Crops Management
Biogas Production
Water Management
Rewarding Mechanisms
Energy Management
Agroforestry and Relation to Landscape
Manure Storage and Spreading
Soil Health and Biodiversity
Grassland Management
Forage Production
Herd Management
In some cases, no advisory experience is available domestically for emerging climate technologies or new legal obligations. Meaningful learning may therefore require “reaching out” to international networks before these topics can be effectively discussed and applied at national level. This practice outlines a structured approach for organising Community of Practice (CoP) training events by combining international and national expertise through existing networks.
Advisors first identify the main knowledge or advisory gap and then identify countries where the technology or regulatory requirement is already in place. International networks are used to identify suitable experts to engage with the group. Project networks, such as those within the ClimateSmartAdvisors project spanning multiple countries, are particularly valuable, as partners can be contacted directly or asked to recommend experts within their wider professional networks. Where direct expertise is not immediately available, thematic leaders whose contact details are publicly available on the ClimateSmartAdvisors website can also help identify contributors.
International experts are engaged through online sessions, providing insight into how scientific evidence on climate technologies is communicated to farmers, how legal obligations are managed in practice, and how farmer concerns are addressed. This international perspective is then contextualised to a national context (through a facilitated discussion as part of a Community of Practice (CoP) meeting, where advisors reflect on how similar developments could be addressed within local farming systems, advisory structures, and policy settings, supported by national experts.
This approach enables advisors to access international expertise to address domestic knowledge gaps and reflect on how emerging climate technologies or regulations could be applied within their national advisory and farming contexts.
This approach works best when advisors have access to active national and international networks and sufficient facilitation time to translate international experience into locally relevant actions. Online or hybrid delivery greatly facilitates engagement with international experts and keeps costs low. Clear identification of the advisory or knowledge gap at the outset helps ensure that international input is focused and relevant.
Potential challenges include limited availability of suitable international experts, time constraints within training events, and the need to adapt insights from different policy or farming contexts to local conditions. These challenges can be addressed through good facilitation and by involving national experts to support interpretation and application.
Future actions could include developing guidance on selecting and engaging international contributors and testing the approach across different climate topics.
International networks are a valuable resource for addressing emerging knowledge gaps. Learning from countries with practical experience allows advisors to prepare earlier and
support farmers more confidently when new technologies or obligations arise.
For example, within the Irish Community of Practice within ClimateSmartAdvisors, it was noted that no national advisory expertise was available on methane-reducing feed additives, as the technology is not yet used domestically. An international expert from Denmark, where these additives are mandatory on dairy farms, was therefore engaged to share practical advisory experience. This learning then informed national discussion on how such obligations might be addressed and how methane mitigation options could be supported locally.
