The basic objectives of the project are to develop “Continuous Vocational Training Program” on macrofungi, to support “edible mushroom utilization” in food sector and to allow European geography to “more benefit” from this richness of the nature. In European Union countries including Turkey, employment rates are relatively low for 15-65 year age-group. The basic reason for such low rates is lack of professional training. Professional and technical training in broad sense is assessed under life-long learning. In Life Long Learning Strategy Document prepared by Turkish High Planning Institute, the priority issues were identified for professional training and an action plan was prepared for these priorities. Some of these priorities are as follows: • Bringing the physical infrastructure and number and qualification of training personnel into sufficient levels complying with current needs, • Continuous update of training programs along with ever-changing needs, • Improving professional guidance services within the scope of life-long learning, • Activating professional competence system and creation of quality assurance system, • Easing horizontal and vertical transfers among training programs, transfers from school to job or from job to school. With the proposed project, forest management/agriculture and food technology professional training will be considered as a whole. The stakeholders of the issue, consumers, mushroom processors, food agricultural technicians, SMEs and marketing profession will be assessed together. Each year, several serious poisoning cases are experienced in Turkey because of unconscious macrofungi consumptions and some cases are ended up with deaths (Işıloğlu et al., 2009). While the number of people poisoned from mushrooms was 1706 in 2013, the number increased to 5218 people in 2014 (based on the data of The Ministry of Health). Such poisoning and death cases strictly restrict mushroom consumption and cause the people stay away from mushrooms. Insufficient knowledge on macrofungi, lack of vocational training on this issue, lack of inspection in food sector where mushrooms are utilized, loss of confidence because of marketing and limited knowledge and training of local people collecting and marketing mushrooms are all can be counted among the reasons for low mushroom consumption levels of the country. The macrofungi catalog to be developed within the scope of the proposed project, the macrofungi grown in 5 European Union countries and Turkey will be identified. - The “Macrofungi Gatherers’ Training Module” to be developed according to classification catalog and analyses works to improve agricultural/forest management professional training will be served to use of relevant C-VET providers. With the implementation of nature mushroom classification and danger classes training module to be developed for market or market inspectors, the local forest management will be put under control and rural people’s sustainable utilization of forest areas will be improved. A new certified profession will be created under the title of macrofungi gathering expert. - With the training module to be developed for food technology, technicians of SME’s and labaratories will be selected as training group. With this module, they will learn about how to use macrofungi in food sector and processing requirements in a sustainable way without destroying their natural habitats, how to preserve and use macrofungi and how to identify poisonous and non-poisonous ones. The module will diversity production activities in food related sector and will provide high quality learning opportunities. The project will be coordinated by International Agricultural Training Center. The MYRCAS project implemented by partner IRMA Sl from Spain will be taken as the source project for the proposed project. The macrofungi catalog and vocational training modules developed in that project will be transferred to gastronomy and food processing dimension. With regard to training dimension, participation of UTEM and OGM will be taken as the basis. With regard to EU dimension of the module, the rural tourism facilities of Italian partner CIA-TOSCANA will participate in food technology training module. With regard to macrofungi utilization in food sector, METU will participate in activities. Project quality assessment, dissemination and efficient management will be implemented with the coordination of project steering committee.
Main objectives of the project were (i)to develop continuous level vocational training curriculum on utilization of “wild edible mushroom” species (Macrofungi) at different stages of food sector chain, (ii) support sustainable management mechanisms of non-wood forest products derived from macrofungi and (iii) Allow European and Turkish Geography to more sustainable benefit from richness of nature. - With the training module to be developed for food technology technicians of SME’s and labaratories were selected as training group. With this module, they have learnt about how to use macrofungi in food sector and processing requirements in a sustainable way without destroying their natural habitats, how to preserve and use macrofungi and how to identify poisonous and non-poisonous ones. The module diversified production activities in food related sector and provided high quality learning opportunities.
In Turkey, there were not any catalog in which edible or commercially valued macrofungi are identified and classified, their danger categories are clarified. Prejudice of public on toxicity, insufficient knowledge on macrofungi, lack of sustainable management of non-wood forest products, lack of knowledge on processing requirements in food chain are all among the reasons for low mushroom consumption in the country. With the proposed project, initially a classification catalog identifying local macrofungi has been prepared. This catalog has been published in multi languages (Turkish-English and Italian) and mushrooms have been classified based on their taxonomic characteristics. Such a catalog can be used as a reference document by Continuous VET trainers and food technicians, mushroom trading and processing companies and mushroom gatherers. In addition, SMEs dealing with macrofungi international trade among the EU countries, achieved new skills on processing and preserving conditions and marketing conditions of wild edible mushroom species. With the aid of training module, C-VET program can be enriched and qualification of currently employed food technicians have been improved thanks to new skills gaining/update.