Setting-up a capacity building programme for agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructures

For actors to play a role in supporting the agroecology (AE) transition, a certain set of skills and competences is needed. But what are those skills and competences exactly? One of the objectives of ALL-Ready is to prepare and initiate capacity building for Living Labs (LLs) and Research Infrastructures (RIs) that support agroecology transition. This process along the project consists of several steps, including the identification of core competencies for Living Labs and Research Infrastructures as well as prototyping with of an ALL-Ready capacity building programme.

Scoping capacity building: identifying core competencies for LLs and RIs in supporting agroecology transition

In a first step, the focus was on getting an overview of the core competencies that are needed, just as gaining insights into which of these core competencies are insufficiently developed within LL and RIs across Europe. During a first workshop with the ALL-Ready pilot network members, we identified five sets of competences needed:

Knowledge on agroecology research: both methodological and result-oriented knowledge on research on agroecology across Europe
Agroecology farming practices: knowledge on agroecological practices and their impact in different contexts
Knowledge on agroecology as a concept: common understanding on agroecology and key drivers of change for agroecology transition
Systems thinking and interdisciplinarity: methodological approach to address complex challenges
Co-creation: understanding main principles of living labs, skills and knowledge on co-design methods

As developing the network is ongoing, also scoping capacity building can be approached as ongoing. As more stakeholders will be consulted and involved during the project, more needs for capacity building will emerge.

Prototyping and testing capacity building

In a second step, the objective was to co-decide with the stakeholders which of these sets of competences can be selected for further prototyping and testing. Pilot network members agreed for the capacity building programme to focus solely on the level of Agroecological Living Labs and Research Infrastructures for the capacity building program and agreed on the delivery of a 3-pronged capacity building program prototype that includes:

Building a master database of training resources and materials
Creating a new training session on Systems Thinking
Developing a multi-module course on understanding co-creation and living labs
- Module 1 Set-up of LLs
- Module 2 Management of LLs
- Module 3 Co-creation and Experimentation

This capacity building programme will be tested and evaluated with the pilot network member by the end of this year.

ALL-Ready capacity building materials

ALL-Ready developed an online training course on “Understanding Living Lab Concepts and Co-creation”. The first two modules are available now.

Module 1 provided them with an overview of Living Lab Basics, Governance Models, and the Business Models of Living Labs
Module 2 focused on the Management of Living Labs
Module 3 focused on commonly used tools and methods in each phase of innovation management as well as facilitation techniques

External capacity building materials

ALL-Ready collected some useful capacity building materials created by external organisations and projects on agroecology transition. Browse through the materials below for some more information.

MOOC - Agroécologie

7-week training course in French from 27 January until 19 March 2023. Inscription open until 19 February 2023.

This course will enable students to discover what agroecology is, what the different approaches are, and how they translate into agricultural practices and the agroecological transition. In a participatory training dynamic, based on the social and geographical diversity of the actors, the MOOC proposes to build an approach to agroecology at the interface between agronomic sciences, ecology and social sciences. It alternates between theoretical contributions presented by teachers/researchers and a co-construction of knowledge in which each participant can enrich the course with his or her own observations in the field. More info.

Agroecology and the reconstruction of post COVID-19 agriculture and food system

Miguel Altieri explains in this one-hour seminar organised by Cornell University and CELIA how the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the food and land use systems, trade as well as processing and distribution systems. At the same time, it also explains how the food system of nowadays is in turn affecting the dynamics of the pandemic. Check here to access the video.

Agroecology: Farmer’s pathways to liberation from pesticides

This webinar organised by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International addresses the transition from industrial agriculture to agroecology and the results achieved. The three videos, each about an hour long, feature farmers from Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America sharing their experiences and best practices in agroecology. This proven approach to farming — grounded in principles of equity, collectivism, and food sovereignty — has enabled farmers around the world to replace dependence on highly hazardous pesticides with healthy, resilient food and farming systems that nourish their communities, ecosystems, and the planet. To access the whole webinar content, check the following link: Agroecology Webinars and Videos.

FAO eLearning academy

The FAO eLearning academy offers a wide variety of free, multilingual courses in the areas of food and nutrition security, social and economic development and sustainable management of natural resources, all supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also includes materials addressing agroecology transition and how it can be reached. For more information check the website of the FAO eLearing academy.

MOOC by LIFT Project

The LIFT project (Low-Input Farming and Territories) has the goal to identify and understand how socio-economic and policy drivers impact on the development of ecological approaches to farming and assess the performance and sustainability of such approaches, taking into account different farming systems at farm, farm-group and territorial scales. In the framework of the project a MOOC was created – it is an interactive course that allows participants to learn more about the integration of ecological approaches in agriculture. Through a dozen modules, participants can learn about the results of the project studies, discover the tools developed and exchange in a forum with other participants. The modules are independent from each other. All the courses are in English but it is possible to use the instant translation function by opening the MOOC with Google Chrome to access the translation of certain resources. The MOOC is free and accessible for an unlimited period of time but requires registration. For more information see then LIFT website.

Online course Agroecology, an introduction

The “Agroecology, an introduction” course, presented by Montpellier SupAgro academic team, is aimed at both those who are curious to learn about agroecology and those who are actively engaged in the agroecological transition. In this 6-week course a diversity of approaches to agroecology, examples of agroecosystem designs based on ecological processes, as well as the challenges of agroecological transition, are outlined. The course draws on agronomy, ecology and social sciences to develop a multidimensional perspective. As for the course dynamics, it is a participatory learning process, which relies heavily on the social and geographical diversity of the participants. Since 2015 there were several editions, for updates and more information, check the course website.