Best Practice in "Agro_Business_Start" project

AGROBUSINESS-START

GRUNDTVIG Agreement n. 2013-1-HU1-GRU06-10307-2

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BEST PRACTICE

GRUNDTVIG LEARNING PARTNERSHIP BUSINESS_START- with the development of agricultural entrepreneurial competences 2013-1-HU1-GRU06-10307-2

Collection of Best Practices Serifo contribution

__________________________________________________________________________ Foreword In the vision of a wide effectual promotion strategy of the entrepreneurial evolution of agricultural business – as for the scopes of Business Start project- Serifo srl hereafter presents two meaningful projects that were implemented in Italy as successful tools of agricultural innovation. TAS for Agriform has a strong didactic connotation and is a valuable tool for stakeholders in professional training in the agricultural sector; while Baugiano farm is a meaningful example if how a rural area may be transformed into a modern business.

TAS for Agriform

1 Comic Strips ( didactic module)

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Index

‐ 1. Introduction

‐ 2. Background of the project

‐ 3. Aims and objectives of the project;

‐ 4. Target group of the project;

‐ 5. Process description of concrete activities and training methods implemented;

‐ 6. Innovative aspects of the projects (new products and technologies);

‐ 7. Swot Analysis (Strengths weaknesses opportunities threats)

‐ 8. Results and impact of the project; 1. Introduction This document aims to illustrate on TAS for Agriform, an innovative project designed as a tool of inclusion of difficult targets within the agricultural and rural areas in the professional training system. The project aims to improve the competitiveness of small and medium European agricultural companies, throughout an innovative training methodology tailored for farmers who tend to be marginalized from the formal educational process. The international research action of this project included Italy, France, Spain, Poland and Bulgaria, and was specific addressed to the meaningful yet misconsidered target group of adult farmers with low educational level. The document provides with a set of detailed instructions concerning:

1. Criteria on whose basis the best practices should be discerned and selected (best practices are meant as a collection of examples duly formalised through rules and procedures that can be observed, studied and transferred);

2. Strategies to be applied in order to collect and distinguish the best practices (for example, documentation to a Territorial Observatory, focused consultations with experts / stakeholders / key agents involved in a territorial system of activities and with an actual knowledge of the territory, who can orient towards some Best Practices of Farm already realised or in or that are going to be carried out.

3. Methodologies to be followed in order to identify, describe and formalise the best practices;

4. Tools to be used to detect and compare different farms.

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2. Background of the project There are several elements which make it very hard for the farmers to take part in continuous training process in life long learning perspective. It is therefore necessary to firstly focus on all those aspects in order to show the aims and the outcomes of the Leonardo project “TAS for AGRIFORM”. As with the majority of workers and adult learners, the farmers: · own knowledge and competencies have already been consolidated through practise; they tend to refer to them when facing new experiences and situations, finding it hard to change, unless they are forced to recognize their total or partial inadequacy; · are adults, who have got a structured interpretation of the world, using “meaning perspectives” that direct and control their reflection process; ‐ are learning both as individuals and as part of their practice communities, evolving

and developing through shared learning experiences. More specifically, we need to realize that the farmers: · live and work in a global set of family and territorial traditions, which strongly direct their professional experiences. · are part of an inclusive community, sharing a strong, intense connections and they are shaped from a culture which is not flexible or ready to change, unless changing itself is perceived as necessary for the survival of the community itself. The farmers’ working environment mainly consists in their family and their territory; with those, through their knowledge, their working habits and their professional practice, the farmers establish a professional and human relation, which does not simply consist of cooperation or commercial partnership. The cultivated land, the production means and the fruits of cultivation, all come from their family tradition, from their own land. The farmers work inside a network of tradition, family, territorial and professional relations: the training of farmer’s innovation and entrepreneurship needs to establish an ongoing relation among old and new knowledge, capacities and competencies, which are all necessary to re-project the farm, facing the new political and economic realities and professional development is a challenge that the professional training institutions cannot give up. The farmers firstly need to welcome the new knowledge, considering it as integration to their own past; training must accompany them in a process of re-reading and re-thinking their life experience and support them to renew their identity according to new and different standards. The TAS for AGRIFORM approach works through projecting, processing and formalising a new training methodology, which starts from the farmers' experience, from their set of knowledge, in order to find and recognise what they need to know and know how to get that. Those requirements deal about quality, traceability and trading within a prospect of entrepreneurship. The relevant setting, methodology and devices have been designed considering the actual agricultural development trends in the EU and the backgrounds of vocational training and European training policy about Lifelong Learning, which have been widely explored as a preliminary research.

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The scientific value of the TAS for AGRIFORM project products has been assured referring to the most adjourned and estimated international studies on adult education and Andragogy. An effectual working method - integrating the training process in the professional practice context – has lead to a visible increase of motivation towards change and innovation, within a wider and wider chain and territorial context. Such issue is a basic point in the whole “TAS for AGRIFORM” method; that is actually considered on a double point of view: - traceability/mapping of European agricultural context and typical farmers characteristics; here the “imprinting” is virtually traceable and is used as a litmus paper in every phase of project making and implementation of activities that are, then, effectively aimed to address the real needs of the farmers; - traceability and formalisation of the knowledge and competencies that the farmers have acquired in their everyday professional practice; that works as a reference for the introduction of new knowledge and competencies; those new knowledge and competencies will be applied in the work as a response to the new critical inputs, which are not fully satisfied by the traditional approaching strategies. Strategy Our working group has developed an active method that is strategically oriented to define and acknowledge the farmers as active players within a global dimension; the farmers need now to learn and recognize the proper working strategies, both inside and outside their farm, in order to be able to work as a real entrepreneur. · Professional sector strategy: contextualization of project and training content considering 1) the work sector 2) the new knowledge and competencies that the farmers needed to act in the new particular scenarios. · Training strategy: a reflection, according to the principles and sources of Andragogy, about the learning methods of typical farmers (considered as adult, low educated, unused to formal learning) has worked as a guideline for TAS methodology, for action plan development, for the training contents and also the didactical materials. · Experimental strategy: TAS project is an experimental research workshop; it has been coordinated by a strategy of action strongly oriented to the professional practice, considered both as professional and target groups, in an experimental but replicable context. Formation: is intended as 1. an act of forming (structuring) or process of being formed (getting structured); 2. what is formed, especially according to specific characteristics.

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The ongoing debate - within educational sciences and Andragogy - about adult education has again -since the nineties - brought up this issue to the general attention. Formation is now considered not only as the process of acquisition and development of new skills and professional competencies, but as the process through which the people “get formed” according to what they experience and learn from life, in a progression towards the full expression and development of their potentialities. Formation is not just a learning activity focused on one single ability or competence. That is the reason why the word formation was chosen for the acronym, rather than training; that reflects a semantic connotation about the learning process: the participant is involved in developing real and definite professional competencies in accordance to a specific learning demand. Agriculture This is the background from which TAS comes and with which we have interacted in all the working phases. A training methodology cannot exist without referring to its original background and target; those main elements have actually been analysed from the very beginning of the project focused on various research activities which outcomes have led the designing and experimentation actions of the TAS Methodology. 3. Aims and objectives Tas for Agriform means ‘Traceability As Strategy for Agricultural Formation’ and comes up as a participative research action which is aimed to experiment and validate a new effectual methodology of training, addressed to the particular difficult target of agricultural entrepreneurs being over 50 years old, having a low educational level and experiencing difficulties in learning in formal contexts. Such target was defined after a scenario and context analysis (run throughout local visits to farms and agricultural companies and interviews to selected individuals involved in the agricultural sector) and a relevant dissemination action, run by contact-making actions, and by an awareness raising campaign directed to agricultural companies. The newly designed training method comes up as an effectual strategy to improve the competitiveness of small and medium agricultural enterprises in Europe The development plan has followed a participatory action research framework on the basis of a preliminary context/ scenario analysis and on the identification of learning characteristics/motivations/ needs of the farmers, through:

‐ Interviews to Vocational Trainer in the agro-sector – and Vocational Trainer experts privileged witnesses;

‐ Motivational semi-structured interviews among farmers/entrepreneurs working in different EU regional contexts;

‐ Collection of professional practise narratives ( script). A main limit for professional approach is the lack of competencies on business management/ marketing and trade/ quality/ traceability.

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Those agricultural entrepreneurs feel the need for professional development, new qualifications for their competencies, but their innovation push gets weakened because of the difficulties in:

‐ acknowledging and practically explicating their training needs, which are kept tacit and therefore unsatisfied;

‐ getting back to their formal training because of their lack of minimal access requirements, usually referred to mid-high level knowledge / competences;

‐ Formalising knowledge/competencies acquired in a work environment to improve the integration with new knowledge contents.

TAS for Agriform tried to overcome these obstacles taking into account two conditions: the training has to provide a 'return on investments' with concrete results, in order to be considered by trainees as a priority, and it has to allow the conciliation with their professional constraints. The project was declined in several objectives: - the development of innovative approaches that are beyond the scope of existing mainstream learning methodologies and specifically meet the needs of the agri-entrepreneurs. - The creation of a training model focused on the peculiar characteristics of agri-entrepreneurs and taking into account their social status, working conditions, skills in production techniques/quality/marketing/general business management. - Agri-Entrepreneurs skills improvement; - Identify the teaching guidelines to be applied during the testing phase. - Testing with a focus group of Agri-entrepreneurs in Italy/France/Spain/Poland/Bulgaria. 4. Target groups The farmer comes to play new and different functions: · production of foods and fibres; · safeguard of environment and landscape; · safeguard of rural tourism; · farm management according to an entrepreneurial perspective; · warranty for the quality of products; · attention to market; · traceability of production; · management of the post-production phases. Any other occupation requires the practitioner to have such a broad range of abilities (Eugène Leguen de Lacroix, General Bureau for Agriculture and Rural Development of European Community) that may be distributed on four general threads. 1· Business Management: business reality is changing; a farm is not only a simple producing company: its functions are evolving. The farmers are not longer only producers: they need to become managers, so to run, coordinate, plan the activities of production and support and integrate the farm in the local rural environment referring to a system of production coordination and local development.

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2· Marketing & Trading: the freedom given to the farmer to choose what he/she wants to produce, also establishing the quantity, without fully depending on EU grants, becomes a responsibility; the success of the farm depends essentially by farmer’s capacity to know how to: 1) read and interpret the market demand; 2) establish relations with the other involved actors; 3) manage not only ex ante and productive phases but also the post production one (processing, conditioning, packaging, logistic, distribution, etc...); The farmer needs to learn how to face the market, to get acquainted with its logics, anticipating its evolution and managing all variables. 3. Safety and food quality: the new production and trading scenery, as analysed by CAP, require the promotion of those products which are made according to measures of quality control and risk prevention about contamination or pollution, as required by the trading policy, inside a more and more complex and competitive environment. A high attention is given not only to the production of safe food but to a really strategic asset of business process, granting respect of the ethical principles of environment and rural landscape, safeguard and care about health of the final consumers. The agricultural production will have to be run according to criteria and standards of adequacy, flexibility, sustainability, respecting both the needs of market and the environmental local resources – which represent its main characteristic elements. 4. Traceability: the agricultural thread gives “space to techniques”, “space to relationships” and “space to strategies”; the farmers need to interact in such an open system of relations. They are called to run the process and its traceability as managers, considering the agricultural production as a whole ongoing process, from the field to the table. Farmers are business people; their activities today are characterized by a higher complexity and require new roles and new competencies, which are necessary for making new profit in the sector, through an environmental market oriented policy. An agriculture that does not get a really meaningful income leads the farmers to leave their activities without being replaced by younger generations, who are not attracted by such a choice. In a way it is well known that the public incentives on “turnover” work for the entrance of new generations in the agricultural activities, but its indeed easily understandable that no one will be disposed to inherit a patrimony with no growth perspective. On these premises the work of TAS for AGRIFORM has established and identified a target of agricultural entrepreneurs who picture the actual reality of a great part of European Union; these are their main elements: · Over fifty; · Low education level; · Lack of or low training in business. These adult farmers will have to learn and get acquainted with the new scenarios.

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5. Process description

The preliminary research made on the actual training strategies revealed the utter disregard of the specific target of TAS for Agriform in the actual training actions. The project work was therefore oriented to the most innovative scientific contributions of Andragogy, which were analysed in a life long learning perspective; from Andragogy and Pedagogy the project acquired significant data and parameters on the modalities of adult learners, on the motivational push and the most appropriate approach. The training setting itself was perceived in an innovative perspective. Search data on VET and on EU Lifelong Learning practices have shown that adults tend to avoid formal training settings and learn better in informal contexts, as meeting places that are familiar to farmers and easy to reach when they do not work. The training was therefore implemented in non formal settings, in a professional practice context, as the agricultural enterprises. The training sessions were held during the evening, in a two hour time. In the implementation of the project the learning process was enrolled in the following methodology: - Work sessions in focus group starting from stimulating materials presented as narratives; - Work in small groups (max 10 people) with the intervention of trainers and experts playing different and complimentary roles; - Use of route of questions in order to support a search process starting from a challenging situation; - Integration of informal knowledge and formalised knowledge on a specific focus. As a part of the process the new professional profile of consultant- trainer was established, to be characterised by the following knowledge and competences:

-Knowledge of the contents (enterprise management, production techniques, marketing, production quality); - Knowledge of the territory and of its development problems; - Knowledge of enterprises and of their problems; - Knowledge and use of a language adequate to communicate with farmers; - Balance and certification of competences to accompany learning processes; - Animation skils; - Training groups management

The role of the trainer was declined in the: - Facilitation of problem finding and problem solving pathways from stimulating situations; - Facilitation of guided reflection pathways on professional knowledge starting from stimulating situations; - Introduction of new knowledge and support in its acquisition and use; - Facilitation to the acquisition and use of new competences.

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The learning materials were prepared with great attention, as fully responding to the following characteristics:

- Easy to be understand; - Simple language; - Supported by pictures and comic strips to allow a better understanding of text; - - Eliciting identification process of learning subjects; - Presenting familiar situations and problems - Presenting problems clearly to identify and define; - Presenting situations showing clearly the lack of specific knowledge and competences.

The training procedures are modulated by specific steps. I- Presentation of a stimulating situation, showing that the lack of specific knowledge and competences does not allow to efficiently face a problematic situation; II- Analysis and discussion of the case, focusing on the problem to solve, on the possible solutions and on needed knowledge and competences; III- Introduction of new elements of information and knowledge from the consultant/trainer; IV- Identification of some possible solutions to the problem, by using both ideas and knowledge from professionals and the new information and knowledge from the consultant/trainers; V- Discussion on the validity and effectiveness of proposed solutions; IV- Acknowledgement and formalisation of new sector knowledge and competences The procedures for the assessment were applied

- On the process, since each session was evaluated considering if it allowed to develop new learning and to implement entry knowledge and competences according to previous sessions; - On the product, considering if new knowledge and competences were effectively acquired by the user at the end of each learning lessons and, on the long term, used in professional practice contexts.

The focus was actually given to: a. Evaluation/ validation of users learning from trainer and consultant / agronomist. b. Evaluation of training approach from users c. Operational proposal on the methodology from consultant / trainer and trainer after the experimentation. The particular triangulation of the points of view of experts, trainers and entrepreneurs was a key strategy in the assessment procedures.

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6. Innovative aspects After a specific analysis of the training needs and challenges within the international target group, TAS for Agriform produced an effectual innovative training method based on a non formal professional approach. The innovation of TAS for Agriform training methodology is based on the real involvement of the farmers, aiming to acknowledge their needs facing the evolution of agricultural economy, specifically concerning the areas of quality, traceability, trading. The farmers were trained to innovation and entrepreneurship, connecting their valuable traditional legacy to the new needed knowledge; such professional adjournment has come up was a successful tool for facing the global market. The valuable training methodology was specifically tailored to its particular target, with the following characteristics:

‐ Originality; ‐ Innovation; ‐ Easy to be transferred; ‐ Free from of formalised and formal learning materials; ‐ Applicable in diverse practice contexts; ‐ Learning users are active protagonists - individual contributions and social

interaction are promoted as tool to build up together the knowledge; ‐ Introduction of a new profile of trainer ( the consultant/trainer); ‐ Construction of learning pathways for specific sector knowledge and competences; ‐ New types of learning and assessment materials.

2 Example of module Quality (Poland)

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The methodology, setting and work tools have been designed within a Lifelong learning perspective, after high professional contributions of international Pedagogical research, considering the actual trends of agricultural development in Europe and the motivational strategies to successfully involve the target groups in the training process. Within such strategy, TAS for Agriform framework figures the implementation of three fundamental didactic-methodological tools:

- Development and consolidation of new knowledge and competences, based on the critical analysis of meaningful experience and of the daily professional practise, with the detection of the problems to face and solve, the practises to correct and implement, the knowledge and competences to restructure and develop throughout the exchange with the professionals and experts.

- Comic strips, picturing episodes taken from daily work activities, as tools to

capture attention of the learners and implement the reflection process and stimulate learning.

- Discussions in focus groups, supported by an expert consultant / trainer, who

is able to activate reflection pathways on the base of stimulating situations.

7. Swot Analysis (Strengths weaknesses opportunities threats) Taking for granted that our target group is better disposed to professional training according to a non formal approach, it is now necessary to focus our attention on the most common settings and methodologies in Europe, highlighting the strong and weak points, gaining some work indications or, at least, confirm the project premises. A particular focus is given to some strategic elements within the scenario of lifelong learning:

‐ development of a training vision as subject oriented, following people’s story, characteristics, needs, resources, etc;

‐ development and implementation of orientation, self guidance and counselling practises with the consequent identification of (specifically formed) agencies and actors responsible for enhancing actions directed to specific targets (individuals and groups);

‐ development and implementation of self directed learning and evaluation practices;

‐ strong investment on vocational training of guidance profiles (tutors, mentors); ‐ strong investment on vocational training for trainers for the promotion of working

methods which effectually respond to the audience’s needs and characteristics; ‐ intensive and wide use of active participated training approaches and consistent

training work methods (group work, simulations, case studies, role plays, business simulations, brainstorming, active formation, reflection sessions) ;

‐ promotion of informatics technology supporting the ongoing formation with relevant training actions.

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In this way there is a certain attention to methodology and practice to be personally oriented; on the other hand the attention goes to the profiles who are able to run and coordinate such approach, combining competencies on guidance, training, tutoring, coaching and mentoring. Briefly, the strong points of actual strategies and methodologies used in the field of training for adult learners for the adult may be summarized:

‐ personalization and negotiation of learning aims (consisting in a preliminary research phase and detection of the acquired knowledge and competencies) ;

‐ focus on competencies as learning purpose; ‐ modular and flexible structure for training curricula; ‐ participation of a “mentor” or tutor providing coaching and tutoring action within

the training project; ‐ active and critical role given to the participant in the training process, as a co-

builder, working with other actors devoted to counselling, guidance, mentoring, tutoring;

‐ valuation of non formal training settings; ‐ valuation of the training actions that are directly run on the working spot; ‐ valuation of non formal training practises, which are characterized by a relevant

adaptation to the audience needs, to their learning times and rhythms, and leading to multiple forms of learning.

Our research has then been devoted to another focus: the individuation of the settings, strategies and methodologies of intervention, which are mostly used for our target. The given data have confirmed what had already been stated by stakeholders; those actually revealed the short duration of such actions and their specific aim of providing technical competencies for a particular working area through short courses, seminars, workshop, etc. Basically the training approach for our target often becomes just technical assistance, agricultural divulgation, with learning activities that are concentrated to specific information, notions, competencies, about problems on production, without any mid-long term planning. The few activities of technical assistance would need to be revised to accomplish the main tasks of a real training approach; such revision needs to focus on

‐ firstly, the farmers’ needs, anticipating and clarifying those in accordance to the land background;

‐ secondly, the need to get over the training – accompaniment system, which is highly unbalanced towards the production techniques mastering, with detriment of the market and trading functions;

‐ thirdly, the importance to address the training to the acquisition and development of operational and transversal competencies.

The weakness points of experimental settings in Europe need a further implementation on the areas identified, concerning the conditions to apply and to transfer it with a specific focus on:

‐ settings: outcomes coming from different experimented models have shown that it is necessary a careful calibration of sessions' times, of their schedule, of the overall duration of training pathways on needs and characteristics of target users;

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‐ the contextualisation: it seems useful to develop an introductory resource to the methodology considering that it is very different compared to usual training, information and divulgation approaches which target users are accustomed.

‐ Trainers’ training: it has been turned out necessary that learning sessions are facilitated and monitored by a profile adequately trained to apply the methodology.

8. Results and impact of the project

Development perspectives of the TAS for AGRIFORM methodology follow different directions: · implementation of the methodology in order to draw up a protocol that could be transferred to different sectors of the lifelong training in non formal contexts also considering different context configurations. · implementation of settings and didactical materials in order to make them more and more interactive and able to address needs and characteristics of the target audience, considering also indications and critical points coming from the experimentation. · Insertion of the training pack (curriculum – methodology – toolbox) within the framework of available continuous training repertories at local and national level in different countries in the EU. · Training of professional profiles and development of curriculum and tailored training devices in order to introduce a new profile with competences that allow him/her to interact with the target audience of the TAS for AGRIFORM project but also with other target audiences who are equally difficult and diffident to the training. · Dissemination and divulgation of the methodology and collection of feedbacks on its impact in different sectors. · Transferring and adaptation of the methodology to other contexts of professional development on the basis of the feedbacks collected.

3 Module Marketing ( Italy)

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II – Oasi Agrituristica Baugiano

4- Baugiano Farm

Index

1. Introduction

2. Aims and objectives

3. Target groups

4. Background of the project

5. Process description

6. Innovative aspects

7. Results

1. Introduction Oasi Agrituristica Baugiano is a century old farm located in Quarrata, in the rural area of Montalbano, in Tuscany. The site recently evolved from a traditional agricultural farm into an active centre devoted to Agri-tourism, educational, artistic, cultural and training activities, and even animation and entertainment. Baugiano is to be considered a brilliant example of agricultural business, which combines the traditional agricultural productions with a wide offer of multifunctional activities. In 2012 Baugiano won the national prize of the Ministery of Agricultural and Forest Policy, ‘De@terra’ In 2013 it was selected as one of the four Best Practises for the promotion of European agricultural reform PAC as an excellent sustainable family farm. The project started in 1999, after the initiative of young entrepreneurship. Hereafter a set of relevant information on Baugiano will be provided concerning:

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2. Aims and objectives Baugiano intended to evolve from a traditional farm into a modern Agri-tourism activity, combining different aspects. - Safeguarding and promoting its organic and biodynamic production; - Differentiating its offer in a multifunctional dimension; - Welcoming a wide audience to the farm; - Developing a meaningful cultural and environmental profile; - Implementing activities that are particularly addressed to children. Such transition looked forward to the wide scopes of safeguarding organic agriculture, raising environmental consciousness and educating new generations to the respect and appreciation of natural life. A wide project has indeed been implemented. 3. Target groups

5- Guests 6- Guests

Oasi Agrituristica Baugiano is open to a wide audience, welcoming the public as an appealing tourist site, offering organic food and meals and accommodation. Baugiano is indeed the provider of an open range of cultural, didactic and entertainment services. The specific audience of Baugiano cultural activities are actually school children and teenagers. A wide original offer has been set up for them. 4. Background of the project Baugiano farm is located in the alluring rural area of Montalbano, on a 13 hectare wide land. The inhabitancy of the local area dates back to the Neolithic era, as witnessed by the prehistoric ruins that are still visible nowadays. The agricultural site dates back to the sixteenth century, with the organic cultivation of typical olive trees and diverse vegetable gardens; a small livestock has also long been held, as for a rural family use. In the eighteenth century an inn was opened on the site, with a catering definitely based on local production.

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In 1999 the hard conjunctures of European economy were particularly affecting the small agricultural companies; the farm endurance was somehow at risk. Baugiano management decided to face the challenge, allowing the evolution of this traditional farm into a multifunctional company, proving an innovative offer of products and activities. 5. Process description Without giving up its organic agricultural dimension, in Baugiano new provisions were set up, so to create a multifunctional site with an open wide offer. The original base of the farm production consists in cultivation of olive trees, chestnuts and a wide vegetable garden. The farm produces and transforms for the retailing to ‘Campagna Amica’ markets (network of Coldiretti agricultural association). Baugiano is organic with Bioagricert certification; because of the small amount of the production, the single products however are not certified, not to increase their final costs for the customers. The livestock includes sheep, goats, cows, horses, donkeys, pigs, rabbits, chickens. The farm products are retailed to the public at the internal shop and restaurant. In a wide renovation project, the whole farm installations have been open to the public, and made usable and enjoyable. The old buildings have been restored; a small hotel has been open to accommodate up to 19 people.

7- Pre-Historycal 8- Pre-historycal Within the farm, five thematic areas were installed, in order to welcome children and teenagers, get them in real touch with the rural world and raise their environmental consciousness. The areas are: Agrizoo, a path were to get in direct touch with the farm animals; Il bosco dei folletti, the wood of elves, a site dedicated to theatre and storytelling on old legends of the wood; Preistorica, the Neolithic site which gives children the chance to experiment archaeology;

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9 Vegetable land 10 Dairy production Ortolandia, the vegetable garden intensely devoted to a wide range of cultivations, Il giardino dei profumi, the garden showing its full abundance of flowers, herbs and plants. Baugiano is nowadays not only an area open to visits, but it offers interactive experiences, specifically addressed to children and teenagers. Non formal education has become the main mission of the farm. Many activities are focused on food, with eight specific experiences to go thorough. ‘Milky way’. An amusing theatre presentation is performed on the origins of stock raising and on the dairy process; thereafter children are guided to make cheese out of fresh milk. ‘Bread stories’. The birth of agriculture is illustrated; children together prepare and paste bread throughout the whole phases of the process; they finally eat together and carry their own loaf home. ‘Beehive theatre’. Children are guided to visit the beehive, get to know the world of bees and directly perform the different roles. After the interactive visit it comes the taste of different kinds of honey. ‘Vegetable Land’. A visit to the bio-dynamic vegetable garden is followed by an active work of seeding, planting, harvesting. The vegetables are soon used to prepare fresh meals. Other activities are focused of environmental themes. In ‘Agrizoo’, ‘The wood of elves’, ‘The day f senses’ and ’I-Tree,’ children get in touch with the different aspects of nature; the diversity of the rural world is promoted and participants are involved into creative activities. The historical and archaeological themes are also considered, since in the site Preistoria, workshops on archaeology are successfully run, where participants are invited to discover ruins and finds, getting involved in the lifestyles of ancient times.

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6. Innovative aspects

Baugiano is a brilliant example of the positive evolution of a traditional agricultural farm, devoted to agriculture and breeding, into a multifunctional business, with a strong cultural and educational dimension, an original didactic offer and a full involvement in the environmental themes. The farm cultivations and breeding have been the starting point of a creative approach; communication has been implemented as the key strategy to transform the farm into a rural park for children. The attractions of Baugiano are not fairground attractions, but meaningful lively contents of the rural world. The products of traditional heritage, as honey, bread, cheese, organic cultivations, are shown within a different light and promoted as a precious – even magical - resource. Baugiano has set up a valuable interactive program of guided tours, theatre, workshops, role-playing.

11 Interactive didactics 12 Theatre activities The structure may work as a reference for many other farms, which are usually isolated in their production asset and do not manage to properly open to the public. Baugiano has well interpreted the actual trend which considers tourism as an involving experience. Moreover the farm implements social business, cooperating with the local health services and welcoming disable people into a specific educational program.

13 Innovative Work shop ( biscuits, pasta, vegetables)

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7. Results Oasi Naturalistica Baugiano is a successful business, providing a wide interesting offer, particularly tailored to a young audience. Baugiano has been acknowledged as a model of multifunctional business and received several official awards. In 2009 it won the National Prize ‘Oscar Green Coldiretti’ for the local development. In 2010 it was inserted in the national archives ‘Genius Loci’ as one of the twelve cases of good practise in the national economy. In 2011 it won the European prize ‘Copa-Cogeac for the female based innovation in agriculture In 2012 Baugiano won the national prize of the Ministry of Agricultural and Forest Policy, ‘De@terra’. In 2013 it was selected as one of the four Best Practises for the promotion of the PAC, European agricultural reform; it was therefore presented as an excellent sustainable family farm at Brussels exhibition in 2014. In 2014 it won ‘Terre Fiorenti’, the price awarded by the Province of Florence for the agricultural sustainability. The appreciation of the audience has also been a constant acknowledgment, leading Baugiano to its full deserved success.

14 Children Audience at work 15 Children learning on the field

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Best Practice in "Agro_Business_Start" project