"Food being one of three areas of production and consumption having the highest negative environmental impacts, it forms part of the European Commission’s keystone project called the European Green Deal. After decades of industrialisation, the need for more local and sustainable food systems is widely acknowledged in public policy discourse at international, EU, national, regional and local levels. Whereas the local and solidarity-based partnerships for agroecology (LSPA), among which Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is the best-known model, are increasingly recognized as an important initiative for sustainable territorial food systems, there is still a substantial gap at the policy-making levels in translating this acknowledgement into public policy objectives and bottom-up participatory and collaborative initiatives. SALSIFI aims to develop and implement an innovative transnational education programme reinforcing the capacity of CSA networks and civil servants at local, regional, national and EU levels to engage in collaborative public food policy-making processes. It will specifically look into upskilling staff in non-formal education to foster knowledge sharing; implement training to strengthen capacity building staff’s knowledge to engage in collaborative institutional processes; and to adapt the training into an innovative digital learning content for public authorities and other actors having influence on key aspects of local food initiatives (such as (green) public procurement, financing, etc.). The education and training programme will particularly target people associated with locally supported (LSPA) initiatives and CSA networks, and civil servants in local, regional, and national administrations whose work can influence the support of sustainable local food systems – engaging over 250 people in total.SALSIFI will develop a modular training programme (Output 1) addressing three themes: building a collective understanding of how to engage in institutional processes and create relevant spaces for advocacy at EU level; increasing participant understanding of how to collectively position at the local level; and sharing best practices for collaborative local policy making on sustainable food systems. The framework will be supported by a comprehensive tool kit (Output 2), and will be adapted into an innovative digital e-training content (Output 3). Cross-cutting through all outputs, a number of adult learners from the network members of the project, the Capacity Building Agents, aka ""CABBAGES"" will be engaged in training and learning activities developing their knowledge and skills to engage in collaborative food policy making processes. Modules will be specifically pilot-tested in 8 countries (E1-8), and the framework will be implemented by carrying out three training sessions addressing specific angles (C1-3). A larger event will disseminate the outcomes of the project and seek to attract future participation into the e-training content (E9). This Collaborative Training Framework is rooted in the Participatory Action approach for learning, whereby collective analysis and learning is at the core of the knowledge production, and serves to promote the active participation of participants in the issues that shape their lives. This approach is especially relevant for adult education as part of citizen action (whether as part of a citizen movement or as a consum-actor), as it affirms that experience can be a basis of knowing and that experiential learning can lead to a legitimate form of knowledge that influences practice. This reflects both the philosophy and objectives of the members of this consortium. SALSIFI will help develop a culture of international cooperation, and enhance the training capacities and skills in non-formal education of participating organisations. The implementation of the training will further lead to an increased awareness of best institutional engagement practices and relevant institutional processes in their respective countries as well as at EU level for CSA networks, and of the role of CSAs in sustainable territorial food systems for local, regional and national authorities. It will also result in the development of an e-training programme on URGENCI’s e-learning platform."

The project “Solid Base - Financial Sustainability Education for Solidarity-Based Food Systems” is a strategic partnership of five partners to design a European core training programme and disseminate it on local, national and European level. The partners are Tudatos Vásárlók Egyesülete, (coordinator, Hungary), Asociace místních potravinových iniciativ (Czech Republic), Netzwerk Solidarische Landwirtschaft (Germany), the international network, Urgenci (based in France) and Forschungsgesellschaft die Agronauten e.V. (Germany). Rural areas of the EU facing several challenges. Rural people are more at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the majority of EU Member States (Europe 2020 indicators, 2014). The Solid base project addresses these challenges with a non-formal educational programme which contributes to the long-term financial sustainability of Solidarity-based food systems (SFSs). The purpose of the project is strongly connected to the objectives Europe 2020 Strategy which emphasises smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and highlight poverty reduction as a key policy component. SFSs are a form of short food supply chains which are based on social solidarity economy (SSE). Solidarity-based economic units rest upon a model of democratic decision-making and a participatory management system. SFSs are often produce organically, they are excellent examples of climate-friendly agriculture, thus they can provide nutritious food with less ecological impact and higher social benefits. SFSs connect small-scale farmers from rural areas directly with consumers from cities through the majority of researched schemes increasing social contact between people, a sense of community, trust and co-operation.The objectives of the Solid Base educational programme are the following: 1) designing a European core training programme on SFSs in 4 modules, 2) elaborating supporting educational tools, and 3) test, evaluate and improve the core programme and used tools. To assure the dissemination partners plan to 1) build capacity of staff, trainers and multiplicators (engaged volunteers), 2) make the educational programme accessible on European level and 3) build new alliances on local and international level in order to ensure the long term sustainability of the project. Topics of Solid base were identified by the needs of the adult learners which showed that for entrepreneurial education of SFSs not only financial and management related knowledge are required, but also those transversal and soft skills which could strengthen the solidarity and community based operation (Topics of the modules: 1. Management of SFSs, 2. Financial and business planning of SFSs, 3. Digital tools for SFSs, 4. Participatory inclusion techniques).During the project an easy-to-use IT tool will be developed (O2) which provides features in budget planning and consumer management. Specific innovative education methods (e.g. peer to peer learning, hackathon) will ensure that the primary target groups of the project will be able to improve the above mentioned skills through personal and practical learning.The evaluation process showed that adult learners would be especially interested for an educational programme which provides practical entrepreneurial knowledge not only for farmers but for their consumers, who actively participate in the management of these initiatives. So the main target groups of the project are: 1) adult learners (active farmers and consumers of SFSs); 2) multiplicators (volunteers of the partner organisations who will disseminate the project results in their local networks); 3) staff and trainers of the project partners; 4) Decision-makers and experts, 5) allies and 6) general public.During the project period, 1) a modular training programme will be developed with supporting tools (Guide for trainers, IT tool and Booklet), 2) 12 test training events will be organized in 3 countries, with the participation of 160 adult learners – 40 of them will be participants with fewer opportunities; 3) 3 national and a European multiplier event will be organised. Through dissemination, partners will address allies, organise meetings with decision-makers and experts, as well as disseminate the results to the wider audience reaching 32 European countries and thousands of people (at least 400 000). Altogether, about 4000 people will benefit from the project results indirectly.The share of rural people participating in life-long learning activities remained disappointingly slow in the project countries (CZ: 10%, GE: 8%), or even declined (FR: 5,7%, HU: 2,8%) (Rural Development in the EU Statistical and Economic Information Report 2013). Our project is an opportunity for them. Stakeholders of SFSs will acquire those entrepreneurial and soft skills which are needed for the building of financially sustainable social enterprises in rural regions in Europe.

Public policies play a determinant role in shaping the future of agricultural and food systems; they can underwrite legal frameworks to mobilise societal resources in support of sustainable food systems based on small-scale food producers, agroecology, right to food and nutrition, food justice and solidarity. These outcomes are however far from assured. This makes clear that public policies are tools, not ends in and of themselves. Without proper meaningful engagement of civil society organizations to exercise their rights in the design, implementation and oversight of policies that affect them – in other words, make their voices heard – public policies will be unable to confront the challenges facing food and agriculture in the 21st century. Urgenci, as the international network of national CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) platforms, provides support, education and training on international and regional levels to its members on a range of issues pertaining to sustainable food systems. Within this context, “Voices for CSA” is a short initial project part of a longer-term movement-building effort for the CSA networks to develop and reinforce their capacity to engage in bottom-up advocacy processes across continents and policy levels. The voices project is a first step embedded in a larger plan, with a specific geographical scope EU-focused and ambitions set around education rather than policy-change (exchange of good practices to help develop and structure an education program). The project aimed at structuring and developing a capacity building program and tools for CSA networks in order to reinforce their capacity for bottom-up advocacy processes both at national and EU levels. It revolved around three main axes: to build a collective understanding of advocacy processes for the CSA movement; to increase its capacity to collectively positions or organise advocacy campaigns and; to develop clear internal processes around advocacy efforts within the network. The training program was rooted in the participatory learning approach and structured around 4 trainings, covering the 3 main themes. The first training offered an overview and first-hand experience of the global governance mechanisms related to food and agriculture in order to build the understanding of how advocacy processes take place. The second training focused on strengthening skills within the context of a network governance, to address the dimension of internal decision-making process for positioning. The third and fourth trainings centred on experience-sharing and building knowledge related to collectively organise advocacy campaigns. They anchored themselves within the EU context – namely, EU institutions and UN institutions for European level. Over 70 participants, mostly CSA members, joined these trainings, and received the honorific certification title of “CSA Advocates”. They gained skills in relation with: developing basic understanding of relevant food-related institutional structures, frameworks and actors at EU and UN level; sharing resources and knowledge on ongoing and existing relevant bottom-up advocacy process led by CSAs; enhancing skills to select and analyse an advocacy theme; providing technical knowledge on how to identify and build result-oriented alliance and networks; conducting basic strategizing and building common vision and; increasing people confidence in their skills and possibilities. The project resulted in successfully building a collective understanding of advocacy process for the CSA movement. This was validated through the collective production of a Guidelines for CSA Advocates guide available in 8 languages. Partners and participating organisations gained skills enabling their capacity to follow relevant public policy-making initiatives at national, EU and global levels. Participating organisations have been able to already use the knowledge gained in furthering their advocacy activities at the national level. It also sparkled involvement in advocacy initiatives at the EU and international level. This uptake was further achieved by and thanks to the development of clear internal processes for the CSA movement around advocacy, which enabled the articulation of joint common position around policy making and advocacy processes.

SMARTCHAIN is an ambitious, 3 year project with 43 partners from 11 European countries including key stakeholders from the domain of short food supply chain as actors in the project. The central objective is to foster and accelerate the shift towards collaborative short food supply chains and, through concrete actions and recommendations, to introduce new robust business models and innovative practical solutions that enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the European agri-food system. Using bottom-up, demand-driven research, the SMARTCHAIN consortium i) will perform a multi-perspective analysis of 18 case studies of short food supply chains in terms of technological, regulatory, social, economic and environmental factors, ii) will assess the linkages and interactions among all stakeholders involved in short food supply chains and iii) will identify the key parameters that influence sustainable food production and rural development among different regions in Europe. The project aims to establish 9 national communities of short food supply chains (Innovation and Collaboration Hubs) in different partner countries (France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, Spain and Switzerland) and a virtual innovation hub in order to facilitate stakeholder engagement, bringing farmers and consumers together in a trust-enhancing environment enabling them to generate demand driven-innovations. Combination of scientific and practical knowledge and the use of innovation workshops will enable the development of practical innovative solutions as well as the promotion of a framework for different forms of collaborative short food supply chains in urban and rural areas. SMARTCHAIN will generate concrete actions for knowledge transfer, through the organisation of multi-stakeholder workshops and training activities for farmers and short food supply chain entrepreneurs.