectives of the EU rural development policy is the promotion of competitiveness in agriculture, as well as ensuring sustainable management of natural resources. It is important that stakeholders are trained in this respect. During the evaluations it has been observed that, the existing trainings have not reached a satisfactory level yet. By introducing a new approach to training, awareness can be created and appropriate behaviour can be learned. Increasing the knowledge of agricultural professionals and enabling them to share their experiences will increase the multiplier dissemination effect of this benefit. The project will create a resource where agricultural information on the sustainable use of land and water resources can coexist. In addition, an E-learning platform will be set up to promote professional development and develop ICT skills in line with the EU 2020 objectives. The training modules will be used primarily for the staff training of the partners, and also for research and the training of staff and farmers by schools, agricultural training institutions and all stakeholders in need. Our target groups are producers, technical staff, researchers and agricultural students. Widely influential organizations from Turkey, Spain, Croatia, Portugal and Slovenia, which have high expertise in their fields and experience in project implementation, have come together for this project. The project outputs will be prepared 6 languages. Thanks to the wide realm of authority of the partners, they will be used in agricultural training across 5 countries. Dissemination activities will also be carried out for non-partner countries. The training modules offered on the web platform will serve broadly regardless of the limit. The aim of this new training model is to; • Create a curriculum that will be used for many years. • Ensure that Agricultural Vocational Training reaches international standards. • Deliver agricultural vocational training to more people via ICT technologies by using less time and fewer resources. • Increase ICT skills of agricultural stakeholders. • Establish an easily accessible training resource in agricultural vocational training. • Increase vocational training and the competences of vocational trainers. • Establish an information network with institutions from EU member countries. • Create a good example for similar works. • Reduce pollution risk of soil and water resources arising from agricultural practices. The project has 8 intellectual outputs. These are; • Needs analysis for Agricultural Vocational Training. • Learning Management System (LMS) and Web Platform. • E-Learning Training Module on Legislation. • E-Learning Training Module on Appropriate Behaviour for Environment and Sustainable Agriculture. • E-Learning Training Module on Irrigation. • E-Learning Training Module on Plant Protection. • E-Learning Training Module on Fertilizing. • Farmer's Handbook. The short-term effects of the project; • The agricultural stakeholders will meet with the philosophy of lifelong learning. • Consciousness on the pollution caused by agricultural practices will be raised. • Agricultural production, agricultural training and the protection of natural resources will be on the agenda of relevant stakeholders. • Internationalization of the participating organizations will be assured. • A new training model will be established in agricultural vocational training. • A new curriculum will be established with international standards for agricultural vocational training. • Agricultural stakeholders will be able to reach the accurate information easily. The long-term effects of the project; • The project will contribute to putting the environmental concerns in agricultural training forefront. • The project will be a good example for similar works. • The project will contribute to the protection of soil and water resources. • The project will contribute to conducting agricultural production more consciously. • The project will contribute to the widespread use of ICT in agricultural training. • The project countries will contribute to the establishment of a bridge between agricultural stakeholders.
The Agriculture Report published by FAO 2015/2030 estimates that many environmental issues related to agriculture will continue to be severe over the next 30 years. It is stated that agriculture has a great impact on the earth and 70% of clean water resources are used in agriculture. The EU has made regulations on this issue, and legislation on the protection of soil and water resources has been imposed. Among the strategic objectives of the EU rural development policy are increasing the competitive capacity in agriculture and ensuring sustainable management of natural resources. It is important to train stakeholders in order to support general policies and transmit the practice to the base. By bringing a new approach to education, awareness can be raised and appropriate behaviors can be adopted. E-COFARM aims to create a resource where agricultural information about sustainable use of soil and water resources can be found together. Providing educational resources online through a learning management system is important for broad and easy access to the training curriculum, supporting professional development and developing ICT skills of the target group. Our target group is producers, technical staff, researchers and students of agriculture. For this project, highly effective organizations from Turkey, Spain, Croatia, Portugal and Slovenia who have experience in their own fields and in project implementation have come together. Seven intellectual outputs have been developed in the project which are; O2 Designing of web-based platform and Learning Management System O3 E-Learning Training Module on the EU Legislation O4 E-Learning Training Module on Accurate Behavior for Environment and Sustainable Agriculture O5 E-Learning Training Module on Irrigaton O6 E-Learning Training Module on Plant Protection O7 E-Learning Training Module on Fertilization O8 Farmer's Handbook Project outputs have been prepared in six languages including Turkish, English, Slovenian, Croatian, Portuguese and Spanish and made available through web platform (https://ecofarmproject.com/lms/). The training modules created within the scope of the project can be used by anyone who wants to access information. In addition, all institutions providing agricultural education, especially the partner institutions, can benefit from the project outputs. Thanks to the implemented project, awareness was raised about the relationship between agricultural practices and the environment. With the training activities, it was ensured that the target group was trained on good agricultural practices. After the project, the positive effect will be maintained as the multiplier events continue. The project has set an example for new studies aiming to expand environmentally friendly practices. It has been a positive example for developing new projects on similar topics and training the target group on good agricultural practices. The project has contributed to the international experience of institutions and participants. The cooperation developed between the project partner institutions has created opportunities for the upcoming collaborative studies.