Crops Management
Biogas Production
Water Management
Rewarding Mechanisms
Energy Management
Agroforestry and Relation to Landscape
Manure Storage and Spreading
Soil Health and Biodiversity
Forage Production
Grassland Management
Herd Management
Training events, one of the approaches used through the ClimateSmartAdvisors (CSA) project to build advisors’ capacity, provide an opportunity for advisors to identify and develop their technical knowledge and skills. Training should be bespoke, favoring an interactive, peer-led approach, using specialist speakers and/or trainers to deliver training on key topics of interest to support delivery and implementation of climate smart advice.
Training events could be used to build skills around:
• a technical topic, e.g. use of biochar or cover crop establishment
• practical use of a tool, e.g. a farm carbon calculator or Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS)
• softer skills, e.g. communication or dissemination of climate smart techniques or meeting facilitation.
Ideas to build technical capacity or skills through training events could include:
• Facilitation skills – can you guide and engage farmers to consider adopting climate smart farming techniques?
• Communication skills – how do you effectively engage with other advisers and farmers to share knowledge and help deliver change?
• New technical knowledge – are there new developments or products which could benefit farm climate change mitigation or adaptation?
• Financial literacy – help to build a business case for a change in practice to support climate resilience at the farm level?
• “Hot topics” – what challenges are being faced by your agricultural community; what skills do you need to help them adapt?
• Policy drivers – are farmers going to be asked to make changes due to new policy? Is additional knowledge needed to support this transition?
There are a range of capacity-building opportunities and events available through other providers once additional training needs, support and/or skills have been identified. The CSA network connects technical specialists across Europe and partner countries, giving an excellent opportunity to identify new speakers or trainers within your chosen specialism.
• Taking a co-design approach to your training event could help you meet your group’s needs more effectively.
• It’s widely acknowledged that people have different learning preferences (what people like) and strategies (effective ways to learn). Active learning, engaging participants through discussion, problem-solving, and projects are considered far more effective for long-term retention and developing critical thinking, rather than passive learning (lectures). Discuss with your trainer how they will deliver training in a way that suits your group and achieves your learning outcomes. This could be classroom based with exercises, or through demonstration or ‘hands on’ activities at a farm or research facility
• To show that your training has been effective, and/or identify improvements for future training delivery, you will need to have a way to document and evaluate your training experience. What would you change next time?
• Following the training, identify ways you can put your new skills or knowledge into action. This will help you consolidate knowledge, build on your training and identify any gaps that could be built into future training events.
• Use your networks! From farmers to advisors to technical specialists, there are a host of talented and knowledgeable people working in the climate and agriculture space. Reach out, see what others have done and how they can help you build your knowledge and network, both individually and as part of a wider training group.
