Last September we started the project Resilient Farmlands: promoting education to boost ecosystem services of non-productive farmlands. This project focuses on improving the conservation of semi-natural habitats of farmlands to promote more sustainable and resilient food production.
The main objective is to build the capacity of farmers and agricultural technicians in the conservation of non-productive agricultural lands, in order to boost the implementation of the most direct and effective conservation actions.
Some of the planned tasks are:
- To make a review and compilation of bibliographic material on management measures to foster biodiversity associated with agricultural lands.
- To adapt, in an accessible and self-evaluative format, the reference material to the target audience: agricultural technicians and other key groups, such as land stewardship or rural development organizations.
- To conduct practical training for the implementation of management measures.
- To detect potential improvements in public policies for the promotion of these management measures.
The project is leaded by Fundació Emys (from Catalonia), and it involves five other organizations from five European countries or regions: Fundatia ADEPT (Romania), Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels du Languedoc-Roussillon (France), Comitato per le Oasi WWF dell’Area Fiorentina (Italy), Český Svaz Ochránců Přírody (Czech Republic) and Xarxa per a la Conservació de la Natura (Catalonia).
It is funded by the EU Erasmus+ programme, and it has a duration of 30 months.