Smart4Food

Over the next two years, our team will work to address the education and training needs of smallholders and family farms as they seek to modernise, become more sustainable, and make a positive impact on their communities. The project is set to impact sustainable countryside development, fight climate change, and tackle the unique challenges faced by Europe’s agricultural workforce.

The project strategically targets key stakeholder groups:

Target Group 1 – EU small and family farmers/smallholders

Target Group 2 – Sustainability, Farming, and Community Education Bodies

Target Group 3 – Farming and Regional Development Agencies

The overall objective is to provide leadership in communities and to equip smallholders and family farmers with skills that empower them to develop sustainable solutions for their enterprises. Educate and Innovate will build on its extensive experience in Community Building and network of members of Target Groups 2 and 3 across Europe and, through that, reach a community of users from Target Group 1.

Represented by Denise Callan, a graduate of Agribusiness and Rural Development from University College Dublin.  Denise has worked in Rural Regeneration, Tourism and Food Marketing within both the Public Sector and across major National and International brands.  She has worked with farmers, food producers, and rural NGOs to create innovative and sustainable solutions for rural communities.

The starting point for this project was a Needs Analysis conducted by project partners. Findings were clear, support was needed by smallholders and family farmers to better meet food demand and make the most of new technologies.  This study forms the basis for a strategic plan and training programme that specifically addresses the needs and competencies of smallholders.

MEI has extensive experience in the design and development of education resources for VET and Adult Education.  It has specialist expertise in the areas of Agriculture, Food Production, Rural Regeneration and Entrepreneurship.  All of these are the focus of Smart4Food and mean that Educate and Innovate plays a key role in the development of the Curriculum and Open Education Resources for the Smart4Food Innovation Training Program. 

As part of its role in Brand development and dissemination, MEI also created the project brand. A well-managed brand helps reach our broader goals of strengthening brand awareness and prominence. It also helps our target groups to easily identify with Smart4Food. The brand encapsulates the core principles and objectives by using a leaf icon with various shades of green, across sublayers, reflecting the diversity within this community, each smallholding telling its own story and a commitment to sustainability. Finally, the tagline clearly states our project purpose and target audience.

Next, MEI developed the project Communications and Dissemination Strategy.  This comprehensive strategy was closely aligned with project objectives and the most appropriate ways to reach and engage the target groups. The strategy works to create initial awareness of the project and then build to foster participation by emphasising the benefits and impact of the project (how they will benefit) from its training programme.  Key tactics include leveraging digital technologies and existing networks to build trust and to efficiently and effectively deliver the training to those who can benefit from it most.  You can keep in touch via regular updates on the project website and social media channels, as well as the regular publication of a project newsletter.

Over the course of the next two years, MEI looks forward to sharing and building on its expertise and experience and building impactful tools for smart and sustainable countryside development, fighting climate change, and tackling the unique challenges faced by Europe’s agricultural workforce.