Creating an optimal learning environment

In addition to farmers’ motivation, the learning environment is the second issue to address in order to enhance the entrepreneurial skills of farmers.

In the EC’s communication paper ‘Putting knowledge into practice: A broad-based innovation strategy for the EU’ (European Commission, 2006b), recommendations are formulated with regard to how the EU could be made more innovation-friendly. Some of the aspects mentioned in this paper are also important in relation to creating an optimal learning environment for farmers’ entrepreneurial skills. The importance of the knowledge system and the regulatory environment were mentioned in particular in the workshops of the synthesis stage.

The aim of this section is to link the ideas elaborated by workshop participants in the synthesis stage with other results from the project and to use them as a starting point for elaborating recommendations for the European Commission and certain actor groups. In other words, some of these recommendations were expressed explicitly by workshop participants while others are conclusions from the project team.

In addition, we compare the conclusions of the project with the Rural Development Regulation (EC No. 1698/2005) which is the most important EC regulation regarding entrepreneurship in farming and a central attribute of the CAP reform. Thus, the analysis is focused especially on modulation from Pillar I to Pillar II and the different Axes in Pillar II. At the same time, education and research programmes are also important. Since the knowledge system (education, extension, research) offers a broader range of opportunities for action concerning fostering the development of entrepreneurial skills, this is addressed first in more detail, followed by recommendations concerning the Rural Development Regulation.

Recommendations concerning the knowledge system (education, extension, research)

In terms of creating an optimal learning environment, ideas related to the knowledge system were mentioned most often by participants of the synthesis stage workshops.

Education:

‘First and foremost, without education as a core policy, innovation will remain unsupported.’ This sentence, taken from the communication paper mentioned above (European Commission, 2006b), applies equally to entrepreneurial skills. As already pointed out, the learning of entrepreneurial skills essentially means being confronted with new ideas and different perspectives. Following Vesala & Pyysiäinen (2008), this can be achieved by experience, and by the exchange of experience in general and in a cross-sectoral context. These principles of entrepreneurial learning are also addressed in the EC’s communication paper ‘Fostering entrepreneurial mindset through education and learning’ (European Commission, 2006a). The importance of learning by doing and experiencing entrepreneurship in practice is addressed by describing actual examples of member states’ initiatives and promoting these as good examples. Furthermore, the authors of the paper emphasise the importance of communicating entrepreneurial principles at all levels of education, beginning in primary school and secondary school and vocational training, up to university level.

Some of the main findings of our project are therefore already addressed in EC policy strategies. Moreover, the view that skills have to be addressed in addition to knowledge, personality and attitudes is also clearly apparent. However, what is lacking is a clear list of specific skills and their importance for innovation and entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship education so far has focused on ‘… an individual’s ability to turn ideas into action’ (EC 2006a:4). Clearly, this programme is not aimed at the farming community, but our project can contribute nevertheless. The literature analyses of the main stage (Vesala 2008) also provide an important insight into entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills in general, not only for the farming sector. Thus, using the definition of our study it is possible to focus entrepreneurial education programmes on the most important tasks a (farming) entrepreneur should be able to do and the skills which are necessary for these tasks in order to succeed in business. Recalling the results from the pilot stage, this means the skills of finding and realising business opportunities, networking and utilising contacts, and developing and evaluating a business strategy.

However, as we have also said, these skills are complex higher level skills, which are intertwined with and based on lower level skills. Our suggestion would therefore be to work on two aspects simultaneously.

First, especially for the lower education stages, it would be useful to include lower level skills, which are part of the higher level entrepreneurial skills, into relevant curricula. This means, for example, ‘soft’ aspects such as communication training, team work, reflection skills (critical thinking), how to find necessary information, strategy planning etc. In more advanced stages, the skill training can encompass more complex tasks, such as establishing and running fictitious farms or even other nonfarming businesses or mini entreprises (as suggested by participants of the synthesis stage workshops). The important point here is that farmers have the opportunity to learn by trial and error learning.

So far, ‘normal’ agricultural education is not included in the financing schemes of the Rural Development Programme (Council Regulation (EC) No. 1698/2005). However, in our view, the project work just mentioned on establishing and running fictitious firms/farms should be considered as well. We therefore suggest amending Art. 21 concerning agricultural education in Axis 1 to include this aspect. Furthermore, if such work includes co-operation between the education systems in the different sectors (agriculture, industry, services), Art. 58 concerning education in Axis 3 should also be amended.

A second principle which should become a focus in education is the change of perspectives. One of the most oft-mentioned ideas from the experts’ workshops of the synthesis stage was the cross-sectoral exchange of experience and cross-country exchange. This could include, for example, work with sectors other than farming and exchanges with foreign countries at the early stages of vocational training. The possibility of trainee farmers working for a certain time in other industries during their apprenticeship could also be included. The main stage results revealed that the skill of networking and utilising contacts is especially important for being confronted with new perspectives. Thus, an important focus of education (and extension) is to foster contacts between farmers and between farmers and non-farming actors.

At EU level this could mean creating exchange programmes specifically for farmers (a Leonardo programme aimed at farmers or the pilot project ERASMUS for young entrepreneurs). However, farmers could also be included more effectively in existing programmes, or new programmes could be established which aim at cross-sectoral cooperation; also, more incentives could be created, such as entrepreneur competitions, and so forth.

Specific educational programmes are organised at national or even regional level. The above mentioned principles should be included in curricula for farmers’ vocational training as well as in higher education.

 At regional level, specific extension programmes would be useful which aim at encouraging the exchange of experience among farmers with similar interests - this might include establishing thematic working groups which combine different kinds of farming business. Also cooperation among farmers and between farmers and other regional actor groups could be organised at the regional level. Vertical collaboration within the supply chain and cooperation and collaboration between farmers and the non-farming population is important. Initiatives such as rural-urban initiatives, consumer-producer organisations or public-private partnerships are also of value.