Sustainable precision agriculture (SPA) is spatial intelligence, augmented knowledge and precise management.SPARKLE project try to close innovation divide on entrepreneurship and effective application of SPA between research, agricultural enterprises (SME) and students. The profitable application of SPA requires new competencies and to shift from a mechanical model to a SPA model is necessary to have digital, high technology and business skills applied on a deeper agriculture competences. The real chance SPARKLE e-learning project is to link University, Farmers and Students giving a chance of learning and facing challenge for the students, but also fronting the Universities with concrete problems in SPA application in open field with the aid of farmer’s experience.It will be analysed the foresight of applied technologies for different fields in SPA (Arable crops, Fruit, Viticulture) to better understand where there is the future of european technologies market of SPA and where it need to be better developed. In the short period, the project outputs will be gaining knowledge and skills for university by training students about SPA technologies and business. Students will have the chance to handle a real experience with european enterprises already skilled in different aspects of SPA. Another output will be for students and agripreuners to understand how to capture and develop SPA business ideas. Therefore, for enterprises it will be the occasion to get involved directly in training and the opportunity to interact with students, which will be the future agri-entrepreuners and support agriculture technicians.In the long period, the project outputs will create impact trough increasing synergies among educational offer of University and enterprises, extending higher educational offer trough crossing over between new technologies in agriculture and new business models.
One of the aims of SPARKLE was to bring together research, Sustainable Precision Agriculture (SPA) farmers, and students to develop and fill the gap in the educational offer to prepare farmers and agriculture's business managers of the future. The project aimed to develop and release an e-learning educational offer keeping together entrepreneurial competencies and SPA knowledge, thanks to the practical experience of SPA farmers, providers of SPA services and according to students’ needs.
The project underlines the need to improve university education in the agricultural sector to train students on the relevant skills for becoming agripreneurs 4.0 (which is currently barely absent. It becomes fundamental for academics to develop new collaborations with other Universities, but also companies working in the sector (providers of Precision Agriculture services) and PA farmers, in order to have an overall vision on the field and being able to foresight technologic and market changes
<< Background >> The project underlines the need to improve university education in the agricultural sector to train students on the relevant skills for becoming agripreneurs 4.0 (which is currently barely absent. It becomes fundamental for academics to develop new collaborations with other Universities, but also companies working in the sector (providers of Precision Agriculture services) and PA farmers, in order to have an overall vision on the field and being able to foresight technologic and market changes << Objectives >> One of the aims of SPARKLE was to bring together research, Sustainable Precision Agriculture (SPA) farmers, and students to develop and fill the gap in the educational offer to prepare farmers and agriculture's business managers of the future. The project aimed to develop and release an e-learning educational offer keeping together entrepreneurial competencies and SPA knowledge, thanks to the practical experience of SPA farmers, providers of SPA services and according to students’ needs. << Implementation >> The pilot test phase let 206 students become “agripreuners 4.0” across Partner countries. Pilot actions executed in different Countries tested the flexibility, adaptability and transferability of the developed educational outputs enabling multiplication in various cultural environments, both in the Partnership and outside. Moreover, the quality of educational outputs was cross-validated among participants of various backgrounds and geographic settings and collectively improved when necessary. << Results >> The main result of the project was the creation of a new training program for university students, agri-entrepreneurs, academics, service providers, school students in the form of an e-Learning course, in order to enhance their technical, business-oriented skills and entrepreneurial activity in a smart environment. The course was composed of 12 modules on SPA-related topics, 8 hours of entrepreneurial education, 4 hours of on-field activities. Additional training resources were also provided.