TOPIC 5 – Inclusion and the social dimension of sustainability: (how) are these issues acknowledged in advice and education?

Social cohesion is a the forefront of agricultural and rural policies, both in Europe (with for instance the notion of social conditionality of EU support measures), but also in other contexts. A main question is then how do advice and education deal with the diversity of populations they are expected to serve? How can it improve their working conditions?

Potential questions to be addressed

  • Inequalities:  How to integrate time gaps and heterogeneity in geographic and farming structures: How can advice learn and share customised information about transitions risks, costs and benefits, and avoid inequalities or inequities?
  • Occupational Health: how are workers’ and farmers’ health integrated into advice and education? Specific focus on occupational (exposition to pesticides, etc.) or on mental health issues
  • Workers and contractors: farm populations are changing, more workers (including migrants and precarious), more contractors, new entrants with different business models… how are they acknowledged and served by advice and education?
  • New entrants: How are new farming ( business) models (social farming, solidarity farming, cooperation among farms/ farmers, …) taken up in advisory services and education - specifically in the transition phase? What are the approaches to better link farmers and consumers in view of changing perspectives, attitudes, common understanding
  • Small farms revisited: are there new approaches to take into account small scale and part-time farmers in advisory and education
  • Gender: considering women as a specific target group - still necessary of have we move towards gender mainstreaming? How to address pratically gender issues in advice and education?