The principles of agroecology (HLPE, 2019), rooted in the diversity and complexity of soils, territories, and cultures, offer a concrete alternative to the current models of food production, distribution, and consumption that are unsustainable from an environmental, social, and economic perspective. Integrating these principles into vocational training programs is therefore crucial to prepare future professionals not only for the agri-food sector but also for the tourism industry, which is closely linked to local food and wine traditions.
This paradigm shift lies in recognizing that different soils, territories, and food cultures require different solutions, avoiding the application of standardized approaches such as those promoted during the Green Revolution of the 1960s. Although that period led to an increase in global food production, it also caused serious damage to ecosystems and farming communities, especially in the Global South, where phenomena like land grabbing led to the loss of local economic and productive networks.
On one side, agricultural production; on the other, consumption and eating habits. Agroecology does not separate the two but instead places both dimensions within a comprehensive, circular framework that sees producers and consumers as “allies,” rather than as actors with competing interests. Between them, however, various economic players often intervene along the supply chain, from intermediaries to large-scale retail chains, tending to harm both sides: the former, by imposing excessively high quality standards at excessively low prices, leading many small and medium-sized farms to disappear in favor of ever-larger enterprises; and the latter, by setting retail prices far above those paid to producers.
Land grabbing can be defined as the control (through ownership, lease, concession, contracts, shares, or any other form of power) of land areas larger than the local average by an individual or entity (public or private, foreign or domestic), obtained by any means (legal or illegal), with the purpose of speculation, extraction, resource control, or commodification. This process occurs at the expense of small-scale farmers, agroecology, sustainable land management, food sovereignty, and human rights (Ecoruralis, 2016. https://www.farmlandgrab.org/uploads/attachment/EcoRuralis_WhatIsLandGrabbing_2016.pdf)
The SEEDs project aims to strengthen agroecological skills among both teachers and students in vocational education and training (VET) institutions across Europe and the Western Balkans. The project was officially launched in Palermo on 11–12 March 2025.
Why SEEDs? The SEEDs project was developed to help VET teachers, and consequently their students, approach agroecology as a response to the environmental and social challenges that threaten global agri-food systems. These include biodiversity loss, soil degradation, rural depopulation, and the concentration of power in global markets for seeds, agricultural inputs (fertilizers and pesticides), and food distribution, with direct impacts on both farmers and consumers.
These and other reflections guide the SEEDs partners in developing a training program for VET teachers aimed at building the skills needed to design a participatory agroecology curriculum.
Why participatory? Because effective agroecological training requires the active involvement of professionals, farms, and local actors who understand the specific needs and characteristics of their territorial food systems. SEEDs was conceived from the beginning with this participatory approach in mind.
Achievements and next steps
In recent months, SEEDs has entered the core phase of its activities. As a foundation for developing high-quality and context-relevant training materials, the consortium carried out an analysis of existing resources, curricula, and training gaps in agroecology within each national or regional context. This was achieved through interviews with farmers, teachers, and other relevant stakeholders, resulting in the drafting of an Agroecology Manual that presents the state of the art of agroecology in each partner country and its inclusion in vocational education and training programs.
The Manual is available here.
Following the Manual, the consortium completed the Action Plan for the development of a participatory training program in agroecology, which provides teachers and trainers with a practical guide for co-developing agroecology training programs together with local stakeholders who can contribute to the value and quality of both content and methods.
With this preparatory phase now complete, the project is ready to move forward. The next step is the development of a training program for VET teachers that combines theoretical and practical knowledge of agroecology with methodological approaches to support teachers in actively engaging local actors in the co-design of training programs aligned with local needs.
One of the core principles of agroecology is participation, and SEEDs is committed to putting this principle into practice. Updates on this will follow soon.
For more information on the project, you can visit the project overview page.
About SEEDS
SEEDS – Sowing agroEcological education in the VET sector is funded by Erasmus+ programme
Partners
- CESIE ETS (Italy, Coordinator)
- Eurotraining (Greece)
- Syncnify (France)
- Albanian Network For Rural Development (Albania)
- Universum College (Kosovo)
- SSK Livno (Bosnia And Herzegovina)
- Sarajevo Meeting of Cultures (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
For further information
Contact Maika D’Angelo, marika.dangelo@cesie.org.
