Biogas Production
Crops Management
Water Management
Energy Management
Rewarding Mechanisms
Agroforestry and Relation to Landscape
Manure Storage and Spreading
Soil Health and Biodiversity
Grassland Management
Forage Production
Herd Management
Advisors play a key role in supporting farmers in the transition towards climate-smart farming. To strengthen this role, a training programme was developed to help advisors in ClimatSmartAdvisors project build technical knowledge and facilitation skills needed to work effectively with groups of farmers and other stakeholders.
An analysis of advisors’ training needs identified four thematic (technical knowledge) priorities, which reflect the areas where they expect the greatest demand for knowledge and practical guidance when supporting farmers:
1. soil health and biodiversity,
2. crop management,
3. grassland production,
4. and mechanisms that reward climate-smart practices.
Participants also expressed interest in developing soft skills that help them work with groups and facilitate learning processes. The most important skills include motivating a group, co-constructing meeting agendas and activities, and facilitating discussions. Other relevant skills include effective communication within the group, fostering peer-to-peer learning, and delegating responsibilities among participants. They also highlighted the need for practical guidance on improving farmer–advisor relationships. They are interested in learning how to better engage farmers, address negative attitudes, and support farmers in overcoming resistance to adopting climate-smart practices.
Based on these needs, a training programme was designed combining two days of online learning with four days of in-person training. The programme provides guidance on how to set up and manage a community of practice, including selecting members, defining objectives, and monitoring progress. It also introduces facilitation methods, approaches for analysing collaboration networks, and tools for identifying and prioritising climate mitigation and adaptation practices in different production systems. In addition, the programme provides practical guidance on how advisors can organise and deliver their own training activities.
