Global demand for cosmetics and wellness products is increasing, leading to strong growth in the production of aromatic plants on a global scale. Over the past decade, lavender production has doubled, to about 65 tons a year. Between 2011 and 2019, the imports of essential oils increased by almost 68% in terms and 22% in terms of volume of value in EU. In global competition, the maintenance and competitiveness of the European aromatic plant production and processing sector requires strengthening of quality approaches, and in particular towards organic and natural labels which meet the growing demands of consumers, contribute to the preservation of the environment, and are more profitable for producers. It is therefore essential to support the training of European professionals in the cultivation and transformation of aromatic plants towards quality organic production. Vocational training for AP producers must adapt to the constraints of a poorly available and dispersed public, which calls for an online training offer. This requirement for a quality online training offer is reinforced in the context of COVID which limits the possibilities of group and face-to-face training. The characteristics of agricultural training, which relies heavily on the acquisition of practical training in the field and transmission by peers, requires structuring an adapted and quality digital offer. Based on all these needs, EcoOils emerged to offer a european innovative vocational training process to support the creation of distance training system in the field of agricultural vocational training, which takes into account recent contributions from educational sciences and technological developments. The training itself will be focused on building the competences of the target group through an online, blended and distance learning that is tailored-made & designed specifically to meet their needs. It will also aim to build and expand the pedagogical skills of the trainers in the agricultural sector, enabling them to deliver high quality inclusive digital education. The thematic focus field of EcoOils will be the organic aromatic plants cultivation and organic essential oils production in Europe, the integration into a common digital curriculum covering all aspects of development of organic farming and distillation of OAP: farming techniques, production methods, marketing, communication, ethics & corporate social responsibility. It is a question of considering OAP cultivation and OEO production not only from a technical point of view, but also in all aspects of the producer's relationship with its customers & territory. And it is also a question of changing the mind-set of the professionals on the immense opportunities that digital & online education provides for them. However, no training course exists either in France, or in any of the partners’ countries that tackles all these problems and needs of the aromatic plants cultivators, essential oils producers and new comers with regard to transition to/start of organic production process and marketing of the ready products. EcoOils is based on the complementary skills and experience of 6 European partners in 5 countries (Bg, Fr, Gr, It, Sp): 3 VET organizations, one of which is also an incubator specialized in hosting new agricultural enterprises, 1 local development agency, 1 specialist in training engineering, 1 environmental association. This complementarity makes it possible to cover the needs of professional targets, the thematic content and the educational skills necessary for the development of quality digital media. The specific aims of EcoOils are: - Meet the needs of farmers and distilleries for building their competences to enroll in online, blended and distance learning, tailored-made & designed to meet their needs. - Build and expand the pedagogical competences of the trainers & consultants in the agricultural sector enabling them to deliver high quality inclusive digital education. - Develop high quality digital content incl. innovative online resources dedicated to farming and production of organic essential oils for professionals and future professionals, complementary of the training contents from agricultural and agronomic education. - Support all agents in the essential oils sector (incl. farmers, distillers, educators & trainers) to engage in distant & online training process that could substitute the currently used presence-based courses. - Support farmers and distilleries to enter the market of OEO & encourage the application of organic farming and production approaches. - Facilitate cooperation and technical transfers among European countries and European stakeholders. The target groups are: - Cultivators of AP (especially lavender & lavendin, rose, sage ...) interested in conversion to organic production - Distilleries & essential oils producers - Trainers & coaches of agricultural producers in AP&EO sector - New entrepreneurs entering AP/OE production
EcoOils has brought together 6 partners in 5 countries: training bodies (University of Salamanca - ES, Université des Senteurs et Saveurs and CDE Petra Patrimonia - FR), training engineering specialists (AVA - BG), an environmental organisation (MCE - GR) and a local development association (GAL Molise verso il 2020 - IT). The project offers digital training resources dedicated to developing the cultivation and processing of organic aromatic and perfume plants in Europe. These training resources complement the practical learning processes and on-the-job mentoring that are still essential in the agricultural sector. The training content is built around a multi-disciplinary approach to cover all aspects of conversion to organic farming and production, including production, diversification, business models, etc. A specific module on digital communication in rural areas is also offered. The original feature of the EcoOils training course is that it is based on digital learning resources that involve professionals from the aromatic and fragrance plant sector: videos of producers' testimonials, tutorials, suggested activities, etc.
The implementation of the EcoOils project was motivated by the need to enhance the digitisation of vocational training in the agricultural sector, given that the transmission of knowledge and experience in this field is currently widely based on field experience. Without questioning the role of professionals and field experience in the learning process, the project partners wanted to develop digital training resources that would partly compensate for the practical transmission of knowledge and field experience. EcoOils proposed to develop these guidelines for the specific sector of organic aromatic and perfume plants in Europe. This sector of activity is relatively marginal on the scale of European agriculture, but crucial to the agricultural development of many rural regions in Europe. The sector is dynamic but fragile, and subject to many production hazards. The development of organic production, in the context of a growing demand from European consumers, is likely to boost the European aromatic and perfume plant sector and provide added value in the face of international competition.