EU population is projected to continue to grow older and by 2050, the world’s population will approach 10 billion (2/3 of whom will live in cities). Considering the food demand of this aging and urbanising population “Urban Agriculture”(UA) has become of great interest in finding new answers for how cities can master recent agricultural, social, economic, and ecological challenges. UA takes place in many styles, and through the involvement of many different kinds of stakeholders. Thousands of new-incomers to UA are expected, including not only agricultural students or professional farmers but also unemployed youth, social & educational bodies, environmental actors, general public (who have concerns on aforementioned issues) each of them requiring specific technical competences in UA.
A partnership from 4 Southern European countries(FR, IT, ES, TR) has come together to benefit from this emerging and innovative sector, with the following aims:
- Engineering agricultural innovations within urban systems that sustainably stimulate growth are needed to feed the future’s older and crowded population;
- Adapt agro-food education to respond to the challenges of rapid technological innovation;
- Improve public awareness on modern agriculture and food production, targeting the general understaning within the civil society of the role and complexity that UA can play on social, environmental and economic sustainability;
- Provide UA entrepreneurs, often newcomers with limited agricultural background, with appropriate skills on economic, environmental and social sustainability.
The general aim is to Contribute The EU and Its Citizens’ Lives Through Practical Vocational and Educational Training (VET) Solutions For Future “Urban-Farmers”.
Specific objectives include:
- Bringing together existing knowledge in UA
- Supporting the educational processes of agricultural students and new-incomers in UA
- Developing the teaching skills of agricultural VET actors in UA while developing VET skills of related stakeholders as regards to the innovative UA sector
- Creating a sustainable VET environment &network for of local, regional, national and European stakeholders’ interaction, exchange of ideas, experiences and good practices.
