GRASS Ceiling will develop a context where women can drive socio-ecological transitions, that is, develop innovations in response to socio-ecological challenges and strengthen the resilience of rural areas. This is essential to deliver the UN’s goals on gender parity, realise the EU gender equality strategy, and achieve the goals of the Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy, the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas and the European Pillar of Social Rights. GRASS CEILING is a multi-actor project that will increase women-led socio-ecological innovations in farming, the rural economy and in rural communities (i.e., smart-agri skills, eco-tourism, pasture led agriculture, organic cheese, energy neutral village halls, community gardens, elderly care cooperatives). Socio-ecological innovation in farming and rural areas is a developing area in Europe, and GRASS Ceiling will co-create tools to ensure women can fully participate. Our consortia include end-users (women innovators), stakeholders and researchers in case study Member States, as well as European bodies and stakeholders who can influence EU policy such as the EU Women’s Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), Copa-Cogeca (EU representatives of farmers and agri-cooperatives), The European Association for Information on Local Development (AEIDL), and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). GRASS Ceiling brings together leading academic partners with many years of experience in research and practice projects that seek to empower and support women in agriculture and rural areas throughout a variety of contexts in Europe. The project involves women-innovators on farms and in rural areas who will participate in our 9 socio-ecological women innovator living labs in 9 case study countries. Our Living Labs are practical, women-led, interactive innovation initiatives that will increase knowledge and provide tools to assist women innovators and policy and support organisations at Member State and EU level.

The project “Entrepreneurship and Community cooperatives” (EntCoM) aimed at fostering active citizenship and entrepreneurship (considering social entrepreneurship) in small or remote areas, with the support of three clear activities:1) the development and consolidation of entrepreneurial competences (knowledge, skills and attitude) in order to structure entrepreneurial initiatives under the specific framework of “community cooperatives”;2) Foster learning mobilities at EU level to answer local needs;3) contribute to the recognition and validation of such entrepreneurial competences under the ECVET, ESCO and EUROPASS framework.The project in hand aimed at recognizing the central importance of human capital, and at setting organizational and management models that encourage the participation of all citizens as “active members” of their community. At the same time, we did not overlook the financial aspect necessary to the achievement of societal objectives, which became important in the context of the resources made available by the institutions related to the community, such as municipalities. Indeed, by working together businesses can reduce costs, share risks and create new platforms for growth. Consortium co-operatives run on a shared and equal way by, and for the benefit of, their members. Members can be businesses, partnerships or individuals.At local and regional level, this project aimed at providing a realistic, practical and effective answer to address a variety of current issues that exist also at EU level, such as the economical emergency, the unemployment rate, social cohesion, the digital agenda, rural and remote territorial development. At national and EU level, the project aimed at providing a workable good practices considering the preparation of the targeted population in terms of competences, considering the recognition, transferability and gathering of the entrepreneurial competences according to the ECVET framework in order to foster the mobility and improve the employability of the targeted group represented by citizens in remote or rural areas. Mobility indeed represented a key answer to the current low rate employment context at EU level.The target group addressed by the project in hand were citizens from rural or remote area, and most particularly the “Not in Education, Employment, or Training” (NEET) population. The term NEET refers to people between 16 and 24 who are no longer in compulsory schooling and yet have not taken on employment, further education or training schemes such as apprenticeships. Immediately after are the adult learning practitioners, cooperatives (employers), and adult learning bodies in general.The project provided the following results:1) A training course (TC) comprising:- a survey and mapping report on good practices;- a curriculum;- a training guide (e-learning and residential);- a tool kit for multipliers (EntCom4M)- guidelines for in-service training.2) ECVET guidelines tool kit and recommendations encompassing:- applicable ECVET framework;- Competences list (knowledge, skill and attitude);- definition of Learning Outcomes*.- definition of Units of Learning Outcomes*.- Credit for learning outcomes (credit)* tool.- ECVET point* tool.- Assessment methodologies.- Credit transfer* tool.- Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)*.- Learning Agreement* tool.

Today, we still face many social and economic problems in many parts of the world. Unless interventions are done, the economic and social problems will be escalated like unemployment, income inequality, poverty, social exclusion. In this respect, to create a sustainable development policy, promotion and strengthening of cooperatives has seen as a viable and productive tool. Cooperatives are associations of people to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise as defined by The International Co-operative Alliance. As businesses driven by values not just profit, co-operatives share internationally agreed principles and act together to build a better world through co-operation. However, it is obvious that most of the cooperatives cannot be successful in the market because of shortcomings of entrepreneurship, marketing, branding, brand promotion and lack of effective governance structures. And there is need for developing the capacities of cooperatives. To do this, the most important mean is education and training. With this aim, the partners of the Educated Trainers, Stronger Cooperatives Project; Ankara Development Agency, Co-operative College the Italian Cooperative Federation Legacoop Puglia, and the Deutscher Genossenschafts- und Raiffeisen Verband (reg. assoc.) (DGRV) as well as Directorate of Trade, Directorate of Agriculture, Food and Livestock, Governorships of Nallıhan and Beypazarı have come together worked towards developing the six intellectual outputs of the project:•A website that brings together all stakeholders and disseminate knowledge•Training needs analysis report of cooperatives •New education plan and curricula which is tailor-made to meet the needs of the disadvantageous groups•An education toolkit and manual to guide the trainers •A best practice book and good practices video to disseminate the successful cases In 24 months period the project team and steering committee have made periodical meetings among themselves and with representatives of stakeholders and cooperatives on the field to analyze the current situation and ways of improvement. First, the website of the project has been established to present the project outputs and allow partners to announce news periodically to stakeholders. Then, the training need analysis of cooperatives report was prepared. This study has constituted the ground for developing a new education programme for cooperatives. Together with all partners new curricula and methods of education have been explored through the three learning, teaching and training activities. In Bari, Bonn and Manchester the trainers and experts have transferred knowledge on basics of cooperative training and each partner had the opportunity to learn new ways of trainings and made important contributions through the discussions. After a year of learning and training, the partners developed the new education programme. The draft toolkit then was tested with a pilot programme in Ankara. The toolkit provides information and training exercises for adult learners in the topics of basic of a cooperative, starting a cooperative, business plan, strategic planning and financial management, monitoring performance and business audits, skills for success and marketing and communication. The book successfully presents innovative tools of cooperative trainings and make easier for trainers to carry out tailor made programmes selecting appropriate topics and methods from the toolkit for their target audience. In parallel to these, partners worked on developing the best practice book and good practices videos. Through the interviews general information about selected cooperatives, their main activities, information on how they have succeeded which methods they use and how they maintained sustainability in their work and their expectations from future have been explored. The book contains 18 successful cases of cooperatives which are presented to cooperatives to inspire them in their journey. Moreover, 11 videos have been shot to disseminate the exciting stories of cooperatives and to be used as visual materials in delivering trainings for cooperatives. All the outputs have been disseminated to trainers, cooperative members, administrators and policy makers at local, national and international levels through 4 multiplier events with the participation of around 300 people as well as through other dissemination channels. The innovative tools produced and all the other activities contributed to the increase of institutional capacity of cooperatives, improved knowledge and increased awareness about the importance of the cooperatives in the public, increased capacity of cooperative trainers as well as initiation of new local development programmes in collaboration with cooperatives.

Agriculture is a key sector that is directly related to social and political structures with many sectors such as food, livestock, textile, energy, environment (soil and water resources, climate change). According to the estimates of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the current agricultural production should increase by 60% in order to meet the food demand in 2050.In order to conserve the soil, water resources and the environment that are so important for the future of societies, it is necessary to apply of TECHNIQUES OF CONSERVATİON AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE ’ and our technical personnel and farmers in the sector don’t have sufficient professional knowledge.When conservation agricultural techniques aren’t used during agricultural production and soil is much more cracked than adequate with traditional soil tillage methods, soil tillage and soil erosion occur and the amount of organic matter and water holding capacity decrease. Therefore, the structure of the soil deteriorates every year. Furthermore, every tillage brings additional costs to enterprises in terms of time, energy and labour force. In this context, sustainable agriculture is the only way to guarantee good security, to feed healthy ecosystems and to support the sustainable management of soil, water and natural resources. Although many countries and institutions in the agricultural sector have made good and successful practices on sustainable conservation techniques, there has been no change in good practices in sustainable agriculture due to the lack of a network of cooperation among countries, so there has not been enough progress. The project partners have been determined with the aim of giving place to domestic and international sector actors in the project, which provide services in different ways to agriculture, have high institutional and impact capacities, make sustainable agricultural activities, contribute to objectives of the project and respond to the needs of the project. The Consortium of our project consists of 8 organizations specialized in the field of sustainable conservation agriculture:*Germany-Deula Nienburg; specialist in international agricultural vocational training.*Belgium-European Conservation Agriculture Federation: Specialist in federation management and international activities by bringing the associations of conservation agriculture in 16 countries together. *Spain- University of Cordoba: Specialist in soil management and techniques for conservation agriculture*Italy- Lega Regionale Delle Cooperative e Mutue: Specialist in Agricultural Cooperatives. *Turkey-Konya Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry: Specialist in Agriculture training and extension.*Turkey-the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives in the Konya Karaman Region: Specialist in agricultural farmer organizations.*Turkey-KOP Regional Development Administration: Specialist in Rural Development, Agricultural Training and Extension, Financial Support Programs.*Turkey-Selcuk University Faculty of Agriculture: Specialist in agricultural vocational training and the industry of conservation agricultural machinery.Within the framework of the project, 5 Transnational Project Meetings, 3 Learning, Teaching, Training Activities and dissemination activities will be carried out. Transnational Project Meetings will be attended by 3 people from the project applicant institution and 2 from the other project partners. The participants will be managers or personnel working in their institution or having a working relationship with the institution. The technical personnel in charge of training and extension works in the agricultural sector, agricultural consultants, academicians and farmer, who are the main implementers of agriculture in the field, will participate in the Learning, Teaching, Training Activities and the total number of participants is 46. Our project aims to create a network of cooperation among countries with successful works on sustainable agriculture, to Exchange and disseminate good practices in sustainable conservation agriculture, to improve the institutional capacities of all partners at the transnational level, to contribute to the professional development of the technical personnel and farmers in the sector. Making agricultural production with techniques for sustainable conservation agriculture, conservation of natural resources such as soil, water, air and environment, reducing the impacts of the effects and causes of climate change, development of knowledge and skills about the techniques of reducing the risks involved in agricultural activities, formation of environmental awareness, profitability in agricultural production and increasing productivity and ensuring food safety are the short- and long-term expected results of our project.