AGROINCLUSION AND SPECIAL NEEDS: INTERNACIONAL WORKSHOP IN LISOV (SLOVAKIA)

Slovakia is the country where Erasmus+ Agroinclusion project partners held their 2^nd international workshop (from 26 - 30 March ‘22), with the aim of discovering different experiences related to ecological agriculture in the Lisov area, which will inspire future inclusion projects for people with special needs.

Partners from Austria, Germany, Spain, Slovakia and Portugal have participated in the international workshop organised by Lišov Múzeum, local partner, which welcomed participants in its facilities, where it offered a visit to the different exhibitions, constructions and projects, as spaces for cultural exchange, training and coexistence between people with different profiles and needs.

Inclusion through ecologic agricultural activities

Cereals, milk, wool, honey... are basic products in most of the world's territories, with forms of production as diverse as the cultures and the people who manage the crops, farms or beehives; or those who transform these raw materials into high quality products such as cheese, tapestries, flour, bread or pastries, also considering the importance of these activities to guarantee the future of rural areas and the conservation of the rich ecosystems that exist in the EU.

With this approach, the international workshop held in Slovakia, in the framework of the Erasmus+ Agroinclusion project, was developed with a programme of technical visits to projects and initiatives in the region, which showed the great potential of ecological agriculture for people with special needs, to access to new professional opportunities.

Production of cheese and butter, honey, wine… at the most local level, betting on proximity, quality and healthy products, in contact with the rich cultural and architectural heritage of the villages in the south of the Slovak region of Banská Bystrica.

Agro-inclusion of people with special needs

Building on the richness of diversity, the Erasmus+ Agroinclusion project promotes the exchange of best practices in training methods and experiences for the inclusion of people with special needs in the organic farming sector, including activities ranging from the production of raw materials to their processing and marketing.

The Agroinclusion project has a clear social focus, and is based on the principles of social farming, with proven effectiveness in improving health, quality of life, social inclusion and the development of new professional skills by people with special needs.

After the international workshop, partners participated in a project coordination meeting where they defined the next steps of the Agroinclusion project in terms of communication and dissemination of good practices and other dissemination materials, as well as the different networking and impact actions until the end of the project in August 2023.