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Old Jobs and New Jobs
Old Jobs and New Jobs
Start date: Sep 1, 2014,
End date: Aug 31, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
Industrial agriculture dominates the majority of food production, which basically relies on the system of chemically intensive food production by enormous single-crop farms and animal production facilities. The priority of such massive food production is understandable, thus decreasing the world hunger and providing enough food for every human being on the planet.
However the impacts of such food production on the environment can not and mustn't be overlooked or diminished. It has been established by the experts that the impacts of such industrial agriculture not only affect public health and the environment in general, but also ruin the soil, water and even affect the climate.
On the other hand, the schools involved in the project are located in economically disadvantaged rural regions with a high rate of unemployment, social problems and with a few students with little motivation to school activities. However our regions have plenty of natural indigenous resources that may be used for a sustainable and resilient local development.
This project is intended to develop entrepreneurship among the students while encouraging them to know their local resources through organic farming and tourism, pursuing the following objectives:
- to promote scientific knowledge about the processes and products, by finding out about the most adaptable varieties of onions and grow the same variety as a common experiment to the five countries, finding out about local endogenous plants to replicate/grow as an agriculture item, such as herbs for tea, medicine herbal products, herb salt, grow vegetables in an organic way, so that agriculture can be environmentally and economically sustainable, supported by scientific institutions, rural associations and companies;
- to promote the recovery of the oldest professions by promoting adding value to products, such as, herb salt, teas, honey with herbs, rye bread with herbs and cheese with herbs, supported by rural associations and companies; marketing; packing contests, and distribution into the market supported by companies;
- to promote the exchange of knowledge professions, processes and products of the regions of the schools involved, by enhancing ICT and English skills – emails, skype, blog, emagazine,a recipe booklet and visits to other countries;
- to promote social inclusion, by motivating the students with more practical activities with a high level of participation of the local community;
- to promote multiculturalism, by exchanging cultural and scientific data among the different countries;
- to promote the potential of job creation, by providing students with scientific and entrepreneurial skills regarding agriculture related jobs ;
- to promote critical capability for future viability of professions, by providing students the sense of self esteem, accomplishment and a good degree of assertiveness.
In this project 894 students from 6 to 15 years old , 63 teachers (Agriculture, English, Science/Biology, Chemistry, ICT, Arts and Crafts, Special Education and Tourism), technical staff (14 people) will participate.
To carry out the project, the methodology is intended as student-centered, regarding a scientific approach, consisting of definition of the problem; collection of data; observation: watching, reading, and listening/speaking; experimenting: preparation of the soil, sowing, harvesting, observation of results and interpretation of the results.
Along the project, the students will also take part in cultural events related to agriculture and entrepreneurship, such as lectures, tradition revisited events, show cookings, training activities, field trips and exchange of information among schools, with the involvement of the whole school into the project, (especially the children with learning disabilities) as well as the teachers, experts and the local community.
It is expected that students will learn how to use and produce agricultural products in a scientific, organic e sustainable way and transform them into assets, complementing different activities: collecting/sowing/harvesting, transforming and marketing, so that related agriculture jobs may emerge as real career opportunities.
Finally it is intended that students learn to know their region more deeply, namely its weak and strong points, to explore, at a scientific level, natural resources connected with biological agriculture, to develop entrepreneurial solutions to the region, to get aware of the reality of other countries and moreover to get skills to create the conditions for their future employment.