project - Research and innovation

PLAID Peer-to-Peer learning:accessing innovation through demonstration
PLAID Peer-to-Peer learning:accessing innovation through demonstration

Ongoing | 2017 - 2019 Other, United Kingdom
Ongoing | 2017 - 2019 Other, United Kingdom
Derzeit wird der Seiteninhalt nach Möglichkeit in der Muttersprache angezeigt

Objectives

The project has been designed to encourage farmers and farm employees to embrace innovations in agriculture, leading to a greater sustainability of European Agriculture, by accessing high quality demonstration activities on commercial farms. Demonstration activities may also contribute to network building in agriculture communities, leading to longer term sustainability and economic development in rural areas. However little has been documented on agriculture demonstration activities in European countries and the lack of an inventory or on-line resources have been identified.

Objectives

See objectives in English

Activities

PLAID will collaborate with its sister project AgriDemo, to create on-line resources including an inventory of demonstration activities in the EU 28, Switzerland, Serbia and Norway. The inventory will be stored in the FarmDemo hub, which will be linked to a georeferenced searchable map. PLAID will use case studies to follow demonstration activities from conception to impact assessment, leading to identification of best practices and innovative approaches. Additionally PLAID will develop ‘virtual’ (on-line) demonstration approaches with commercial farmers. The project findings will be integrated to produce overall recommendations, best practice guidelines and tools for target audiences.

Activities

see the description of project activities in English

Kontext

The proposal is a response to the RUR-11-2016 call “On-farm demonstrations: deepening farmer-to-farmer learning mechanisms”, which responds to the challenge of “improving the sustainability of European farming systems and facilitating their transition”. The call specifically identifies the disconnection between innovative research and up-take by farmers, and the problem of communicating tacit knowledge beyond its local origin. PLAID will enable researchers to communicate more effectively with a wide range of farmers by working with researchers, farmers, advisors and other stakeholders to co-develop best practice guidelines and indicators. These will be made easily accessible through targeted decision-support tools. PLAID will also enable the communication of tacit knowledge between European regions through the development of virtual (on-line) demonstration activities on commercial farms, targeted training for case study participants, and an ambitious dissemination plan. A key challenge in responding to the call will be to identify and unravel the diverse approaches to demonstration across Europe, and assess their utility. The proposed method is a progression of the approach adopted in the successful PRO AKIS FP7 project, in which an inventory of agricultural advisory services in the then EU 27 was undertaken. https://plaid-h2020.hutton.ac.uk/ http//:farmdemo.eu https://plaid-h2020.hutton.ac.uk/overview-videos

Project details
Main funding source
Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Horizon Project Type
Multi-actor project
Ort
Main geographical location
Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire

€ 1960017.5

Total budget

Total contributions including EU funding.

Ressourcen

Derzeit wird der Seiteninhalt nach Möglichkeit in der Muttersprache angezeigt

55 Practice Abstracts

The main messages attendees take away from demonstration events include learning more about a specific approach or practice, gaining more general knowledge and hearing experiences from the host farmer and other attendees through networking.

Attendees to demonstration events are likely to be people who are already engaged and tend to be the new or early adopters of innovations. Demonstration events do not cover all learning styles but focus more on visual, verbal and physical learning styles which may influence who attends. Likewise, location, season and timings will influence attendance to the demonstration event.

Demonstration events are able to influence the uptake of novel innovations by demonstrating on-farm best practice, providing context to an approach and showing an approach in action. Combining demonstration events with other impact pathways, such as videos, articles and social media helps to further disseminate the benefits and applications of a novel approach.

Recommendations for future demonstration events, where possible, is to offer follow up discussion groups and events which help track progress and innovation uptake within a group of farmers, ensuring they use the information demonstrated on their own farm where appropriate. Utilising videos and virtual demonstration will help to reach other people who may not be able to attend an event, helping to remove geographical barriers and reinforce key messages to attendees. Working with actors across the supply chain will help to share experiences and expertise across the sector. Working with other impact pathways will help to further demonstrate and share innovations to a wide range of stakeholders.

The main messages attendees take away from demonstration events include learning more about a specific approach or practice, gaining more general knowledge and hearing experiences from the host farmer and other attendees through networking.

Attendees to demonstration events are likely to be people who are already engaged and tend to be the new or early adopters of innovations. Demonstration events do not cover all learning styles but focus more on visual, verbal and physical learning styles which may influence who attends. Likewise, location, season and timings will influence attendance to the demonstration event.

Demonstration events are able to influence the uptake of novel innovations by demonstrating on-farm best practice, providing context to an approach and showing an approach in action. Combining demonstration events with other impact pathways, such as videos, articles and social media helps to further disseminate the benefits and applications of a novel approach.

Recommendations for future demonstration events, where possible, is to offer follow up discussion groups and events which help track progress and innovation uptake within a group of farmers, ensuring they use the information demonstrated on their own farm where appropriate. Utilising videos and virtual demonstration will help to reach other people who may not be able to attend an event, helping to remove geographical barriers and reinforce key messages to attendees. Working with actors across the supply chain will help to share experiences and expertise across the sector. Working with other impact pathways will help to further demonstrate and share innovations to a wide range of stakeholders.

Family farm Grunt is led by Vladimir, a young farmer specialised in vegetable seedlings and fresh vegetable production. The main objective of the demo was mutual experience exchange and knowledge transfer in integrated and glasshouse production. The demo was organised and led by the farmer in close collaboration with the faculties and collage.

The main outcomes: students of agriculture, future young farmers where the targeted visitors, good demonstrator with pedagogical skills can play a significant role in successful demonstration, raising interest in audience and good atmosphere enables demo to play a role in decision making and learning transfer, small group work is better for specific topics, weather conditions can play a significant role in demonstration planning and realizing, video recording is a good practice for analysing materials and in depth analysis, methods used in demonstration play a major role in demo success, information was presented to the participants in a very simple but understandable way with practical presentations of good experiences and mistakes as well.

Main recommendations: when the demo is farmer led, young farmers are more likely to organize demonstration due to higher level of awareness on how knowledge exchange and practical experience can improve production processes, learning outcome of the demo should be based on the collection of new ideas for innovations by using knowledge and practice presented, lack of information on wider peer to peer learning should be collected by using a pre-defined questionnaire during the demo or after by organising focus-group based discussion.

OPG Grunt vodi mladi poljoprivrednik Vladimir, specijaliziran za proizvodnju presadnica povrća i proizvodnju svježeg povrća. Glavni cilj demonstracije bila je razmjena iskustava i prijenos znanja u integriranoj i stakleničkoj proizvodnji. Demonstraciju je organizirao i vodio nositelj OPG-a u bliskoj suradnji s predstavnicima fakulteta i gospodarskog učilišta.

Glavni rezultati: studenti poljoprivrede, budući mladi poljoprivrednici bili su ciljani posjetitelji, dobar demonstrator s pedagoškim vještinama može odigrati značajnu ulogu u uspješnoj demonstraciji, iskazani interes i zainteresiranost sudionika uz dobro raspoloženje imaju važnu ulogu u donošenju odluka i prijenosu znanja, rad u malim grupama je bolji za određene tematske demonstracije, vremenski uvjeti mogu igrati značajnu ulogu u demonstracijskom planiranju i realizaciji, video snimanje je dobra praksa za analizu materijala i dubinsku analizu, metode korištene u demonstracijama igraju važnu ulogu u uspjehu demonstracije, prijenos informacija sudionicima na jednostavan i razumljiv način, uz praktične prikaze dobrih iskustava i pogrešaka.

Glavne preporuke: kada je demonstracija vođena od strane poljoprivrednika, mladi poljoprivrednici imaju veću vjerojatnost da organiziraju demonstracije zbog veće razine svijesti o tome kako razmjena znanja i praktičnog iskustva mogu poboljšati proizvodne procese, ishod učenja demonstracija treba se temeljiti na prikupljanju novih ideja za inovacije korištenjem prikazanih znanja i praksi, nedostatak informacija o širem učenju od kolega do kolega treba prikupiti pomoću unaprijed definiranog upitnika tijekom demonstracije ili nakon organiziranja studijske (fokus) grupe.

Demonstration activity was organised by Agricultural Institute Osijek (Institutionally led), a public research institute in the scientific field of biotechnology which contributes to the development and advancement of plant science and agricultural production. The demo is held on the Basic Seed Production farm. The main objective of the demo was to present best practices and new varieties in wheat and barley production to farmers, advisors and other interested parties. The total number of particiants was 660.

Main outcomes: presentation of new cultivars that can reduced negative effect of draught, best practices in crop production, experience exchange and knowledge transfer between producers during the demo, lack of interaction between participants and demonstrators, advisors visit a demo and subsequently inform a range of other farmers, demo with a large number of participants is suitable for spreading information to a large population of farmers and other interested parties, result can be only measured in a share of seeds sold on local and regional markets.

Main recommendations: necessary to conduct evaluation activities in smaller groups to improve future demonstrations, use of pre-prepared survey questionnaire proved to be very practical for collecting basic information and is good basis for in depth analysis for organizers and participants, interaction among participants in larger groups are limited to contacts within a smaller sub-group of participants, big heat have negative impact in reducing the mobility of the participants and the time spent on demonstration, difficult to measure the transfer of knowledge related to ecological issues, reduction of costs for fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs in crop production

Demonstracijsku aktivnost organizirao je Poljoprivredni institut Osijek (Institucionalno vođen), javni istraživački institut u znanstvenom području biotehnologije koji doprinosi razvoju i unapređenju biljne znanosti i poljoprivredne proizvodnje. Glavni cilj demonstracije bio je predstaviti najbolje prakse i nove sorte u proizvodnji pšenice i ječma poljoprivrednicima, savjetnicima i drugim zainteresiranim stranama. Ukupan broj sudionika bio je 660.

Glavni rezultati: prezentacija novih kultivara koji mogu smanjiti negativan učinak suše, najbolje prakse u proizvodnji pšenice i ječma, razmjenu iskustava i prijenos znanja između proizvođača tijekom demonstracije, nedostatak interakcije između sudionika i demonstranata, savjetnici posjećuju demonstracije i prenose informacije drugim poljoprivrednicima, demonstracije s velikim brojem sudionika pogodane su za prijenos informacija velikom broju poljoprivrednika i drugim zainteresiranih stranma, rezultat se može mjeriti samo u udjelu prodanog sjemena na lokalnim i regionalnim tržištima.

Glavne preporuke: potrebno je provesti aktivnosti evaluacije u manjim grupama kako bi se poboljšale buduće demonstracije, upotreba unaprijed pripremljenog upitnika pokazala se vrlo praktičnom za prikupljanje osnovnih informacija i dobra je osnova za dubinsku analizu za organizatore i sudionike, interakcije među sudionicima u većim grupama su ograničene na kontakte unutar manjeg broja sudionika, velika vrućina ima negativan utjecaj na mobilnost sudionika i trajanje demonstracija, demonstracijama je teško mjeriti prijenos znanja vezan za ekološka pitanja, smanjenje troškova za gnojiva, pesticide i druge proizvodne inpute.

Agriculture has to succeed in reconciling food production, energy consumption, and conservation of the environment. This requires a shift towards new production systems, based on ecological intensification, adapted to local conditions and manageable by farmers. To address this issue, the French technical institutes ARVALIS - Institut du végétal, Terres Inovia and ITB, have launched in 2014 the collaborative project named Syppre. The project is based on an interactive and participative innovation process including networks of farmers and perennial experimental devices in 5 regions of France. The Syppre demo platform was co-designed by researchers, advisors, farmers and downstream actors. Breakthrough innovations were introduced of which diversification and lengthening of crop rotation, multi-cropping and intercropping. These innovative systems have to meet three objectives: crop productivity, economic profitability at the farm and territory scales, and environmental excellence. Systems' prototypes lead to changes in rotations and entail a new design of pest control strategies. The case study implemented in Sendets (South West of France) provides 3 ha dedicated to peer-to-peer innovation including field demo through field days and outdoor meetings, training sessions, and production of communication supports.

L'agriculture doit parvenir à réconciler alimentation, production d'énergie et environnement. Cela exige une transformation vers de nouveaux systèmes de production basés sur l'intensification écologique, adaptée aux conditions locales et pilotables par les agriculteurs. Pour répondre à cet enjeu, Les Instituts techniques Français ARVALIS-Institut du végétal, Terres Inovia and ITB, ont lancé en 2014 un projet collaboratif : Syppre. Le projet s'appuie sur un processus d'innovation participatif et interactif associant des réseaux d'agriculteurs et des plateformes expérimentales pérennes dans 5 régions françaises. La plateforme de démonstration Syppre a été co-construite entre les chercheurs, les conseillers, les agriculteurs et les acteurs des filières. Des innovations de rupture ont été introduites, parmi lesquelles la diversification et l'allongement des rotations, les cultures associées et les intercultures. Ces systèmes de culture innovants visent 3 objectifs ; la productivité, la rentabilité et l'excellence environnementale. Les systèmes types permettent également de nouvelles stratégies phytosanitaires. Le cas d'étude mis en place à Sendets (Sud-ouest de la France) s'appuie sur une plateforme de 3 hectares dédiés à des innovations interactives autour de démonstrations en fermes, de sessions de formations et de la production de supports de communication.

INOSYS is a network of 1500 livestock farms, each year some of the farms open their doors to regional farmers, in order to demonstrate innovative or interesting farming practices, systems and performances.

The case study focuses on two demo days in the sheep sector. The Demo activities are co-organised between farmers, and advisers. Each farm is very well documented with precise and up to date information regarding all the sustainability issues.

Demo-activity in Auvergne

This demo day has been organized, in Thomas Farm close to Clermont-Ferrand (Romagnat). The targeted visitors are agricultural students and potential new entrants.

The main objectives are to show that sheep sector is innovative and creates employment. It’s an opportunity to present all the stakeholders involved in the meat sheep sectors. The demo activity took place in March 2018, during a whole day.

Demo-activity in Burgundy

This demo day has been organized in Samuel Farm close to Nevers. The objective of the demonstration is primarily to share ideas and knowledge on specific practices or equipment introduced on the farm, and to share experiences regarding the specific problems faced on farms. The farmer who opens his farm also presents very precise figures and information about the farm performances and organization. Practices can be connected to economic, social and environmental performances. In that case, the demonstration activity is untitled “Work serenely with ewes”.

The targeted visitors are sheep farmers and advisers. The demo activity took place in September 2018 on a Thursday afternoon. The afternoon was composed of 7 workshops leaded by various actors from meat sheep sector.

Le réseau INOSYS regroupe 1500 fermes d'élevage qui produisent des références sur les différents volets de la durabilité. Chaque année certaines d'entre elles ouvrent leurs portes aux éleveurs de leurs régions. Leur objectif est de montrer des innovations, des pratiques, des systèmes intéressants et performants. Notre cas d'étude est centré sur 2 journées organisées en élevage ovin. Elles mettent en avant une intéressante co-organisation entre éleveurs et conseillers. Chaque ferme est documentée de manière très précise sur l'ensemble des volets de la durabilité.

La journée en Auvergne

Organiséedans la ferme de Thomas, à proxilité de Clermont Ferrand, elle visait des étudiants et des candidats à l'installation. Son objectif, montrer que le secteur ovin est innovant et créateur d'emplois.La journée, organisée en mars 2018 est également une opportunité pourprésenter l'ensemble des acteurs du secteur et leur capacité à coopérer.

La journée en Bourgogne

Elle s'est déroulée dans la ferme de Samuel, à proximité de Nevers. L'objectif était avant tout de permettre aux éleveurs de partager des connaissances et des idées au sujet de pratiques ou d'équipements, mais aussi de prépondre aux questions ou problèmes rencontrés par les éleveurs. L'éleveur qui ouvre ses portes met sur la table l'ensemble de ses résultats et de son organisation.Les pratiques sont mises en relations avec les performances, techniques, économiques, sociales et environnementales. Le titre de la journée était : "travailler avec ses brebis en toute sérénité". Les cibles de la journée qui s'est déroulée en septembre 2018 étaient les éleveurs et les conseillers

L'après midi était organisée autour , autour de 7 ateliers thématiques animés par les acteurs clés du secteur.

The Organic Cattle Day 2018 was organised by Bio Suisse (association of organic farmers in Switzerland), and FiBL Research Institute for Organic Agriculture in collaboration with the agricultural centre of Lucerne and its advisors for organic agriculture, the regional organic farmers’ association as well as the host farm. It was the first event of its kind and was held in Central Switzerland. About 500 people attended the event. It is embedded in the PROVIEH programme by Bio Suisse aiming at fostering farmer-to-farmer learning in the realm of cattle and animal husbandry.

The Organic Cattle Day 2018 took place on June 12th and its focus was on exchange of agricultural practice, extension and research on organic cattle husbandry. The event included sessions on grazing strategies, cow breeds, fodder, biodiversity, husbandry conditions and milking process, parasites and veterinary medicine, cost accounting, etc. Various sustainability aspects played an important role, in particular grassland based feeding.

The core of the event were fourteen thematic sessions on the above described contents and one session with short testimonies by seven innovative farmers. Each thematic session usually had several speakers including both farmers and advisors or scientists. The visitors could flexibly choose the sessions according to their interests and time. The sessions’ contents were of high practical relevance and were complemented by the participants’ involvement and exchange of experience.

Der Bioviehtag 2018 wurde von der Bio Suisse (Schweizer Biobauernverband) und dem FiBL Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau in Zusammenarbeit mit dem landwirtschaftlichen Zentrum Luzern und seinen Bio-Beraterinnen und Beratern, dem regionalen luzernischen Biobauernverband sowie dem Gastbetrieb organisiert. Es war die erste Veranstaltung dieser Art und fand in der Zentralschweiz statt. Der Anlass wurde von rund 500 Personen besucht. Die Veranstaltung ist in das PROVIEH-Programm von Bio Suisse eingebettet, das darauf abzielt, den direkten Austausch zwischen Landwirtinnen und Landwirten im Bereich biologische Tierhaltung zu fördern.

Der Bioviehtag 2018 fand am 12. Juni statt und konzentrierte sich auf den Austausch von Praxis, Beratung und Forschung im Bereich der biologischen Tierhaltung. Die Veranstaltung war zu Themen im Bereich Beweidung, Züchtung, Futter, Biodiversität, Haltungsbedingungen und Melkverfahren, Gesundheit und Veterinärmedizin, sowie Betriebswirtschaft. Dabei spielten verschiedene Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte, insbesondere die graslandbasierte Fütterung eine wichtige Rolle.

Den Kern der Veranstaltung bildeten vierzehn Thema-Posten zu den oben beschriebenen Inhalten und ein Posten mit kurzen Praxisreferaten von sieben innovativen Landwirtinnen und Landwirten. Jeder Thema-Posten hatte in der Regel mehrere Redner, darunter sowohl Landwirte als auch Berater oder Wissenschaftler. Die Besucher konnten die Posten flexibel nach ihren Interessen und zeitlicher Verfügbarkeit auswählen. Die Inhalte der Posten waren von hohem Praxisbezug und wurden durch die Einbindung und den Erfahrungsaustausch der Teilnehmer ergänzt.

The Arenenberg Arable Day is a regional demonstration event on arable farming in the Canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It has been organised on a yearly basis since 2015 and attracts around 100 visitors every summer. The main organiser of the event is the agricultural centre of the Canton of Thurgau (BBZ Arenenberg).

The main objectives of the event is to demonstrate the experimental areas of the BBZ Arenenberg. At the Arenenberg Arable Day, varying crops are demonstrated depending on the crop rotation rules of the host farm. This year’s Arable Day focused on soil protecting cultivation techniques of sugar beet and on weed control in maize production. The topics were demonstrated at four different sessions.

The target group included farmers and advisors from the region who produce or are interested in producing these crops. Local and regional producers who appreciate the exchange among professionals and the conviviality usually attend the event.

The visitors were generally happy with the contents conveyed and the demonstration. They consider demonstration events of this kind important when it comes to the introduction of new approaches and technologies because they give them the opportunity to benefit from the trials and experiences, which other actors such as the agricultural centre or other farmers have already made. The case study shows that it is crucial to actively engage the visitors and to promote formats for exchange. Moreover, our analysis suggests that it is important to also show trials, which have not been successful because they trigger discussions and the visitors easily remember them.

Der Arenenberger Ackerbautag ist eine regionale Demonstrationsveranstaltung zum Thema Ackerbau im Kanton Thurgau in der Schweiz. Sie wird seit 2015 jährlich veranstaltet und zieht jeden Sommer rund 100 Besucher an. Hauptveranstalter der Veranstaltung ist das BBZ Arenenberg.

Hauptziel der Veranstaltung ist es, die Versuchsflächen des BBZ Arenenberg zu demonstrieren. Am Arenenberger Ackerbautag werden entsprechend der Fruchtfolge des Betriebes unterschiedliche Kulturen gezeigt. Im Mittelpunkt des diesjährigen Ackerbautages standen der Bodenschutz im Zuckerrübenanbau und die Unkrautbekämpfung in der Maisproduktion. Die Themen wurden in vier verschiedenen Posten vorgestellt.

Zur Zielgruppe gehören Landwirte und Berater aus der Region, die diese Kulturen produzieren oder sich für den Anbau interessieren. Die Veranstaltung wird in der Regel von lokalen und regionalen Produzenten besucht, die den Austausch unter den Fachleuten und die Geselligkeit schätzen.

Die Besucher waren mit den vermittelten Inhalten und der Demonstration insgesamt zufrieden. Sie halten solche Demonstrationsveranstaltungen für wichtig, wenn es um die Einführung neuer Verfahren und Technologien in der Landwirtschaft geht, denn sie geben ihnen die Möglichkeit, von den Versuchen und Erfahrungen zu profitieren, die andere Akteure wie das Landwirtschaftszentrum oder andere Bauern bereits gemacht haben. Die Fallstudie zeigt, dass es entscheidend ist, die Besucher aktiv einzubeziehen und Formate für Austausch und Diskussionen zu bieten. Darüber hinaus zeigt die Fallstudie auch, dass es wichtig ist, auch Versuche zu zeigen, die nicht erfolgreich waren, weil sie Diskussionen auslösen und von den Besuchern leicht in Erinnerung behalten werden.

This demonstration is focused on undersowing only. This event aimed to show to farmers who grow maize that undersowing can actually work and that it is a feasible option in order to comply with the new laws & regulations, which has been drawn up with regard to nutrient and herbicide leaching problems on Dutch sandy soils. By 2019 a catch crop has to be sown by October 1st the latest. That can be done in several ways: prior to harvest, via undersowing, or post-harvest, in combination with an early maize variety.

Thus, the main topic of this demo was to present the pros and cons about undersowing maize with grass and to demonstrate the actual undersowing in a maize field, with maize that already grown at knee-height, with six different undersowing machines.

Regarding the demo methods, there were a lecture, some demos in the field and a closure with a group discussion. Therefore, people learned by seeing, hearing and by sharing in group discussions. The demonstration successfully raised awareness about sustainable maize crop cultivation techniques that farmers can adopt in their farm management.

Deze demonstratie is alleen gericht op de onderzaai van gras in maïs. De demo was bedoeld om boeren die maïs verbouwen te laten zien dat onderzaai daadwerkelijk kan werken en dat het een haalbare optie is om te voldoen aan de nieuwe wet- en regelgeving (wijziging Meststoffenwet) die is opgesteld in verband met uitspoeling van nutriënten en herbiciden. Met ingang van 1 januari 2019 geldt voor de maisteelt op zand- en lossgronden dat vóór 1 oktober een vanggewas ingezaaid of ondergezaaid moet worden. Dat kan op verschillende manieren: vóór de oogst, via onderzaai of ná de oogst, in combinatie met een vroeg maïsras. Het programma van deze demo bestond uit een presentatie van de voors en tegens van grasonderzaai in maïs en uit een demonstratie van de daadwerkelijke onderzaai in een maïsveld (met mais al op knie-hoogte) met zes verschillende onderzaaimachines. De leermethoden van deze demonstratie bestonden uit een lezing, enkele demo's in het veld en een afsluiting met een groepsdiscussie. Mensen leerden door te zien, te horen en door te delen in groepsdiscussies. De demonstratie droeg met succes bij aan de bewustwording over duurzame teelttechnieken voor maïs die boeren kunnen toepassen in hun bedrijfsvoering.

The National Leek Day is organized every 3 to 4 years around current developments that are worth sharing. The objective of the demonstration was the dissemination of knowledge about sustainable leek production. "As far as we are concerned, a trial is only truly successful if it finds its way into practice. This is the primary motivation behind National Leek Day", according to the organiser of the event. Next to food safety the topic sustainability played a very big role and was present in every demonstration part of the guided tour. Two key issues addressed were: pesticide use in relation to residues (spraying techniques and pesticide selection) and nitrate leaching (fertilisation strategy, fertiliser use, precision agriculture, hydroponics, soil quality) and how to prevent that. Variety choice was a key topic for the mentioned sustainability issues as well as for market development.

Regarding the demo methods, there were a lecture, a guided tour and a company fair with stand holders. The targeted visitors were leek growers, advisors, and suppliers. The previous versions of the demo had about 400 visitors, consisting of 60% leek growers, 40% suppliers, and a few advisors. Because this is a recurring demo that is organized for the 5th time in 12 years, the organizers have a lot of experience. They know what types of components are useful to visitors and how to run the day smoothly. Therefore the National Leek Day is an excellent demo for the PLAID project.

De Landelijke Preidag wordt elke 3 tot 4 jaar georganiseerd rond actuele ontwikkelingen in de preiteelt die het delen waard zijn. Het doel van de demonstratie was de verspreiding van kennis over duurzame preiproductie. "Wat ons betreft is een proef alleen echt succesvol als het zijn weg vindt naar de praktijk. Dit is de primaire motivatie achter de Landelijke Preidag", aldus de organisator van het evenement. Naast voedselveiligheid speelde duurzaamheid een zeer grote rol en was aanwezig bij elk demonstratieonderdeel van de rondleiding. Twee hoofdthema's waren: pesticidengebruik in relatie tot residuen (spuittechnieken en pesticideselectie) en nitraatuitspoeling (bemestingsstrategie, kunstmestgebruik, precisielandbouw, hydrocultuur, bodemkwaliteit) en hoe dit te voorkomen. Rassenkeuze was een belangrijk onderwerp voor de genoemde duurzaamheidskwesties en voor marktontwikkeling. De gebruikte leermethoden bestonden uit een lezing, een rondleiding en een bedrijvenmarkt met standhouders. De beoogde bezoekers waren preikwekers, adviseurs en leveranciers. De vorige versies van de demo hadden ongeveer 400 bezoekers, bestaande uit 60% preitelers, 40% leveranciers en een paar adviseurs. Omdat dit een terugkerende demo was die voor de 5e keer in 12 jaar werd georganiseerd konden de organisatoren putten uit veel ervaring. Ze wisten welke demonstratieonderdelen nuttig waren voor bezoekers en hoe ze de dag soepel konden laten verlopen. Daarom is de Landelijke Preidag een uitstekende demo voor het PLAID-project.

The topics of the demo activities usually offered by AIAB-APROBIO FVG are soil management , pest & disease management, new crops and varieties, machinery use in organic farming.

The demos offer practical examples of “good organic management” in the specific conditions of Friuli Venezia Giulia region, so offering hints for improvements for the organic community as well as alternatives to conventional farmers.

They are hosted by skilled organic farmers where an already found solution or an experimental test is present and can be seen by participants. The activities and their results are explained by the host farmer and by the association advisers, often supported by external experts. In many cases the host farm is also a "pilot farm", meaning a farm were data on pest and disease pressure, crop developmnet and other aspects are regularly registered and form the basis of periodic newsletters sent to all farming members. The main objective of the recurrent "soil demo day" is to increase farmers awareness on the fact that their management choices impact soil quality and fertility and, as a consequence, their productions. The successful methods applied during the demo day in 2018 were a) the in-field presentation of a geologist who explained in practice and with soil profiles, the origin of soils, how to assess soil characteristics and how to read the signs of management; b) a semi-structured discussions with enough time avaliable; d) a guided observation of soil micro-vertebrates and of spontaneous flora as an indicator of soil characteristics and problems. The activities contributesd to an interactive explanation on how to assess soil characteristics with tools and knowledge available on farm and how to implement a proper soil management strategy.

Argomento delle attività dimostrative di AIAB-APROBIO FVG sono le diverse tecniche e sistemi che caratterizzano l'agricoltura biologica.

Le dimostrazioni offrono esempi di buone pratiche applicate nello specifico della regione Friuli Venezia Giulia divenendo spunti di miglioramento per gli agricoltori biologici ma anche alternative per gli agricoltori convenzionali.

Le dimostrazioni hanno luogo presso aziende biologiche di buona esperienza, dove soluzioni di interesse sono applicate o in via di valutazione e possono essere viste dai partecipanti. Le attività ed i risultati sono presentati dall'agricoltore ospitante e dai tecnici dell'associazione, spesso assieme a specialisti del settore. In diversi casi l'azienda ospitante è anche "azienda pilota", ovvero dove si effettuano i rilievi fitosanitari, agronomici ecc. che sono alla base dei bollettini periodici dell'associazione. L'obiettivo principale della giornata dimostrativa sul suolo, che si ripete annualmente, è accrescere la consapevolezza degli agricoltori dell'ipatto delle loro scelte operative sulla qualità e fertilità del suolo e, di conseguenza, sulle produzioni. Elementi chiave dell'edizione 2018: a) presentazione in campo da parte di un geologo che ha spiegato in modo pratico i profili, l'origine del suolo, come valutare gli impatti della gestione; b) sufficiente tempo per una discussione semistrutturata; d) ossservazione guidata dei micro-vertebrati del suolo e della flora spontanea. Le attività hanno contribuito alla speigazione interattiva di come valutare le caratteristiche del terreno con gli strumenti e le competenze aziendali e come implementare un razionale piano di gestione del suolo.

Social innovation and breaking down traditional barriers in farming are of the essence at Lothians Monitor Farm (LMF) in Scotland. Building on the established format of regular community group meetings to explore topics selected from within that community, a key learning outcome at LMF is expected of the real-time experiment in collaboration between the two neighbouring farmers acting as hosts. Supported by key industry organisations and advisors, these farms represent the prevailing arable and livestock sectors in the region and also present an alternative approach to the reintroduction of mixed farming systems. Key lessons identified through observation and engagement in this case study include: the importance of effective facilitation for successful demonstration; the value of openness by demonstration host farmers; the significance of innovation in the way agricultural businesses are managed, as well as innovation in agricultural practices on the ground; the importance of how information is shared to encourage learning through engagement in demonstration activities and processes; and the value of bringing different farmer groups together, resulting new opportunities for exchange, improved access, and enhanced clarity in information shared. This case study exemplifies the inherent value of time being offered in the Monitor Farms programme, whereby farming communities can witness and contribute towards identifying the benefits of working together in pursuit of more sustainable farming futures. Time for trust to be built, time to identify and trial new and alternative solutions, and potentially time to see results in order that changes may also be implemented more widely by community group members.

Demonstration activities related to agriculture in Norway primarily involve field days, field walks and experimental fields. This theme day was organised by the Trøndelag branch of the Norwegian Agricultural Extension Service (NLR), and held on a quite large farm in a municipality in the northern parts of Trøndelag. The theme day focused on berry production, and the use of tunnels for cultivation. The initiator was the local advisory organization for berries, which is a part of the Norwegian Agricultural Extension Service. The host farmer is a large-scale producer, and a pioneer in tunnel farming in Trøndelag. According to the organiser the target group was established berry producers, mainly strawberry producers, and those considering starting such production. The purpose of the theme day was to show the producers/farmers how berries can be produced in a more reliable (weather wise) and cost-effective way by using plastic tunnels, how to optimize the use of fertilizer and pesticides (i.e. reduce the use of conventional pesticides) and the use of irrigation-systems. It was also important to give the participants the opportunity to ask questions and exchange experiences. The theme day started with a few hours field walk outside to see and learn about how tunnel production works, followed by a theoretical session with presentations and dialogue indoors. Regarding the Plaid-project, this case will make an important contribution to Plaid by illustrating a typical method of demonstration in Norway. It provides a useful example of how to organise and facilitate high-quality knowledge dissemination between farmers in a country with large geographical distances, landscape and climate inequalities, and thus different regional challenges.

Demonstrasjonsaktiviteter knyttet til landbruket i Norge er først og fremst knyttet til markdager, feltvandringer og forsøksfelt. Denne fagdagen var organisert av Norsk landbruksrådgivning (NLR) Trøndelag, og avholdt på en relativt stor gård i en kommune i Trøndelag. Fagdagen omhandlet bærproduksjon og bruk av tuneller for dyrking. Initiativtaker var den lokale rådgivningsenheten for bær, som er en del av NLR. Vertsbonden er en storskala bærprodusent, og en pioner innen tunneldyrking av jordbær i Trøndelag. Målgruppa var ifølge arrangøren etablerte bærprodusenter, hovedsakelig jordbærprodusenter, samt de som ønsker å starte med slik produksjon. Formålet med fagdagen var å vise produsentene/bøndene hvordan bær kan produseres på en mer pålitelig (værmessig) og kostnadseffektiv måte ved bruk av plasttuneller, hvordan man optimaliserer bruken av gjødsel og plantevernmidler (dvs. redusere bruken av konvensjonelle plantevernmidler), og bruk av vanningsanlegg. Det var også viktig å gi deltakerne mulighet til å stille spørsmål og utveksle erfaringer underveis. Fagdagen startet med et par timer markvandring for å se og lære om hvordan tunnelproduksjon fungerer, etterfulgt av en teoretisk sesjon med presentasjoner og dialog innendørs. Vedrørende Plaid-prosjektet vil denne casen være et viktig bidrag ved å illustrere en typisk demonstrasjonsmetode brukt i Norge. Den gir et godt eksempel på hvordan man kan organisere og legge til rette for kunnskapsformidling av høy kvalitet mellom bønder i et land med store geografiske avstander, landskaps- og klimaforskjeller, og dermed ulike regionale utfordringer.

Demonstration activities related to agriculture in Norway primarily involve field days, field walks and experimental fields. This demonstration day was a collaboration between the agriculture department at the county governor in cooperation with “Eco week” in this county, the eastern branch of the Norwegian Agricultural Extension Service (NLR), the County Governor of the neighbouring county, and the agricultural company of this region. The farm were the demo was held is known as a “green” inspiration and meeting place for the agricultural sector as well as the general public in the region, and the staff aim to promote sustainable and innovative thinking in agriculture. Part of the farm is dedicated to urban cooperative farming with organic production of fruit, vegetables and berries. The demonstration event was a form of field day where experts demonstrated and conveyed knowledge about the soil, good soil management and the best possible ways to take care of the soil in order to optimise production. The approach involved a combination of theoretical presentations indoors and several practical demonstrations and field walks outside. The aim of the demonstration was to contribute to knowledge development and sharing between farmers/teachers/gardeners and advisors. A demo-day like this is a meeting place for farmers and others with connections to and interest in this theme, such that they can obtain relevant new knowledge and share experiences and thoughts with other farmers that they can apply to their own farms. The main aim is to raise the quality of production and products, and increase the productiveness and competitiveness of farming in a sustainable way.

Demonstrasjonsaktiviteter knyttet til landbruket i Norge er først og fremst knyttet til markdager, feltvandringer og forsøksfelt. Denne fagdagen ble organisert av fylkesmannens landbruksavdeling i samarbeid med Økouka Telemark, NLR Østafjells/Viken, Fylkesmannen i Buskerud og Telemark landbruksselskap. Gården hvor demonstrasjonen ble holdt er kjent som et grønt inspirasjonssenter og en møteplass for landbruksnæringen så vel som brukere og besøkende. Driften baseres på bærekraftig og innovativ utvikling av landbruket. Deler av gården er dedikert til urbant andelslandbruk med økologisk produksjon av frukt, grønnsaker og bær. I løpet av fagdagen demonstrerte og formidlet eksperter kunnskap om jord, god jordforvaltning og den beste måten å ivareta jorda på for å optimalisere produksjonen. Dette ble formidlet ved en kombinasjon av teoretiske presentasjoner innendørs, og flere praktiske demonstrasjoner og feltprøver utendørs. Målet med fagdagen var å bidra til kunnskapsutvikling og kunnskapsdeling mellom bønder/lærere/gartnere og rådgivere. En demonstrasjonsdag som denne er et møtested for bønder andre med tilknytning til og interesse for dette temaet, slik at de kan få ny og relevant kunnskap, og dele erfaringer og tanker med andre bønder som de kan dra nytte av på sine egne bruk. Hovedformålet er å øke kvaliteten på produksjon og produkter, og øke produktiviteten og landbrukets konkurranseevne på en bærekraftig måte.

Field trials and demonstrations on commercial farms in animal husbandry (beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats) have been organised between 2013-2018 in the framework of the Herbivorous project headed by the Competence Centre in Animal Husbandry of the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre. This project funded by the National Rural network was aimed at providing systematically organised and thematically comprehensive object-lessons presented to the wider farming community in boosting the efficiency of production in livestock-breeding. In total 25 field trials on 29 farms all over Latvia have been held, each focusing on a specific topic and mostly lasting for 2 years, with altogether 58 public demonstration events held on these farms. The programme of Farm days (4-5 hours) included a theoretical and a practical part, combining an in-doors seminar with an on-farm visit. Implementation of each trial theme on the selected farm has been pursued in cooperation with an advisor, a scientific expert and the host farmer. The case study revealed that challenges have been related to (i) identifying the trial themes deemed relevant by both specialists and individual farmers; (ii) finding the right host by balancing top-down and bottom-up recruitment of potential candidates; (iii) achieving efficient implementation of trial procedures by balacing the funding restrictions, the underlying research agenda, and the partners’ differing commitment for engagement; (iv) dealing with the impact of various unexpected (force majeure) factors on the process and outcome of the trial; and (v) addressing the tensions between the quantity of visitors and the quality of learning opportunities at the public events. See www.bscresearch.lv/en/projects/plaid

No 2013. līdz 2018. gadam Zālēdāju projekta ietvaros tika īstenoti Latvijas Lauku konsultāciju un izglītības centra Lopkopības kompetenču centra organizēti izmēģinājumi un demonstrējumi lopkopības saimniecībās (piena un gaļas liellopi, aitkopība, kazkopība). Šī Valsts Lauku tīkla finansētā projekta mērķis bija nodrošināt sistemātiski organizētus un tematiski visaptverošus uzskatāmus izglītojošus pasākumus plašākai lauksaimnieku kopienai, lai paaugstinātu ražošanas efektivitāti lopkopības nozarē. Projekta laikā tika īstenoti 25 izmēģinājumi 29 saimniecībās visā Latvijā. Katrs izmēģinājums bija veltīts atšķirīgai tēmai un ilga vidēji divus gadus. Iesaistītajās saimniecībās tika noorganizētas 58 Fermu dienas. Šie pasākumi ilga vidēji 4-5 stundas, ietverot teorētisko un praktisko daļu - semināru iekštelpās un saimniecības apskati. Izmēģinājuma tēma saimniecībā tika īstenota trīspusējā sadarbībā starp zemnieku, konsultantu un zinātnieku. Projekta gadījuma izpēte ļāva identificēt virkni izaicinājumu, kas saistīti ar (i) gan speciālistiem, gan individuāliem zemniekiem aktuālu izmēģinājumu tēmu noteikšanu, (ii) atbilstošu demonstrējumu saimniecību atlases mehānismu pielietojumu, lai līdzsvarotu ekspertu veikto izvēli un saimniecību pašatlases iespējas, (iii) izmēģinājumu procedūru efektīvu īstenošanu, salāgojot pieejamo finansējumu, projekta pētniecisko interesi un iesaistīto dalībnieku atšķirīgo iesaistes gatavību, (iv) dažādu neparedzētu iekšēju un ārēju apstākļu ietekmi uz izmēģinājuma procesu un iznākumu, kā arī (v) iespējām nodrošināt kvalitatīvas mācīšanās apstākļus lielās publisko demonstrējumu pasākumu apmeklētāju grupās. Skat. www.bscresearch.lv/lv/projekti/plaid

There are many ways for organising learning through agricultural demonstrations. Quite often these events are highly formalised, but they can also be efficiently organised on an informal basis. A case study in Latvia on annual mutual farm visits of cooperative members in fruit production represents a bottom-up initiative by primary producers to share knowledge and experiences on their farming practices. It is not mandatory to have a formally structured demonstration process with a strict set of pre-arranged methods. The major advantage of the observed peer-to-peer learning activities are the real-farm management conditions and the readiness to also share farming failures. The presence of several members of the host farm encourages engagement of participants of both genders, different age groups... thereby increasing the likelihood of learning on a more diverse range of topics. Farmers’ self-organisation into smaller peer groups strongly enhances learning and exchange of experiences. Peer-to-peer learning during farm visits consists of numerous small episodes of verbal and non-verbal interactions that are used to demonstrate and initially validate new technics. The established relationships between participants facilitate learning not only for the visiting farmers but also for the host. There is a strong complementarity of the closed activities of the group and demonstrations attended by its members as part of exhibitions, rural days, study visits. Many novelties are borrowed from pioneering farms outside the cooperative’s own network. Regular and diverse learning activities enable knowledge flows and reinforce the farmer’s decision to convert the first demonstration impulse into one’s own practice.

Ir dažādi veidi, kā veicināt zināšanu apmaiņu un mācīšanos lauksaimniecības demonstrējumos. Bieži vien tie tiek īstenoti strukturēti un plānveidīgi, bet vienlīdz nozīmīgas ir arī neformālas iniciatīvas. Latvijā pētīti augļkopju kooperatīva biedru ikgadēji saimniecību apmeklējumi ilustrē primāro ražotāju īstenotu ierosmi savstarpējā zināšanu apmaiņā. Šī pieredze rāda, ka lietderīgam demonstrējumam nav obligāti jābūt īstenotam ar iepriekš skaidri izstrādātām metodēm. Novērotās lauksaimnieku neformālas savstarpējas mācīšanās būtiska priekšrocība ir saimniecības ikdienas praktiskās darbības apstākļu vērojumi un dalībnieku gatavība dalīties pieredzē arī par saimniekošanā pieļautajām kļūdām. Vairāku saimniecības pārstāvju klātbūtne veicina abu dzimumu, dažādu vecumu u.c. dalībnieku iesaisti, vairojot mācīšanās iespējamību par plašāku jautājumu loku. Dalībnieku spontāna sadalīšanās 2-4 cilvēku grupās būtiski veicina savstarpēju zināšanu un pieredzes apmaiņu. Mācīšanās no kolēģiem apmeklējuma laikā sastāv no daudziem īsiem sarunu un bezvārdu mijiedarbības brīžiem, kuros tiek izrādītas un sākotnēji novērtētas jaunas tehnikas vienības vai saimniekošanas paņēmieni. Starp dalībniekiem jau iedibinātās attiecības veicina ne tikai apmeklētāju, bet arī saimniecības īpašnieku mācīšanās iespējas. Būtisks papildinājums grupas slēgtajām aktivitātēm ir tās locekļu dalībai arī citos demonstrējumu pasākumos izstādēs, lauku dienās, mācību braucienos. Daudzi jauninājumi tiek aizgūti no citām progresīvām saimniecībām. Regulāras un daudzveidīgas informācijas ieguves iespējas rada labu augsni zināšanu apmaiņai un palīdz lauksaimniekiem lēmumu pieņemšanā par citviet redzētā ieviešanu savā saimniecībā.

Since 2003 the Nowak family in Henrikowo organizes a demonstration event. Originally it started as a demonstration event for onion varieties: compare the different onion varieties under practical growing conditions. In the beginning only for onions, since 2009 also for potatoes. In 2017 the 14th edition was held. The event develolped into a bigger event, with machine demonstrations and demonstrations of fertilizers and crop protection products. Target group of the event is in the first place onion growers, and since 2009 also potato growers, and in the second place people working in the value chain. The demonstration of different varieties from different seed suppliers in a practical context, gives the growers a very good impression about how the varieties perform in similar climate and soil conditions as on their own farm. More information about the farm and the demonstration can be found on 'http://www.henrykowo.pl/index.php/home'. This demonstration is organized by a farm, the Nowak family. As the event became bigger and bigger, also the effort for the organization became bigger and bigger. Early 2018 the organizers came to the conclusion that the impact of the organization of the event on the farm becomes to big, which lead to the cancellation of the 2018 edition. Seed suppliers, demonstrating their varieties in the event, were positive about the event and would like to participate again in the future if possible. Also for seed suppliers demonstration activities like in Henrikowo, with a high percentage of the visitors being professional onion growers or people working in the value chain, offers a nice opportunity to present and promote their varieties.

Od 2003 roku w Henrykowie organizują Państwo Monika i Michał Nowak trwające przez weekend spotkanie profesjonalistów zwane Święto Cebuli. Plantatorzy mogli na własne oczy zobaczyć jak radzi sobie na polach najnowsza odmiana cebuli w sytuacjach kryzysowych czy stresowych i bez nawadniania. Od 2009 roku poszerzyli ofertę spotkań. W 2017 roku odbyła się XV edycja Święta Cebuli i Ziemniaka. Impreza odbyła się 13 sierpnia na terenie gospodarstwa Państwa Moniki i Michała Nowak i przyciągnęła rolników, plantatorów, producentów maszyn i sprzętu rolniczego, a także rzesze odwiedzających. Podstawową rolą organizowanego wydarzenia była wymiana doświadczeń wśród rolników, porównanie odmian cebuli i ziemniaków zlokalizowanych na poletkach doświadczalnych, a także zapoznanie się z ofertą firm nawozowych, maszynowych, nasiennych, chemicznych i doradczych. Rolnicy mogli zobaczyć efekty uprawy poszczególnych odmian na henrykowskich poletkach i porównać w podobnych warunkach klimatycznych i glebowych we własnym gospodarstwie. Więcej informacji o gospodarstwie i wydarzeniu można znaleźć na stronie "http://www.henrykowo.pl/index.php/home". W miarę jak kolejne edycje były poszerzane o nowe wydarzenia, wysiłki na rzecz organizacji święta stawały się coraz większe. Na początku 2018 roku organizatorzy doszli do wniosku, że organizacja takich spotkań zajmuje mnóstwo czasu i ma duży wpływ na funkcjonowanie gospodarstwa, co doprowadziło do wniosku o odwołaniu edycji w roku 2018. Firmy nasion, nawozów oraz maszyn prezentujących swój nowoczesny sprzęt w trakcie imprezy były pozytywnie nastawione do wydarzenia i chcieliby w miarę możliwości uczestniczyć w przyszłych imprezach.

The 'national potato days' in Bonin farmers could find demonstrations of different brands of potato harvesters, new potato varieties, fertiliser strategies in potato and crop protection strategies on potatoes. The event was organised in cooperation with several partners in the potato value chain: input suppliers, machine constructors and breeders. Stakeholders were invited to develop and demonstrate their products and strategies. Several potato harvesters were demonstrated: 2 and 4 row harvesters, tractor pulled and self propelled, machines with and without a bunker. Interesting differences concerning the qualilty of work were observed. There was also a demonstration of the transport line (tipper, conveyor belts and pré grading) , from harvester to the 'store'. Several companies demonstrated the effect of specific fertilizers and crop production products. Due to the very hot and dry summer no differences were visible in the field at the moment of the event. National and international potato breeders demonstrated their (new) potato varieties for the different markt segments (starch, table, processing). From each variety a few plants were harvested, this gave the farmers the opportunities to compare the different varieties concerning yield potential, shape, tuber quality, flesh colour and grade. On saturday a series of workshops/lectures was organised on specific topics: virus diseases in potatoes, how to increase competetiveness of the potato, potato diseases – old problems, new solutions, innovative weed control in potatoes.

"Krajowe Dni Ziemniaka" w Boninie to coroczne spotkanie wszystkich osób związanych z branżą ziemniaka. Podczas wydarzenia rolnicy mogli zobaczyć demonstracje kombajnów ziemniaczanych różnych producentów, nowe odmiany ziemniaka, strategie nawożenia i ochrony plantacji ziemniaka. Wydarzenie zostało zorganizowane we współpracy z kilkoma partnerami w ramach łańcucha wartości w branży upraw ziemniaka: dostawcami, konstruktorami maszyn i hodowcami. Zainteresowane strony zostały zaproszone w celu opracowania i prezentacji swoich produktów i strategii. Pokazano kilka kombajnów do zbioru ziemniaka: kombajny 2 i 4-rzędowe, samobieżne, ciągnięte przez ciągniki, maszyny z zasobnikiem i bez bunkra. Zaobserwowano interesujące różnice dotyczące jakości pracy. Pokazano także linię transportową (wywrotka, przenośnik taśmowy i kosz), od maszyny do zbioru do "sklepu". Kilka firm wykazało wpływ określonych nawozów i produktów do produkcji roślinnej. Z powodu gorącego i suchego lata w trakcie targów nie było widocznych różnic na polu. Krajowi i międzynarodowi hodowcy ziemniaków zademonstrowali swoje (nowe) odmiany ziemniaków dla różnych segmentów rynku (skrobia, kulinarne, do przetwarzania). Z każdej odmiany zebrano kilka roślin, co dało rolnikom możliwość porównania różnych odmian pod względem potencjału plonowania, kształtu, jakości bulw, barwy miąższu i gatunku. W sobotę zorganizowano cykl warsztatów /wykładów na konkretne tematy: choroby wirusowe ziemniaków, sposoby zwiększenia konkurencyjności ziemniaka, choroby ziemniaka - stare problemy, nowe rozwiązania, innowacyjne zwalczanie chwastów w ziemniakach.

The demonstration in the farm of organic caw cheese production "Jauregia", was organized by the owners who are two brothers and their wives. They settled more than 15 years ago on the farm of their father. The objective of the visit was to train young farmers to the possibilities offered by organic cow's milk production, to know the transformation and the direct sale of the products on the farm. The demonstrations covered a wide range of topics related to dairy cattle farming in organic production, topics such as fodder autonomy, to manage grazing, organic management of pastures, extensive management, and regenerative agriculture.

The owners vary the content of the topics developed in the demonstration based on the profile of the visitors. During the demonstration, the young group of visitors were guided through a walk on the farm while the farmer explained in a very professional way.

At the end of the demo, after a short break with a tasting of the farm's products, the dynamics of the Focus Group are launched to evaluate the experience. After the demonstration, the attendees had to complete an online survey evaluation of the visit. The visit was very well organized, the farmer connects very well with the attendees, there were many interactions with him, and the assessment was very positive.

The main recommendations for a farmer to organize a demonstration would be: Before the visit, you should know the group of people coming and his main interest. During the visit: Change settings, provoke interaction with the group and offer your products. After the visit: Evaluate the degree of satisfaction, the possible areas for improvement.

La Demostración en la granja de producción de queso orgánico "Jauregia", fue organizada por los propietarios, que son dos hermanos y sus esposas. Se establecieron hace más de 15 años en la granja de su padre. El objetivo de la visita fue formar a los jóvenes agricultores sobre las posibilidades que ofrece la producción de leche de vaca orgánica, conocer la transformación y la venta directa de los productos en la granja. Las demostraciones cubrieron una amplia gama de temas relacionados con la ganadería lechera en la producción orgánica, temas como la autonomía del forraje, el manejo del pastoreo, el manejo orgánico de los pastos, el manejo extensivo y la agricultura regenerativa.

Los propietarios varían el contenido de los temas desarrollados en la demostración en función del perfil de los visitantes. Durante la manifestación, el joven grupo de visitantes fue guiado a través de un paseo por la granja mientras el agricultor explicaba de una manera muy profesional.

Al final de la demostración, después de un breve descanso con una degustación de los productos de la granja, se inicia la dinámica de Focus Group para evaluar la experiencia. Después de la demostración, los asistentes tuvieron que completar una encuesta en línea de la visita. La visita estuvo muy bien organizada, el agricultor se conecta muy bien con los asistentes, hubo muchas interacciones con él y la evaluación fue muy positiva.

Las principales recomendaciones para que un agricultor organice una demostración serían: Antes de la visita, debe conocer el grupo de personas que vienen y su interés principal. Durante la visita: cambie la configuración, provoque la interacción con el grupo y ofrezca sus productos. Después de la visita: Evaluar el grado de satisfacción, las posibles áreas de mejora.

The Valdorba demonstration was an initiative of the Valdorba agrarian cooperative supported by INTIA. The demo objectives were: new varieties of cereal and new pesticides in cereals as well as crop diversification. The visitors were 22 professional farmers. All of them are active members of the coop and very open to share their practical experiences. During the demonstration, there was a tour guided by the farmers to their parcels and INTIA trial plots. The demonstration was in general positive: It was well organized, and it was very interesting. The main practical recommendations to deal with this kind of event were:

- The demonstration has to offer something new that attendees can see beneficial to their interests: new techniques (varieties mostly in this event), be up to date, meet other professionals, etc.

- The demonstration should be organized by someone that farmers considers prepared, expert, and also close to the them, as it is the case of the leaders of the coop and technicians of INTIA.

- It is necessary to program the demonstration from the beginning, field trials or selection of techniques should be designed together to be shown on the day of the event. Never improvise the day of the event.

- Integrating the contribution of technicians with the contributions of farmers is highly valued by the entire group.

- We need to find instruments, tools, in order to improve peer to peer communication so that all farmers can express themselves.

To evaluate the demo results and conclusions, an online survey and a focus group were organized. The outcomes of the demo were mainly a clear identification of best practices to promote (new varieties, pesticides, and techniques) and also some problems and strategies to face together for the new year.

La demostración de Valdorba fue una iniciativa de la cooperativa agraria Valdorba apoyada por INTIA. Los objetivos de la demostración fueron: nuevas variedades de cereales y nuevos pesticidas en los cereales, así como la diversificación de cultivos. Los visitantes fueron 22 agricultores profesionales. Todos ellos son miembros activos de la cooperativa y muy abiertos a compartir sus experiencias prácticas. Durante la manifestación, hubo un recorrido guiado por los agricultores a sus parcelas y parcelas de prueba INTIA. La demostración fue positiva: estuvo bien organizada y fue muy interesante. Las principales recomendaciones prácticas fueron:

- La demostración tiene que ofrecer algo nuevo que los asistentes puedan ver beneficioso para sus intereses: nuevas técnicas, estar al día, conocer a otros profesionales...

- La manifestación debe ser organizada por alguien que los agricultores consideren preparado, experto y también cercano a ellos.

- Es necesario programar la demostración desde el principio, las pruebas de campo o la selección de técnicas deben diseñarse juntas para que se muestren el día del evento. Nunca improvises el día del evento.

- Todo el grupo valora mucho la integración de la contribución de los técnicos con las contribuciones de los agricultores.

- Necesitamos encontrar instrumentos, herramientas, para mejorar la comunicación entre pares para que todos los agricultores puedan expresarse.

Para evaluar los resultados y las conclusiones de la demostración, se organizaron una encuesta en línea y un grupo de enfoque. Los resultados de la demostración fueron principalmente una identificación clara de las mejores prácticas para promover y también algunos problemas y estrategias a enfrentar juntos para el nuevo año.

For the current case, the demonstrations are organized by innovation center of the plant protection products supplier and Bulgarian Crop Protection Association. The demonstrations address a whole range of problems that the farmers have with safety for humans and the environment use of plant protection products, with ensuring pollination of crops and with the protection of bees. It is demonstrated the innovative plant protection products and technologies and other tools (flowering buffer strips and “wooden hotels” for wild bees). Sustainability underlies the demonstration activities since most of farmers participated on demonstrations could start to apply the principles of integrated plant protection on their farms and they also start to protect bees. It is giving priority to ecologically safer methods, minimizing the undesirable side effects and use of agrochemicals, and enhancing the safeguard of the environment and human health. This case study supports the PLAID project to learn about what farmers, advisors and suppliers learn and how and what is interesting for participants in demonstrations.

The main lessons from this case study are:

•Most farmers plan to introduce into their farms only that part of the demonstrated issues that would have a very rapid impact on the economic viability of their farms.

•The demonstrations enabled the farmers to get acquainted with equipment suppliers and advisors as well as to establish better contacts with the host farm.

•The success of demonstrations related with environmental sustainability issues in crop production requires all organizers and presenters to be convinced in benefits of use environmentally friendly equipment, techniques, technologies and tools.

За настоящия казус демонстрациите се организират от иновационен център на компания за продукти за растителна защита (ПРЗ) и Асоциация "Растителнозащитна индустрия България". Демонстрациите са насочени към проблеми, които фермерите имат с безопасността за хората и околната среда (ОС), при използването на ПРЗ и при осигуряване на опрашването на културите и защитата на пчелите. Демонстрирани са иновативните продукти и технологии за РЗ и други инструменти (буферни цветни ивици и "дървени хотели" за земни пчели). Стремежът към устойчивост е в основата на провежданите по казуса демонстрации, като повечето участници могат да започнат да прилагат принципите на интегрираната РЗ в своите ферми и да опазват пчелите. На демонстрациите се дава приоритет на безопасни за ОС методи, намаляващи до минимум нежеланите странични ефекти при използване на ПРЗ, повишаващи опазването на ОС и човешкото здраве. Този казус подпомага проекта PLAID, за да научи повече какво фермерите, съветниците и компаниите доставчици научават и как, както и какво е интересно за участниците в демонстрациите.

Основните научени уроци от този казус са:

• Повечето фермери планират да въведат в стопанствата си само онази част от демонстрираните неща, които биха имали много бързо въздействие върху икономическата жизнеспособност на техните стопанства.

• Демонстрациите позволиха на фермерите да се запознаят с доставчиците на оборудване и съветниците, както и да установят по-добри контакти с фермата домакин.

• Успехът на демонстрациите, свързани с въпросите на екологичната устойчивост при производството на зърнени култури, изисква всички организатори и лектори да бъдат убедени в ползите от използването на съоръжения, техники, технологии и инструменти опазващи ОС.

The main providers of demonstration in Bulgaria are individual farmers, NAAS, Agricultural Academy, Agrarian Universities, NGOs and supply chain companies. Especially for the current case, the demonstrations are organized by Foundation for Organic Agriculture BIOSELENA and Trakia University - Stara Zagora. The demonstrations address problems that the farmers have with non-effective energy use and big energy consumption costs and with the milk quality and compliance with hygiene standards. It is demonstrated using renewable energy sources (RES) in milk production especially using RES for production of hot water for washing and cleaning is demonstrated. Sustainability underlies most of the demonstration activities since most of farmers participated on demonstrations could start use the similar RES. It is giving priority to ecologically safer methods, minimizing the use of non-renewable energy, and enhancing the safeguard of the environment. This case study supports the PLAID project to learn about what farmers, advisors, agrarian speciality students and suppliers learn and how and what is interesting for participants in demonstrations.

The main lessons from this case study are:

•In most cases only one demonstration on the topic is not enough for most farmer to be convinced to apply demonstrated innovations.

•The case study demonstration enabled the farmers and advisers who participated in it to get acquainted with some of the best scientists working in the field of RES and to establish better contacts with the host farm of the event.

•It is appropriate via AKIS to be organized training for researchers and university lecturers on moderation and presentation techniques during demonstrations.

Основните организатори на демонстрации в България са фермери, НССЗ, ССА, земеделски университети, НПО и търговски компании. Специално за настоящия казус демонстрациите се организират от Фондация за биологично земеделие “БИОСЕЛЕНА” и Тракийски университет - Ст.Загора. Демонстрациите са насочени към проблеми, които фермерите имат с неефективното използване и големите разходи за енергията, както и с качеството на млякото и спазването на хигиенните стандарти. Демонстрирано е използването на възобновяеми енергийни източници (ВЕИ) при производството на мляко в т.ч. за производство на топла вода за миене и почистване. Стремежът към устойчивост е в основата на провежданите по казуса демонстрации, като повечето участници биха могли да започнат да използват подобни ВЕИ. На демонстрациите се дава приоритет на безопасни за околната среда (ОС) методи, намаляващи до минимум използването на невъзобновяема енергия и подобряващи опазването на ОС. Този казус подпомага проекта PLAID, за да научи повече какво фермерите, съветниците, студенти от земеделски специалности и компаниите доставчици научават и как. Както и какво е интересно за участниците в демонстрациите.

Основните научени уроци от този казус са:

• В повечето случаи само една демонстрация по темата не е достатъчна за повечето фермери за да бъдат убедени да прилагат показаните иновации.

• Демонстрацията даде възможност на фермерите и съветниците, които участваха в нея, да се запознаят с някои от най-добрите учени в областта на ВЕИ и да установят по-добри контакти с фермата домакин.

• Подходящо е чрез СНЗИ да бъде организирано обучение за научни работници и университетски преподаватели относно техниките за водене и изнасяне на презентации по време на демонстрациите.

This case provides an interesting example of a fruitful collaboration between a real working family farm and a commercial supplier in demonstrating innovative techniques. At the Bayer Forward Farm, visitors can have a look at the newest techniques in crop protection, smart farming, water protection etc. on a real working farm and under real conditions. Visitors benefit from both the practical experience of the hosting farmers and the expert knowledge of the Bayer advisors. Bayer is aware of the possible pitfall of such a collaboration. They guard the credibility of their demonstration activities by not doing business at all at the demos and by collaborating with other organisations. The topics of the demonstration events are all about economic, ecological and societal sustainability. The hosting farm was chosen by Bayer because they also believe in the integral approach of farming, they had been working on sustainability on their farm for a long time, they are open for new investments and also because of their close proximity to Brussels. Very interesting is that target visitors include farmers as well as advisors, food chain representatives, the general public, politicians and regulatory authorities. The demonstrators collaborate with other organisations to increase the access to the farm. At the farm, there is a room where presentations can be given and where visitors can find a lot of information. Outside, visitors can have a look at the different techniques, test fields and installations. At some places, extra information is given by information boards. Participants of the demos highly appreciate the mix of theory and practice. Interactive discussions are triggered by the demonstrator, by asking questions and by making use of voting boxes.

Deze case biedt een interessant voorbeeld van een vruchtbare samenwerking tussen een familieboerderij en een commercieel bedrijf bij het demonstreren van innovaties. Op de Bayer Forward Farm kunnen bezoekers de nieuwste technieken op het gebied van gewasbescherming, smart farming, waterbescherming enz. zien op een echt landbouwbedrijf en onder reële omstandigheden. Bezoekers profiteren zowel van de praktische ervaring van de landbouwers als van de expertise van de Bayer-adviseurs. Bayer is zich bewust van de mogelijke valkuilen van zo'n samenwerking. Ze bewaken de geloofwaardigheid van hun demo's door geen zaken te doen en door samen te werken met andere organisaties. De onderwerpen gaan allemaal over economische, ecologische en maatschappelijke duurzaamheid. De boerderij werd door Bayer gekozen omdat ze ook geloven in een integrale aanpak, ze reeds lange tijd aan duurzaamheid hebben gewerkt op hun bedrijf, ze openstaan voor nieuwe investeringen en ook vanwege hun nabijheid bij Brussel. Zeer interessant is dat de doelgroep zowel boeren als adviseurs, vertegenwoordigers van de voedselketen, het grote publiek, politici en regelgevende instanties omvatten. De demonstranten werken samen met andere organisaties om de toegang tot de boerderij te vergroten. Op de boerderij is er een ruimte waar presentaties kunnen worden gegeven en waar bezoekers informatie kunnen vinden. Buiten kunnen bezoekers de verschillende technieken, testvelden en installaties bekijken, soms wordt extra informatie gegeven door informatieborden. Deelnemers aan de demo's stellen de mix van theorie en praktijk zeer op prijs. Interactieve discussies worden geactiveerd door de demonstrator, door vragen te stellen en door gebruik te maken van stemkastjes.

It has already been organized a few times by the consortium Enerpedia, which includes the Flemish practice and research farms and some knowledge and research centres. During the last Open Energy Day in March 2016, more than 20 agricultural and horticultural businesses, spread throughout the region of Flanders in Belgium, opened their doors to introduce other farmers to the innovative applications in the field of energy efficiency and sustainable energy production that they have implemented on their farm. Several visits were organised per farm, giving farmers the opportunity to visit several companies during the day. The farms to be visited were selected by the consultants and researchers of the consortium, based on their frequent contacts with the agricultural sector. To inform farmers about the various visits - both before and after - the consortium compiled a printed as well as an online brochure with general and technical information about the companies to be visited. The way the demonstration activities were held was not imposed on the receiving farm. The visits took mostly place in an informal atmosphere, mostly in smaller groups. As a result, there was a lot of opportunity for interactive conversations between the host farmer, the visitors, the consultants or researchers of the consortium and in some cases also the installer. This greatly stimulated the exchange of knowledge and experience with innovative energy techniques. In a few cases, consultants from the consortium took a group of farmers to a number of farms so they took them in a kind of guidance process during a day

De Open Energiedag werd al enkele keren georganiseerd door het consortium Enerpedia, waartoe de Vlaamse proefcentra en enkele kennis- en onderzoekscentra behoren. Tijdens de voorbije Open Energiedag in maart 2016 stelden meer dan 20 land- en tuinbouwbedrijven, verspreid over heel Vlaanderen, hun deuren open om landbouwers kennis te laten maken met de innovatieve toepassingen op het gebied van energie-efficiëntie en duurzame energieproductie die zij geïmplementeerd hebben op hun bedrijf. Per bedrijf gingen er verschillende bezoeken door, zodat landbouwers de kans kregen om tijdens de dag meerdere bedrijven te bezoeken. De te bezoeken landbouwbedrijven werden geselecteerd door de adviseurs en onderzoekers van het consortium, op basis van hun veelvuldige contacten met de landbouwsector. Om de landbouwers te informeren over de verschillende bezoeken - zowel vooraf als nadien-, stelde het consortium een gedrukte en een online brochure samen met algemene en technische info over de te bezoeken bedrijven. De manier waarop de demonstratie-activiteiten werden gehouden, werd vrijgelaten voor het ontvangende bedrijf. De bezoeken gebeurden in de meeste gevallen in een informele sfeer, meestal in kleinere groepjes. Hierdoor was er veel ruimte voor interactieve gesprekken tussen de bedrijfsleider, de bezoekers, de adviseurs of onderzoekers van het consortium en in enkele gevallen ook de installateur. Dit bevorderde in grote mate het uitwisselen van kennis en ervaring met innovatieve energietechnieken. In enkele gevallen namen adviseurs van het consortium een groepje landbouwers mee naar een aantal bedrijven waardoor zij hen gedurende de dag in een soort begeleidingstraject meenamen.

The Remote Control Irrigation Demonstrations 2017 (RC17) was organized by INTIA, in connection with the European projects Smart AKIS and PLAID, in the context of the development and dissemination of strategies for the promotion of advanced technologies for irrigation.

The objective was technical (Smart AKIS- dissemination of the remote control technological offer for irrigation systems) and methodological (Plaid), as target of this Practice Abstract, efficient management of the demonstration as a practical tool for dissemination and peer to peer learning.

The first lesson learnt is to understand how relevant the organization of the event is. Before the RC17 Demo we had 6 meetings with the organizing team. During the event the role of the facilitator is essential for the success of the demonstrations.In the fields the high number of people (60) in a sole group was a difficult to maintain the attention of most of the participants. We have realized that it is very important to monitor the events and also, that there is a lack of techniques to promote the interaction in the groups. People are more used to teach in a conventional up to down way. Training is absolutely necessary. After the Demonstrations there is time for the evaluation, we need to know the real impact of the event on the participants. As a complementary challenge of the impact of our demonstrations activities we tried to follow the real application of novelties by demo participants, and going farther, to understand the contribution of the demonstration in the application of demonstrated novelties by the larger farming community. Focus group is one the techniques to implement in our demo activities, empowering people to lead this kind of events in cooperation with technical organizations.

Las Demostraciones de Control Remoto en Riego 2017 (RC17) fueron organizadas por INTIA, en conexión con los proyectos europeos Smart AKIS y PLAID, en el contexto del desarrollo y diseminación de estrategias para la promoción de tecnologías avanzadas para el riego. El objetivo era técnico (Smart AKIS - difusión de la oferta tecnológica de control remoto para sistemas de riego) y metodológico (Plaid), como objetivo de esta práctica Resumen, gestión eficiente de la demostración como una herramienta práctica para la difusión y el aprendizaje entre iguales. Quizás la primera lección aprendida es comprender cuán relevante es la organización del evento. Antes del RC17Demo tuvimos 6 reuniones con el equipo organizador. Durante el evento, el rol del facilitador es esencial para el éxito de las demostraciones. En los campos, la gran cantidad de personas (60) en un solo grupo era difícil de mantener la atención de la mayoría de los participantes. Después de las Demostraciones hay tiempo para la evaluación, necesitamos conocer el impacto real del evento en los participantes. El uso de un cuestionario propuesto a los asistentes ofreció resultados interesantes. Sabemos que otras técnicas podrían ser más precisas, como grupo focal algunas semanas después de las demostraciones. Como un desafío complementario al impacto de nuestras actividades de demostración, la metodología Plaid propuso la aplicación real de novedades por parte de los participantes, para comprender la contribución de la demostración en la aplicación de novedades demostradas por la comunidad agrícola más grande. El grupo focal es una de las técnicas a implementar en nuestras actividades, que permite a las personas liderar este tipo de eventos en cooperación con organizaciones técnicas.

A first European Inventory of on-farm demonstration activities Together with AgriDemo, PLAID has developed the FarmDemo inventory: a European-wide, geo-referenced inventory, to provide an overview of on-farm demonstration activities and knowledge exchange modalities between farmers. The inventory reveals a wide range of these type of activities, but the extent of this diversity in Europe has not yet been assessed. We will analyze the data in the inventory in order to create a typology of on-farm demonstration activities which take place in Europe. The inventory characterizes on-farm demonstration activities on many aspects such as the targets and objectives of the demo activity, the innovations presented, the attendance, the main organizers and partners, their roles, the learning practices … The typology will explain the large diversité of the on-farm demonstration activities, which can range from a clear top-down approach, with a unidirectional and hierarchical flow from science to potential end-users, to a bottom-up approach, where innovation results from a direct and close interaction between farmers, advisers and researchers, during the whole process (planning, design and conduction of the on-farm demonstration).

Un premier inventaire européen des activités de démonstration en ferme. Le projet PLAID, en partenariat avec le projet AGRIDEMO produit FarmDemo, le premier inventaire géo-référencé des ferms de démonstration. Il permet d’avoir une vision large des actions de démonstration et des modalités d’échanges de connaissance entre agriculteurs. Grâce à la bibliographie et l’expérience des partenaires de FarmDemo nous avons identifié que ces actions étaient très différentes mais qu’aucune étude n’a évalué à l’échelle européenne l’étendue de cette diversité. Nous analyserons les données collectées lors de l’inventaire pour aboutir à une typologie des actions de démonstration qui ont lieu en Europe. Cette typologie permettra de différencier et répartir les actions de démonstration selon leurs caractéristiques, qu’ils s’agisse de leurs cibles, de leurs objectifs, des innovations présentées, des acteurs impliqués et de leurs rôles ou des méthodes d’apprentissage et d’échanges de connaissances développées. Cette typologie aura pour objectif de présenter la diversité des actions de démonstration, sachant que la diffusion peut être très descendante en allant des résultats de recherche aux utilisateurs finaux (approche « top-down) ou au contraire être basée sur la valorisation des interactions directes entre les agriculteurs, conseillers et chercheurs.

INOSYS Réseaux d'Elevage is a network of about 1500 livestock farms all over France, chosen in a diversity of livestock farming systems (dairy and beef cattle, sheep, goat, horse). The main objective of the network is to build and share technical, economic and social references on livestock farming systems and to make known the diversity of practices adapted to a diversity of local situations and farmers' choices. Farms are followed and supported by advisors and scientists from Agricultural Chambers and the French Livestock Institute. The methodology is systemic, with a specific attention to economic and organisationnal aspects. Every year some regions chose toorganise open farm days and farmers open their doors to other farmers and advisers. The idea is to show innovative, efficient, profitable ways of farming and to share ideas.

Farmers open their doors on a voluntary bases but benefit of a support by advisers to structure the content of the day, organise it and communicate.

INOSYS Réseaux d'Elevage est un réseau de près de 1500 fermes d'élevage de ruminants, réparties sur toute la France et dans une grande diversité de systèmes d'élevages de bovins lait et viande, ovins lait et viande, caprins et équins. L'objectif de ce Réseau est de construire et faire connaitre des références technico-économiques sur les systèmes d'élevage et de paratger la diversité des façons de produire adaptées à la diversité des situations et des choix des éleveurs. Les fermes sont accompagnées et analysées par les Chambres d'Agriculture et l'Institut de l'Elevage, avec une approche systémique, et un regard particulier sur les questions économiques et sociales. Tous les ans, un certain nombre de journées portes ouvertes sont ogranisées dans les fermes, en fonction des choix de chaque région, pour faire connaitre des modes de production innovants, des façons de s'organiser efficaces, des résultats économiques performants ...

Les éleveurs ouvrent leurs fermes sur la base du volontariat, mais sont accompagnés par les ingénieurs qui les accompagnent dans la définition du contenu de la journée, de son organisation, et de la communication pour faire connaitre ces journées.

The Reine Mathilde program relies on 3 partner farms: a farm showcase on which trials are carried out and 2 other farms integrated in 2015 to represent a greater diversity of organic Normandy dairy systems. One of Reine Mathilde's priority targets is organic or conventional farmers. The objective is to help them optimize their system or make them discover innovative organic practices, show them balanced systems, and support them in a possible conversion. The farms’ open door days are one of the flagship tools of the program to disseminate the findingson a practical basis and to promote the Reine Mathilde expertise. 3 open door days are organized every year:

- 1 in April dedicated to students in agricultural high schools, to educate future farmers in Agrobiology. Itis organised around 6 workshops on organic production: regulation, rotation and management of crops and forage, dairy herd management, economic results, equipment used, and testimony of the farmer

- 1 in June for all audiences (farmers, advisors consultants, students, salespeople ...) to present the field trials conducted on the showcase farm through various demonstration platforms.

- 1 in September for all audiences to present the new results of the Reine Mathilde program and illustrate them concretely on the chosen farm. This open door days combine plenary sessions of mini-symposium and rotating workshops, with various themes: farmer's conversion strategy, economic results, environmental monitoring ... or other innovative topics.

Le programme Reine Mathilde s’appuie sur 3 fermes partenaires : une ferme vitrine sur laquelle sont implantés les essais végétaux, et 2 autres fermes intégrées en 2015 pour représenter une plus grande diversité des systèmes laitiers bio Normands. Une des cibles prioritaires de Reine Mathilde est de s’adresser aux éleveurs, qu’ils soient bio ou conventionnels, pour les aider à optimiser leur système ou leur faire découvrir des pratiques bio innovantes, leur montrer des systèmes équilibrés et les accompagner dans le cadre d’une éventuelle conversion. Les journées portes ouvertes en ferme sont un des outils phare du programme pour diffuser les acquis avec un support concret et faire rayonner l’expertise Reine Mathilde. 3 journées portes ouvertes sont organisées chaque année :

- 1 en avril dédiée aux scolaires en formation agricole, pour sensibiliser les éleveurs de demain à l’Agrobiologie. Elle s’articule autour de 6 ateliers sur la production bio : réglementation, rotation et conduite des cultures et fourrages, gestion du troupeau laitier, résultats économiques, matériel utilisé, et témoignage de l’exploitant.

- 1 en juin tout public (agriculteurs, techniciens, conseillers, scolaires, commerciaux…) pour présenter les essais culturaux en plein champs conduits sur la ferme vitrine à travers diverses plateformes de démonstration.

- 1 en septembre tout public pour présenter les nouveaux résultats du programme et les illustrer concrètement sur la ferme choisie. Cette porte ouverte alterne des séquences plénières de type mini-colloque et des ateliers tournants, avec des thématiques variables : stratégie de conversion des exploitants, résultats économiques, suivis environnementaux… ou d’autres sujets innovants.

Res Uvae is a viticultural farm, placed in Castell’Arquato, Piacenza, Italy. Whereas producing grapes and selling wine, the estate is strongly oriented to demonstration activities that are organized in collaboration with Horta, a spin-off of Catholic University.

Demonstration activities are carried out under the brand DEMOdays. Ten to 15, 1-day long DEMOdays are organized every year on various topics of sustainable viticulture, including: i) all aspects of the SUS (Sustainable Use of Pesticides, based on Directive 128/2009/EC) by using pilot installations; ii) fertilization and fertirrigation by using a pilot installation; iii) vine canopy management; iv) pest (arthropods, diseases and weed) control; v) security in agricultural operations.

DEMOdays are organized in such a way to have an introduction to the topic by specialists, demonstration in field of the different innovations (e.g., machinery, products, techniques, etc.) by the producers, “proof of evidence” by testimonials who already adopted the innovations, and finally a discussion among participants leaded by facilitators.

The demo activity started in 2015, and has already obtained a significant success thanks to the fruitful collaboration between the farm, the farmer’s associations, local policy-makers, media partners, and the suppliers of the innovation.

Res Uvae è un’azienda vitivinicola situata in Castell’Arquato, Piacenza, Italia. Oltre a produrre uve e vendere il proprio vino, Res Uva è fortemente vocata all’attività dimostrativa in campo, organizzata in collaborazione con Horta, uno spin-off dell’Università Cattolica.

Le attività dimostrative sono svolte sotto il marchio DEMOdays. Ogni anno vengono organizzate da 10 a 15 giornate dedicate a diversi temi della viticoltura sostenibile, tra cui: i) tutti gli aspetti del SUS (uso sostenibile dei pesticidi, basato sulla direttiva 128/2009/EC) utilizzando impianti pilota; ii) fertilizzazione e fertirrigazione usando istallazioni pilota; iii) gestione della chioma della vite; iv) controllo delle infezioni (artropodi, malattie e malerbe); v) sicurezza nelle operazioni agricole.

La struttura tipica dei DEMOdays prevede un’introduzione del tema da parte di uno specialista, dimostrazione in vigneto delle diverse soluzioni tecnologiche (es: macchinari, prodotti, tecnologie ecc.) da parte dei fornitori, esperienza di agricoltori che hanno adottato l’innovazione, ed infine una discussione tra i partecipanti guidata da facilitatori

L’attività dimostrativa è iniziata nel 2015 ed ha già ottenuto un buon successo grazie alla fruttuosa collaborazione tra l’azienda, le associazioni agricole, le istituzioni locali, i media partner e i fornitori dell’innovazione.

There are many ways for organising learning through agricultural demonstrations. Quite often these events are highly formalised, but they can also be efficiently organised on an informal basis. A case study in Latvia on annual mutual farm visits of cooperative members in fruit production represents a bottom-up initiative by primary producers to share knowledge and experiences on their farming practices. It is not mandatory to have a formally structured demonstration process with a strict set of pre-arranged methods. The major advantage of the observed peer-to-peer learning activities are the real-farm management conditions and the readiness to also share farming failures. The presence of several members of the host farm encourages engagement of participants of both genders, different age groups, etc., thereby increasing the likelihood of learning on a more diverse range of topics. Farmers’ self-organisation in smaller peer groups (2-4 persons) strongly enhances learning and exchange of experiences. Peer-to-peer learning during farm visits consists of numerous small episodes of verbal and non-verbal interactions that are used to demonstrate and initially validate a new technical artefact or method. The established relationships between participants facilitate learning not only by the visiting farmers but also the host. There is a strong complementarity of the closed activities of the group and demonstrations attended by its members as part of exhibitions, rural days, study visits. Many novelties are borrowed from pioneering farms outside the cooperative’s own network. Regular and diverse learning activities enable knowledge flows and back up farmer’s decision to convert the first demonstration impulse into one’s own practice.

Ir dažādi veidi, kā veicināt zināšanu apmaiņu un mācīšanos lauksaimniecības demonstrējumos. Bieži vien tie tiek īstenoti strukturēti un plānveidīgi, bet vienlīdz nozīmīgas ir arī neformālas iniciatīvas. Latvijā pētīti augļkopju kooperatīva biedru ikgadēji saimniecību apmeklējumi ilustrē primāro ražotāju īstenotu ierosmi savstarpējā zināšanu apmaiņā. Šī pieredze rāda, ka lietderīgam demonstrējumam nav obligāti jābūt īstenotam ar iepriekš skaidri izstrādātām metodēm. Novērotās lauksaimnieku neformālas savstarpējas mācīšanās būtiska priekšrocība ir saimniecības ikdienas praktiskās darbības apstākļu vērojumi un dalībnieku gatavība dalīties pieredzē arī par saimniekošanā pieļautajām kļūdām. Vairāku saimniecības pārstāvju klātbūtne veicina abu dzimumu, dažādu vecumu u.c. dalībnieku iesaisti, vairojot mācīšanās iespējamību par plašāku jautājumu loku. Dalībnieku spontāna sadalīšanās 2-4 cilvēku grupās būtiski veicina savstarpēju zināšanu un pieredzes apmaiņu. Mācīšanās no kolēģiem apmeklējuma laikā sastāv no daudziem īsiem sarunu un bezvārdu mijiedarbības brīžiem, kuros tiek izrādītas un sākotnēji novērtētas jaunas tehnikas vienības vai saimniekošanas paņēmieni. Starp dalībniekiem jau iedibinātās attiecības veicina ne tikai apmeklētāju, bet arī saimniecības īpašnieku mācīšanās iespējas. Būtisks papildinājums grupas slēgtajām aktivitātēm ir tās locekļu dalībai arī citos demonstrējumu pasākumos izstādēs, lauku dienās, mācību braucienos. Daudzi jauninājumi tiek aizgūti no citām progresīvām saimniecībām. Regulāras un daudzveidīgas informācijas ieguves iespējas rada labu augsni zināšanu apmaiņai un palīdz lauksaimniekiem lēmumu pieņemšanā par citviet redzētā ieviešanu savā saimniecībā.

On farm demonstrations in Scotland are limited in number but diverse in subject area. They are often facilitated by advisors and Government organisations, which receive their funding from a combination of Scottish Government and European Commission. These demonstrations are held on commercial farms and the subject is carefully selected either in response to current issues or driven by farmer demand. Some groups focus on animal health and behaviour whilst others are driven by arable procedures. A small number are currently involved in looking at ‘a low carbon sustainable future, adapting to climate change and securing farm viability for future generations’. To encourage famer participation they often have an underlying focus of enabling farmers to maintain or increase their profitability.

The facilitators focus on knowledge exchange between the hosting farmer (some cases family) and the visiting farmers, they use a combination of ‘expert’ speakers and practical ‘in field’ demonstration followed by a question and answer session. Refreshments are provided to encourage social interaction, often it is here the peer-to-peer exchange of innovation occurs, inspired by the demonstration which has initiated an extension of discussion and exchange of views. Some events are organised by organisations on commercial farms as one off events whilst others are part of an organised series of events covering various topics which are farmer driven. Most organised events collect feedback and some facilitators follow up 6 months later, which would be interesting analyse.

In Scotland very few demonstrations on commercial farms are run independently without being driven by similar initiatives.

Demonstration activities in agriculture aim at facilitating learning and knowledge transfer. They have been carried out in France for many years, by many actors, with a diversity of objectives. FarmDemo inventory provides an overview of this diversity. Research organisations own experimental farms to test disruptive technical innovations as well as innovative systems for the future. Their main objectives are research activities, but demonstration are yearly carried out. Applied research organisations like technical institutes and agricultural chambers also carry out trials in their farms, with directly applied objectives, oriented by farmers. Demonstration is one of the main objectives of experimental activities. Agricultural colleges and high schools also own farm, used by the students, but also for demonstration purposes. Finally, every year several thousand farmers open their farms to their colleagues, to students, advisors or policy makers. They aim at showing the results of on farm trials, carried out in real conditions, to test the feasibility or interest of technical or organisational innovation. They also can intend to present new, innovative, different, questioning ways of production, in order to initiate discussions or provide new ideas. Demonstration activity often associate private firms which present new material or varieties. In every situation, dialogue between farmers, students, advisers and scientists are very powerful means to facilitate learning and change.

Organiser l’apprentissage et le transfert de connaissances au travers d’activités de démonstration est une activité ancienne en agriculture, qui répond à des objectifs variés et prend des formes diverses. L’inventaire conduit par FarmDemo en offre un panorama. Les organismes de recherche testent dans leurs fermes des innovations de ruptures comme des systèmes innovants pour demain. L’objectif premier est la recherche, mais ces stations ouvrent leurs portes. Les Instituts Techniques ou les Chambres d’Agriculture conduisent des essais dans leurs fermes expérimentales, avec des objectifs appliqués, et une orientation directe des travaux par des agriculteurs. La démonstration est tout autant un objectif que la recherche. Les lycées ou grandes écoles agricoles utilisent leurs fermes, à des fins d’enseignement comme de démonstration. Enfin, chaque année, plusieurs milliers d’agriculteurs ouvrent leurs portes à leurs collègues, aux étudiants, conseillers ou décideurs. Ils mettent en avant des essais réalisés en conditions réelles ou montrent des façons de produire différentes, ou qui interpellent et peuvent être source d’inspiration et d’échanges. Souvent les activités de démonstration associent également des entreprises privées qui exposent du matériel ou des variétés nouvelles. Le dialogue entre agriculteurs, étudiants, conseillers et chercheurs ainsi que l’observation directe, sont de puissants vecteurs d’apprentissage et de changement.

It seems to be common knowledge that agricultural demonstrations represent an inherently good support tool for farmers in improving their farming practices. But the question remains what makes one demonstration more successful than others? The initial review of academic and practice-based publications shows that success of a demonstration depends on more than one factor. It is not only about defining a clear objective and choosing the right (attractive, timely, practical, locally appropriate) topic of interest to farmers. It is also about selecting the most appropriate demonstration site with preference given to demonstrations under realistic farming conditions, in proximity to the target audience. Properly reaching out to and incentivising both the host and attendants through early engagement, wide publicity targeting diverse social groups (age, gender, employment status), and social recognition can play a crucial role in the success of the demonstration. It is also of utmost importance to select the right facilitator of the demonstration, someone highly experienced, respected in the community, and acquainted with local farming conditions. This said, there is also no way to overestimate the role of the very demonstration process and the learning methods used, be it verbal communication or hands-on activities. The major challenge here relates to the skill of not overloading the farmers, ensuring a good balance of repetition and novelty, active and passive learning, as well as ¬facilitating open debate and knowledge exchange both between advisor and farmers and among peers. The single demonstration should be followed-up with additional meetings, coaching, individual counselling along with supplementary sources of information.

Liekas teju pašsaprotami, ka demonstrējumi ir labs atbalsta instruments lauksaimniekiem saimnieciskās darbības pilnveidē. Tomēr paliek atklāts jautājums – kas nosaka konkrētā demonstrējuma veiksmi? Akadēmisko un praksē balstīto publikāciju analīze liecina, ka demonstrējuma izdošanās atkarīga no vairākiem faktoriem. Svarīga ir skaidra mērķa izvirzīšana un pareizas (lauksaimniekiem saistošas, aktuālas, praktiskas, vietējiem apstākļiem atbilstošas) tēmas izvēle. Būtiski izvēlēt arī piemērotu demonstrējuma vietu, priekšroku dodot reālos saimniekošanas apstākļos strādājošām un viegli sasniedzamām saimniecībām. Nozīmīgu lomu spēlē pareiza demonstrējumu veicošā lauksaimnieka un apmeklētāju uzrunāšana un motivēšana, tos iesaistot jau agrīnā plānošanā, kā arī nodrošinot demonstrējuma publicitāti dažādās sociālajās (vecuma, dzimuma, nodarbinātības) mērķa grupās un sabiedrisku atzinību tā dalībniekiem. Nepārvērtējama loma ir piemērotai demonstrējuma vadītāja izvēlei, kurā būtiska ir saimniekošanas pieredze, cieņa profesionālajā kopienā, kā arī vietējo saimniekošanas apstākļu pārzināšana. Vienlaicīgi nedrīkst par zemu novērtēt pašu demonstrējuma procesu un tajā pielietotās metodes plašajā klāstā no mutiskas saziņas līdz praktiskām nodarbēm. Galvenais izaicinājums te saistīts ar dalībnieku nepārsātināšanu ar informāciju, sabalansējot gan jaunu un jau zināmu lietu pasniegšanu, gan aktīvas un pasīvas mācīšanās elementus, kā arī veicinot brīvu diskusiju un zināšanu apmaiņu kā konsultantu un lauksaimnieku starpā, tā pašu lauksaimnieku vidū. Svarīgas ir arī konkrētam demonstrējumam sekojošas aktivitātes – apmācības, individuālas konsultācijas, papildu informācijas avotu nodrošināšana.

Demonstration farming has a long history in Europe. The first step towards formal demonstration was taken in 1800 with the establishment of the Hofwyl model farm in Switzerland which “excited much notice on the continent” as the first institute of its kind. Hofwyl was an educational institute with a “model” or “pattern” farm attached. Capo-D’Istra (1814, 55) reports of the attached pattern farm that it “… offers to cultivators the principle and the application of all that has been found advantageous, and, at the same time, the most accurate practical details.” A similar school with attached model/pattern farm was established at Mögelin in Germany in 1804 and together these two institutes formed the model for demonstration farming in Europe. In the early 1800s model farms spread across Central Europe such that by the 1830s every German state had at least one agricultural school combined with a model farm. In the United Kingdom progress was slower with the first model farms emerging in the 1840s. By the mid-1800s 71 “model farm schools” were also in operation in France, a number were operated by noblemen in Hungary and even Ireland had a large network of over 100 model farm schools. The concept was Europe-wide. Model farms were, however, generally funded by wealthy benefactors and therefore often divorced from the social, economic and environmental realities shared by neighbouring farmers. Factors such as the perceived political or class motivations of the demonstrators, the need for investment capital, their location on the best land in the district, failure to follow local production types, labour requirements, and a lack of openness of information meant that the actions on these early demonstration farms were often not imitated locally

Farm demonstrations in the UK vary in the four individual Countries of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The majority of on-farm demonstrations are initiated by organisations (except in England where farmer led demonstrations are more common). Even where organisations set up a network of farms it is the farmers who actively choose to offer their premises to host the demonstrations and the organisers are increasingly encouraging the farmers to lead the choice of demonstration topic. In some cases a management team for the demonstration farm or whole network discuss and select the topics to be demonstrated responding to current trends, innovations or to troubleshoot problems. Increasingly local farm advisor groups are engaged to act as facilitators to ensure smooth running of the actual events. The purpose of the demonstrations are diverse but often with an underlying slant towards increasing farm profit. Demonstrations taking place on farms in the UK are increasing in popularity but increased availability of funding for farmers to host their own demonstrations may encourage them to take the initiative. It has been observed that the increasing use of social media to widely advertise demonstration events has helped increase attendance. To help remote communities become more involved the use of Innovative technology such as webinars and Virtual Farms may allow increased access to innovations and training opportunities.

In Slovenia, there has been a long tradition of demonstrations on farms which diminished in the nineties, but was revived again with organic farming where currently most of on-farm demonstration activity takes place. The major providers are supply chain companies and NGOs/charities, followed by the public Agricultural Advisory Service and a university. Farmers’ initiative in organizing is generally not very strong, but in organic farming this is different and there is some strong leadership among the farmers themselves. Demonstrations mostly aim at education, training, improvement of the environment, social recognition, local economic development, technology promotion, competitiveness and productivity; the last two aspects are especially important for private companies while the scientific aspect is pronounced in the activities of the university. In case of organic farming there is a strong focus on the whole farm approach. Demonstration activities are funded by public programs (EU and state) and private funds; the participants in some cases also contribute their share. Demonstrations on farms have been very important for the development, especially for the organic sector, so the farmers would benefit from the increase and diversification of the offer.

V Sloveniji obstaja tradicija demonstracij na kmetijah, katerih število pa se je v devetdesetih letih zmanjšalo. Demonstracije so znova so oživele z ekološkim kmetovanjem, kjer trenutno poteka večina teh dejavnosti. Glavni ponudniki so podjetja in nevladne organizacije, sledi Javna kmetijska svetovalna služba in univerza v Mariboru (FKBV). Pobuda za izvajanje pri kmetih na splošno ni zelo močna, drugače pa je v ekološkem kmetovanju. Demonstracije na kmetijah so usmerjene predvsem v izobraževanje, usposabljanje, izboljšanje okolja, družbeno priznanje, lokalni gospodarski razvoj, spodbujanje tehnologij, konkurenčnost in produktivnost; zadnja dva vidika sta posebej pomembna za podjetja, v dejavnostih univerze pa se odraža raziskovalni vidik. V primeru ekološkega kmetovanja je tudi močan poudarek na celotni kmetiji. Dejavnosti financirajo javni programi (EU in država) in zasebni skladi; udeleženci v nekaterih primerih prispevajo tudi svoj delež. Demonstracije na kmetijah so zelo pomembne za razvoj v kmetijstvu, zlasti za ekološki sektor, zato bi kmetje imeli koristi od povečanja in diverzifikacije ponudbe.

There is a long history of on farm demonstrations in Serbia. As a rule of a thumb, the main initiators of demonstration activities in Serbia, especially in the most widespread sector (i.e. arable crops, fruit, vegetables, diary/meet cattle) are the state and input providers. The exception are specialized sectors such as organic production and beekeeping where producers are main initiators and the organizers of knowledge transfer.

The purpose of demonstration commonly is to enable increase productivity on the basis of technical and technological improvements and innovative products and solutions. When organized by input providers, on farm demonstrations also aim to promote products portfolio and increase market share.

“Field days” or “Field walks” are the commonest mean for getting the farmer in direct contact with what is promoted in demonstration activity. These events are organized either in experimental fields/farm of the research institute, advisory service, comercial company or at production field/farm of representative farmer that uses the product or technology of interest. In both cases farmer can be responsible for presenting/demonstrating the results to its peers but usually demonstration is designed by research institute, advisory service or company and aim to promote either new technologies, best practice or companies’ portfolio and its advantages.

Istorija organizovanja demonstracija poljoprivredne proizvodnje je duga u Srbiji. Po pravilu inicijatori ovakvog vida prenosa znanja, posebnu u najzastupljenijim sektorima srpske poljoprivrede (ratarstvo, voćarstvo, povrtarstvo i stočarstvo), su država i kompanije koje snbdevaju poljoprivrednike repromaterijalom. Izuzetak su specijalizovani sektori kao što je organska proizvodnja i pčelarstvo gde sami proizvođači iniciraju i organizuju transfer znanja.

Demonstracione aktivnosti u poljoprivredi omogućavaju upoznavanje sa novim tehnološkim rešenjima i proizvodima a sve sa ciljem da pomognu povećanje produktivnosti. Kada ih organizuju dobavljači repromaterijala, demonstracije imaju za cilj i da promovišu proizvode kako bi uvećali njihov udeo na tržištu.

Uobičajen način da poljoprivredni proizvođači dođu u kontakt sa rezultatom demonstracione aktivnosti jesu "dani polja". Ovi događaji se organizuju na proizvodnom polju ili farmi kojima upravlja naučna ustanova, savetodavna služba, proizvođač ili distributer repromaterijala. Takođe "dani polja" se organizuju i na gazdinstvu istaknutog proizvođača koji u svojoj praksi koristi proizvod ili tehnologiju koja je predmet prenosa znanja. Tokom "dana polja" poljoprivredni proizvođač može biti uključen u prikazivanje rezultata demonstracije ali eksperiment najčešće dizajnira naučna ustanova, savetodavna služba, proizvođač ili distributer repromaterijala sa ciljem da promoviše novu tehnologiju, najbolju praksu ili portfolio proizvoda dostupnih na tržištu.

In Romania there are three major types of farms that organize demonstration activities with certain regularity. (1) Large commercial farms, which organises demo activities as partners of supply companies. Their typical demo activity is the presentation of demonstrative plots, thus advertising the products of the supply companies. These externally initiated events are organizes relatively rare, but for large audiences. (2) State-funded research institutes are characterized by a smaller number of self-initiated demo activities, but with a relatively large number of participants. (3) Middle-sized family farms are frequently focusing on green technologies, their demo activity partially being ideologically motivated, partially by their interest in selling new varieties. Usually their demo activities are self-initiated and -funded.

Most of the demonstration farms are tillage farms, environmental sustainability (biodiversity and nature management, soil fertility management, and ecological footprint)being the most frequent topic of their demo activities. Farms with animal husbandry are much rare, they preferring as topics of their demo activities animal nutrition or feeding, animal health management and welfare, and food/feed processing. The Romanian demonstration farms almost do not pay attention at all to issues of social justice.

The most freuently used methods durint the demonstration activities are the farm-field walks, oral presentations, interactiv discussions and field trials. The main target audience of the demonstrative activities in Romania is the young adult farmers. Older farmers and women have relatively lower access to these services.

În România se găsesc trei tipuri principale de ferme care organizează activități demonstrative cu o anumită regularitate.

(1) Ferme comerciale mari. Acestea organizează activități demonstrative ca și parteneri ai companiilor furnizoare de inputuri agricole. Activitatea lor principală constă în prezentarea de loturi demonstrative cu scopul de a populariza produsele firmelor. Activitățile lor inițiate din exterior sunt relativ rare, dar cu mulți vizitatori.

(2) Instituții de cercetare finanțate de stat. Acestea au un număr mai mic de activități demonstrative, dar la fel ca precedentele au un public relativ mare.

(3) Ferme familiale. Aceste ferme se concentrează pe tehnologii ecologice, având o activitate demonstrativă inițiată și finanțată din fondurile proprii, motivată atât ideologic cât și de interesul de a vinde soiuri noi.

Majoritatea sunt ferme de prelucrare a solului, sustenabilitatea mediului (biodiversitatea și managementul naturii, managementul fertilității solului și amprenta ecologică) fiind cel mai frecvent subiect al activităților lor demonstrative. Fermele de creștere a animalelor sunt mult mai rare, subiectele preferate ale acestora fiind hrănirea, gestionarea sănătății și bunăstarea animalelor, respectiv producția de furaje. Problema justiției sociale nu apare aproape deloc pe agenda fermelor demonstrative din România.

Cele mai frecvente metode utilizate în cadrul activităților demonstrative sunt plimbările pe terenul agricol, prezentările orale, discuțiile interactive și studiile de teren. Principalul grup-țintă al activităților demonstrative din România sunt fermierii tineri adulți. Agricultorii mai în vârstă și femeile au acces relativ scăzut la aceste servicii.

Most of the demonstration actions aim to teach and spread cultural practices that improve agricultural preservation, environmental management, biodiversity, protection of species and animal health and wellfare. Rule of thumb, all organizations have in mind the environmental and economic sustainability. Normally in Portugal, despite the demonstration activities being connected to one single crop, species or specific equipment in some cases, are generally performed learnings of interconnected practices, for example, production of olive and mechanization of olive grove, the soil quality and final product quality. Normally the activities are more practical and dedicate more time to field trials, demonstration display (e.g. equipment, machinery), farm-field walks (peer observation), hands-on experience/training sessions/workshops, though there is also place for oral presentations/seminar ('expert'-led). The main reasons why the organizations hold demonstration activities are educational and training opportunities, improved environmental conditions, local economic development, information gathering/sharing, knowledge creation, strengthen the farming community, networking, research implementation and nature conservation.

A maioria das atividades de demonstrações em Portugal visam ensinar e divulgar práticas culturais que melhorem a preservação agrícola, a gestão ambiental, a biodiversidade, a proteção de espécies e o bem-estar e saúde animal. Regra geral, todas as organizações têm em mente a sustentabilidade ambiental e económica. Normalmente em Portugal, as atividades de demostração apesar de, em alguns casos, estarem relacionadas apenas com uma cultura, espécie ou equipamento específico, são geralmente efetuadas aprendizagens de práticas interrelacionadas, como por exemplo, a produção de azeitona e a mecanização do olival, a qualidade dos solos, as alterações climáticas e a qualidade do produto final. Geralmente, estas ações são mais práticas e dedicam mais tempo aos ensaios experimentais de campo, à observação direta (no campo), aos materiais de demonstração (equipamento, maquinaria), a experiências concretas/sessões de formação/workshops, no entanto há lugar também para apresentações orais/seminários (liderados por especialistas). As principais razões pelas quais as organizações realizam atividades de demonstração estão ligadas a oportunidades de educação e formação, melhoria das condições ambientais, desenvolvimento económico local, recolha/partilha de informação, criação de conhecimento, reforço da comunidade agrícola, networking, implementação da investigação e a conservação da natureza.

Demonstration activities in the Netherlands date back to the middle of the 19th century and were led by abbeys. In response to the agricultural crisis at the end of the 19th century, the Dutch government took initiative to develop more market orientation. In this period also cooperatives started. From the Second World War the research, education and extension were developed in a comprehensive way by the ministry of agriculture, focussed on higher production. From the 90s extension services were privatised and had to work on commercial basis. Education and research were concentrated in Wageningen and some University of applied sciences. Many practical demonstration units were closed. Attention shifted to new targets, e.g. sustainability, and tendering of support activities.

The Dutch inventory is dominated by crop, tree and plant production demos. Next to this, animal husbandry demos are carried out in each animal sector; beef, dairy, goat, poultry. The topics of demonstration vary strongly. Many topics are linked to sustainability, especially the whole farm approaches, like biodiversity and nature management, climate change mitigation and adaption. Single technologies are dominant in the topics crop protection, variety choice, machinery, housing and rearing systems.

The farmers organisation and the supply chain companies are the main funders and providers of demo's, followed by research and extension.

Demo events usually feature a mixed format of an indoor presentation and/or company fair with an outdoor guided tour/field walk and/or machinery demonstration. In new economic activities, the women are driving forces as demonstrator and visitor. In conventional sectors, it is mostly men.

Demo's in Nederland dateren uit het midden van de 19e eeuw en werden geleid door abdijen. In reactie op de landbouwcrisis aan het einde van de 19e eeuw nam de Nederlandse overheid het initiatief om meer marktgerichtheid te ontwikkelen. In deze periode zijn ook coöperaties gestart. Vanaf de Tweede Wereldoorlog werden onderzoek, onderwijs en voorlichting ontwikkeld vanuit het ministerie van landbouw, gericht op hogere productie. Vanaf de jaren 90 werden voorlichtingsdiensten geprivatiseerd en commercieel basis. Onderwijs en onderzoek werd geconcentreerd in Wageningen en bij enkele hogescholen. Veel praktische onderzoeks- en demonstratie locaties werden gesloten. De aandacht verschoof naar nieuwe doelen, b.v. duurzaamheid en aanbesteding van ondersteunende activiteiten.

Daarnaast worden veeteelt demo's uitgevoerd in alle sectoren; rundvlees, zuivel, geiten, pluimvee. Veel onderwerpen zijn gekoppeld aan duurzaamheid, met name die voor de gehele bedrijfsbenadering, zoals biodiversiteit en natuurbeheer, mitigatie en adaptatie van klimaatverandering. Enkelvoudige technologieën zijn dominant bij gewasbescherming, rassenkeuze, machines, huisvesting en opfoksystemen. De boerenorganisatie en de toeleveringsbedrijven zijn de belangrijkste financiers en organisatoren van demo's, gevolgd door onderzoek en voorlichting. Demo's bevatten meestal een gemengd programma bestaande uit een presentatie en / of bedrijvenmarkt binnen, met een geleide rondgang en / of demonstraties van machines buiten. Bij nieuwe economische activiteiten zijn de vrouwen de drijvende krachten als demonstrator en bezoeker. In conventionele sectoren zijn het meestal mannen.

Agricultural demonstrations in the territory of Latvia date back to the turn of the 18th-19th century when serfdom was abolished, literacy level was rising, and initial self-organisation of farmers into unions began. Formal demonstrations are nowadays predominantly organised by public research and advisory organisations, either with or without the involvement of commercial farms. Demonstration activities are also initiated and supported by selected NGOs and producers’ cooperatives. Funding for demonstration activities comes from both national and international sources and is frequently project-based. Typical publicly organised demonstration events take the form of Rural/Farm days that are held by each organisation at least once or twice a year. These events usually feature a mixed format of an indoor lecture/seminar and a field walk. There are also smaller scale more informal formats of peer-to-peer learning like mutual farm visits by cooperative members or interest groups of farmers assisted by local advisors. Specialised educational farms are used primarily for training of future agricultural specialists. Demonstrations span several sectors and include arable combinable and root crops, fodder crops, open field vegetables, fruit trees and shrubs, and animal husbandry (grazing livestock). Demonstrations pertain to both conventional and integrated/biological systems of agricultural production. Most demonstrations are primarily oriented towards improved efficiency of farming in terms of productivity (economic sustainability) followed by environmental sustainability. While demonstrations are held in all the regions of Latvia, there are some imbalances in their distribution especially in peripheral areas.

Lauksaimnieciskie demonstrējumi Latvijas teritorijā datējami vismaz ar 18.-19. gs. miju, kad pakāpeniski tika atcelta dzimtbūšana, paaugstinājās lasīt- un rakstītpratības līmenis un sāka veidoties pirmās zemnieku apvienības. Formālos demonstrējumus mūsdienās lielākoties organizē valsts zinātniskie institūti un lauksaimniecības konsultāciju organizācijas, tostarp piesaistot vietējās komercsaimniecības. Demonstrējumus atbalsta arī atsevišķas nevalstiskās organizācijas un ražotāju kooperatīvi. Finansējums demonstrējumu īstenošanai pamatā nāk no valsts vai starptautiskiem finanšu avotiem un bieži tiek nodrošināts projektu veidā. Ierasts publiski īstenoto demonstrējumu formāts ir Lauku/Fermu dienas, ko katra iesaistītā organizācija rīko vismaz 1-2 reizes gadā. Šie pasākumi ietver gan priekšlasījumus iekštelpās, gan demonstrējuma objektu apskati dabā. Sastopami arī tādi neformālāki lauksaimnieku savstarpējas mācīšanās formāti kā kooperatīva biedru saimiecību apmeklējumi vai nelielas zemnieku interešu grupas vietējā konsultanta vadībā. Specializētas mācību saimniecības pamatā tiek izmantotas topošo lauskaimniecības speciālistu apmācībai. Demonstrējumi tiek īstenoti dažādās lauksaimniecības nozarēs, aptverot gan augkopību (graudkopība, dārzeņkopība, augļkopība), gan lopkopību (gaļas un piena lopkopība, aitkopība, kazkopība). Šie demonstrējumi attiecināmi gan uz konvencionālo, gan integrēto un bioloģisko lauksaimniecību. Vairums demonstrējumu vērsti uz saimiekošanas efektivitātes un ražīguma paaugstināšanu, skarot arī vides ilgtspējas jautājumus. Lai arī demonstrējumi notiek visos Latvijas reģionos, vērojams to ierobežots pārklājums attālākās pierobežas teritorijās.

In Italy, a diversity of topics is observed within demonstration activities. Much more demonstration is focused on topics related to plant production, while less takes place in animal husbandry. The access to the innovative technologies and approaches allow the farmers both to pass to a more cost-effective production process and to face topical environmental challenges, including climate change, soil-related problems, plant and animal management.

The majority of on-farm demonstrations are organization-led. In organic farming the organizations behind demo activities are farmers related, while in conventional farming it is almost exclusively led by university or other public institutions. Their purpose is mainly the dissemination of innovation for the increase of sustainability (any aspect of it: economic, social or environmental). Commercial companies, such as inputs or machinery providers, have an increasing role and their demo activities have clear commercial objectives. Organic sector is aiming at sustainability with a stronger focus on area approach, public health and rural development.

One of the distinguishing features of demonstration in Italy consists in its fragmented character on national level. Demonstration activities are not coordinated within different regions, even if dealing with the same topic. Demonstration activity in many cases is strongly connected to research and innovation projects funded by EU programs.

More demonstrative activities take place in Northern Italy. The most active regions concerning research and demonstration are Emilia-Romagna, Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Piemonte.

In Italia, l’attività di dimostrazione riguarda diversi argomenti, quelli relativi la produzione vegetale hanno maggiore presenza mentre un'attività minore pertiene la zootecnia. L'accesso a tecniche ed approcci innovative consente agli agricoltori di migliorare sia la propria redditività che di ridurre l’impatto ambientale, nonchè gestire gli impatti dei cambiamenti climatici, i temi pertinenti il suolo, la gestione delle piante e degli animali.

La maggior parte delle dimostrazioni in azienda è condotta dalle istituzioni. In agricoltura biologica gli organizzatori provengono dal settore produttivo (agricoltori), mentre in convenzionale sono organizzate quasi esclusivamente da università o altre istituzioni pubbliche. Lo scopo è principalmente l’incremento della sostenibilità (in ogni aspetto: economico, sociale o ambientale). Le aziende produttrici di mezzi tecnici o macchine hanno un ruolo sempre più importante e le loro attività dimostrative hanno il chiaro obiettivo commerciale. Il settore biologico punta alla sostenibilità con una maggiore attenzione allo sviluppo rurale ed alla salute pubblica.

Una caratteristica distintiva è la frammentazione a livello nazionale: le attività dimostrative non sono coordinate tra diverse regioni, anche se pertinenti lo stesso argomento. In molti casi l’attività è fortemente connessa ai progetti di ricerca e innovazione finanziati dai programmi dell'UE.

La maggior parte delle attività dimostrative ha luogo nel Nord Italia. Le regioni più attive sono Emilia-Romagna, Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto e Piemonte.

The use of demonstrations on organisation farms in Ireland is traced back to 1839 (Royal Dublin Society’s annual ‘Spring Show’). There is photographic evidence of demonstrations on private farms taking place as far back as 1974. In more recent years (since the 1990s), there has been a tendency towards the co-ordinated organisation and delivery of demonstration events on ‘ordinary’ farms in which Teagasc is leading a number of ‘joint programmes’ co-funded by other actors across Ireland. For the FarmDemo inventory, interviewees chose the following topics most frequently to characterise their demonstration activities: Pasture Management, followed by Animal Nutrition and Feeding, Housing and Rearing Systems, Animal Health Management and Welfare, Quality Enhancement and Promotion; and Strategies to Reduce Risk of Antibiotic Resistance Development. In addition 54% of the farmers reported that on-farm demonstrations focused on Business development, Planning and Labour efficiency issues. Topics focusing on the environment, such as Biodiversity and Nature Management/Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, as well as the topics Processing to Food/Feed, Machinery and Waste Management were less prevalent. The following ‘types’ of demonstrations are used : ‘Expert’-led Presentations, Field Trails, Demonstration Displays, Farm Field Walks, Exhibitions and Interactive Discussions. The Teagasc adviser is mostly stated to be the Main Demonstrator and occupies 47% of the role as demonstrator. In terms of attendees, farmers reported that more than 75% (often more than 90%) were male and women are underrepresented. The majority of attendees were described as aged over 40.

In the frame of the PLAID FarmDemo project, agricultural demonstration and on-farm activities were analyzed in Hungary and 43 farms were participated in the related survey.

History is a determining factor; Hungarian educational farms have the longest history of demonstrative activities because they have been operating in the country since the first establishment of agrarian universities and colleges (1800s). Followed by commercial farms and research institutes which establishment is deeply rooted in the socialist era.

Half of the demonstration providers are profit-oriented commercial farms, followed by research, experimental, or knowledge transfer farms, educational farms. A small amount of charitable/NGO farms, self-sustainable, family farms and one community-supported agricultural farm are represented as well. Interestingly, research institutes provide the biggest number of demo activities and attendees per year, followed by educational farms than commercial farms. The most common farm type is the arable cropping, but the arable farming practice is always mixed with some other type of practice such as livestock management or horticulture. Farmer led demonstrations are the most widespread types in contrast with external organization initiatives. The analysis also pointed out that Hungarian demonstration farms are more and more sensitive towards environmental issues such as sustainability - which is the most common farm management topic among arable crop and vegetable farms - or biodiversity and nature management.

Links:

Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture on-farm network: www.biokutatas.hu

Hungarian open gardens’ network: http://nyitottkertek.hu/

A PLAID FarmDemo projekt keretében zajlott felmérésben Magyarországon is részt vett 43 gazdasággal, mely során elemzésre kerültek a különböző mezőgazdasági tevékenységet folytató gazdaságok bemutató működése. Kiindulva már a hazai tangazdaságoktól, melyek a legrégebben operáló demonstrációs helyek az országban, mivel az agrár egyetemek és főiskolák létrehozása óta működnek. Sorban következnek a kereskedelmi vállalatok, majd kutató intézetek, mely történelme a szocialista időszakra nyúlik vissza.A felmérésben részt vett demonstrációs szolgáltatók fele nyereség-orientált kereskedelmi gazdaság, majd őket követik a kutatási, kísérleti vagy tudástranszfer gazdaságok, tangazdaságok. Kisebb létszámban, de megjelentek a jótékonysági / nem kormányzati gazdaságok, az önfenntartó családi gazdaságok valamint egy közösség által támogatott mezőgazdasági farm is képviselteti magát. Hogy a kereskedelmi gazdaságok vannak fölényben az értékelés tekintetében, a kutatóintézetek évente mégis a legtöbb bemutató tevékenységet és résztvevőt biztosítják, majd következnek az tanüzemek, utánuk pedig a kereskedelmi gazdaságok. A leggyakoribb gazdasági forma a szántóföldi növénytermesztés, de a szántóföldi gazdálkodást önmagában ritkán művelik, inkább más típusú gyakorlattal keveredik, mint például az állattenyésztés vagy a kertészet. Kiemelkedően sok gazdálkodó független és ők szeretik vezetni a bemutatókat, szemben a külső szervezetek bevonásával. Az elemzés arra is rámutatott, hogy a magyarországi demonstrációs gazdaságok egyre érzékenyebbek a környezeti kérdésekre, mint például a fenntarthatóság-amely a növénytermesztés leggyakoribb gazdálkodási témája-vagy a biológiai sokféleség és a természetgazdálkodás.

On-farm demonstration in Croatia

There are decades of history of Demonstration activities on farms in Croatia, however there is no precise data available in literature. The reason for this problem is that in Croatia, demonstration activities are conducted under multiple of different names, such as: field days, demonstration, experimental fields, workshops, presentation, manifestation, open field classroom, practical presentations, demonstration farms etc.

From the time that we have available data, the transfer of knowledge through demonstration activities was mostly organized by Advisory Service Croatia in close collaboration with trade companies involved in seed production and distribution, agricultural mechanization, artificial fertilization and pesticide. On their own, advisors from ASC organize demonstration activities such as: trees pruning, cheese production, trimming hooves of dairy cows etc.

The most common topics for demonstration today are focused on:

• Sustainable use of pesticide

• Introduction of new types of seeds, artificial fertilizers and new mechanization

The most common purpose of demonstration was close connected with economic effects of new technologies and seed variety.

There is no financial resources for demonstration activities in Croatia. The organizer of demonstration activities covers all the costs and participants have to pay for their own costs.

Demonstracijske aktivnosti na farmama u Hrvatskoj provode se desetljećima, ali nemamo konkretne i precizne podatke jer o tome ne postoje podaci u literaturi. Razlog ovome problemu je taj što se demonstracijske aktivnosti provode pod nizom naziva, na primjer: dani polja, demonstracija, pokusno polje, prikaz, radionica, prezentacija, manifestacija, učionica na otvorenom, škola na otvorenom, praktična predočenja, demonstracijske farme, učionice u stajama i sl.

Prema dostupnim podacima, prijenos znanja putem demonstracijskih aktivnosti najčešće je organizirala javna poljoprivredna savjetodavna služba, te proizvođači i distributeri sjemena, poljoprivredne mehanizacije, umjetnih gnojiva i zaštitnih sredstava. Pojedini savjetnici organiziraju i samostalno demonstracije, na primjer prikaz obrezivanja voća, proizvodnja sira, orezivanje papaka kod mliječnih krava i slično.

Najčešće teme demonstracija su:

• Uporaba zaštitnih sredstava u biljnoj proizvodnji

• Uvođenje novih sorti sjemena, umjetnih gnojiva i nove mehanizacije



Demonstracije su najčešće povezane s ekonomskim učincima novih tehnologija i sorti sjemena.



Financiranje demonstracija idu na trošak organizatora koji u pravilu poklone nešto sjemena ili gnojiva poljoprivredniku na čijem se gospodarstvu održava demonstracija. Sudionici sami snose trošak. Drugih izvora financiranja nema.

Demonstration activities in agriculture aim at facilitating learning and knowledge transfer. They have been carried out in France for many years, by many actors, with a diversity of objectives. FarmDemo inventory provides an overview of this diversity. Research organisations own experimental and demonstration farms. On these farms innovative trials are carried out, to test disruptive technical innovations as well as innovative systems for the future. Their main objectives are research activities, but demonstration are yearly carried out. Applied research organisations like technical institutes and agricultural chambers also carry out trials in their farms, with directly applied objectives, oriented by farmers. Demonstration is one of the main objectives of experimental activities. Finally, every year several thousand farmers open their farms to their colleagues. They aim at showing the results of on farm trials, carried out in real conditions, to test the feasibility or interest of technical or organisational innovation. They also can intend to present new, innovative, different, questioning ways of production, in order to initiate discussions or provide new ideas. Demonstration activity often associate private firms which present new material or varieties. In every situation, dialogue between farmers, advisers and scientists are very powerful means to facilitate learning and change.

Organiser l’apprentissage et le transfert de connaissances au travers d’activités de démonstration est une activité ancienne en agriculture, qui répond à des objectifs variés et prend des formes diverses. L'inventaire FarmDemo en offre un panorama. Les organismes de recherche sont propriétaires de fermes, dans lesquelles sont conduits des essais qui permettent de tester des innovations de ruptures comme des systèmes innovants pour demain. L’objectif premier est la recherche, mais ces stations ouvrent leurs portes et mettent en œuvre des activités de démonstration. Les organismes de recherche appliquée et de développement, comme les Instituts Techniques ou les Chambres d’Agriculture conduisent également des essais dans leurs fermes expérimentales, avec des objectifs plus directement appliqués, et une orientation directe des travaux par des agriculteurs. Dans ces fermes, la démonstration est tout autant un objectif que la recherche. Enfin, chaque année, plusieurs milliers d’agriculteurs ouvrent leurs portes à leurs collègues. Il peut s’agir de mettre en avant des essais réalisés en conditions réelles sur l’intérêt ou la faisabilité de telle ou telle innovation technique ou organisationnelle. Dans d'autre cas l'objectif est plutôt de montrer une façon de produire innovante, différente, ou qui interpelle et peut être source d’inspiration et d’échanges entre agriculteurs. Souvent les activités de démonstration associent également des entreprises privées qui exposent du matériel ou des variétés nouvelles. Dans tous les cas, le dialogue entre agriculteurs, conseillers et chercheurs ainsi que l’observation directe sont de puissants vecteurs d’apprentissage et de changement.

Approximately 100 farms with demonstration activities were identified in Finland for this study, with about 25 farms and 5 organizations participating in the Plaid survey. The farms are located throughout the country. On-farm demonstration activities in Finland are highly varied across types of activities, agriculture sector, and organisers. Actors involved in arranging demonstration are private farms, producer unions and cooperatives, advisory services, private associations, agricultural colleges and universities, and the state natural resources bureau. The main demonstration types are: private farms with direct sales and farm tourism for the public; private farms with visits by peers and specific groups; private farm open house days for a new technology; field days targeting professionals; private farms with experimental or project activities with external organisations; ‘official’ demonstration, teaching and research farms. Main sustainability categories of demonstration activities are: on-farm energy production and energy efficiency, nutrient efficiency and reducing nutrient-runoff (water protection), and different aspects of organic farming and extensive grazing. Demonstration activities organized at the private farm level frequently (but not exclusively) relate to organic farming, local food, uncommon crop varieties, and nature management.

Tässä tutkimuksessa identifioitiin noin 100 maatilaa, joilla järjestetään demonstraatioaktiviteetteja Suomessa. Näistä noin 25 maatilaa ja 5 organisaatiota osallistui Plaid-tutkimukseen. Maatilat sijaitsevat eri puolilla maata. Demonstraatioita järjestäviä toimijoita ovat yksityiset maatilat, tuottajayhdistykset ja osuuskunnat, neuvontapalvelut, yksityiset yhdistykset, maatalousoppilaitokset ja yliopistot sekä Luonnonvarakeskus. Eri toimijoiden välinen yhteistyö on yleistä niin yksittäisten kuin ammattilaisille suunnattujen jatkuvien demonstraatioaktiviteettien puitteissa. Tärkeimmät demonstraatiotyypit ovat: yksityiset maatilat, joilla harjoitetaan suoramyyntiä ja maatilamatkailua; yksityiset maatilat, joilla vierailevat muut tilalliset ja erityisryhmät; yksityisten maatilojen avointen ovien päivät uuden teknologian esittelemiseksi; ammattilaisille suunnatut peltopäivät; yksityisten maatilojen kokeelliset tai projektiluontoiset aktiviteetit ulkoisten organisaatioiden kanssa; ”viralliset” esittely-, opetus- ja tutkimustilat. Maatalouden kestävyyteen liittyvät demonstraatioaktiviteetit voidaan jakaa kolmeen pääkategoriaan: maatilan energiantuotanto ja energiatehokkuus, ravinteiden hyötykäyttö, tehokkuus ja ravinnepäästöjen vähentäminen sekä luonnonmukaisen viljelyn ja laiduntamisen eri osat. Demonstraatioaktiviteetit yksityisillä maatiloilla liittyvät usein (mutta eivät yksinomaan) luonnonmukaiseen viljelyyn, lähiruokaan, epätavallisiin viljelykasveihin ja luonnonhoitoon.

The first demonstrations took place in 1980. The attendees were local farmers. They were organized by the public advisory service and with public funding: Open day of machinery for silage and Open day of varieties of cereals. Since then, demonstrations related to crops innovation, have been one of the more appreciated activities of INTIA, as a public advisory service. New Varieties, fertilization and crop protection have been the most demanding topics. Machinery demonstrations have been along this 40 years the most populated events.

In livestock the demonstrations are more linked to reference farms and production systems: Animal health, housing, pasture and nutrition. We can notice how, when talking about Animal husbandry demonstrations are more linked to the farms, while demonstrations for crops are more supported by organizations. Perhaps in the last times, as a natural evolution, more technological demonstrations appear in the scene, remote sensing, smart agriculture, ICT technologies, Geographic Information System. In these cases the expertise of the organiser is crucial and farmers tend to be very dependent of the technology.

Las primeras demostraciones tuvieron lugar en 1980. Los asistentes fueron agricultores locales. Fueron organizados por el servicio de asesoramiento público y con fondos públicos: el día de puertas abiertas de maquinaria para ensilaje y puertas abiertas de variedades de cereales. Desde entonces, las demostraciones relacionadas con la innovación de cultivos han sido una de las actividades más apreciadas del INTIA, como servicio de asesoramiento público. Nuevas variedades, fertilización y protección de cultivos han sido los temas más demandados. Las demostraciones de maquinaria han sido durante estos 40 años los eventos más numerosos. En el ganado, las demostraciones están más relacionadas con las granjas de referencia y los sistemas de producción: bienestar animal, alojamiento, pastos y alimentación. Podemos observar cómo, cuando se habla de las demostraciones de animales están más vinculadas a las granjas, mientras que las demostraciones para los cultivos están más ligadas con las organizaciones. Quizás en los últimos tiempos, como evolución natural, aparecen más demostraciones tecnológicas en escena, teledetección, agricultura inteligente, tecnologías TIC, Sistema de Información Geográfica. En estos casos, la experiencia del organizador es crucial y los agricultores tienden a ser muy dependientes de la tecnología.

Demonstration activities held for many decades a central role in modernizing Greek agriculture. The reduced, or even complete absence of, activity of public extension services in the last decades has resulted to a landscape of demonstrations which is shaped by either research institutions or supply chain commercial companies. The first stream of work is largely focusing on sustainability and technical issues and follows a whole farm approach; the market-led related activities focus on single practices and target farmers as end-users of input and planting material.

Topics related to integrated pest management/crop protection, soil fertility, and water/irrigation management have been reported as priorities in demonstrations currently held in plant production (arable crops, olive and fruit trees, and vegetables) while equally important are low input farming, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity and nature management. Demonstrations on animal husbandry focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity and nature management, or pasture management and of course dairy food processing. Knowledge creation, training and information sharing, environment/nature conservation and innovation uptake/development are among the most important priorities of organised demos.

Priority remains to engage farmers in hosting demonstrations and cultivate farmer-to-farmer interaction and peer learning activities. To reverse the current trend and position demos to meet the actual needs of Greek farmers, public funding, in scheduled (NRDP) and/or additional (bottom-up) activities, is expected to be instrumental.

Οι επιδείξεις στον αγρό ήταν, για πολλά χρόνια, βασικό στοιχείο του εκσυγχρονισμού της ελληνικής γεωργίας. Η ασθενική, έως ανύπαρκτη, παρουσία της υπηρεσίας γεωργικών εφαρμογών στις τελευταίες δεκαετίες, διαμόρφωσε ένα πεδίο επιδεικτικών αγρών που κυριαρχείται από τις ερευνητικές δραστηριότητες και, δευτερευόντως, από τις εταιρείες που δραστηριοποιούνται στο χώρο των γεωργικών εισροών. Ενώ η έρευνα εστιάζει σε θέματα βιωσιμότητας και ολοκληρωμένης διαχείρισης της αγροτικής εκμετάλλευσης, οι επιδείξεις που διοργανώνονται από τις εμπορικές εταιρείες εστιάζουν, κυρίως, σε τεχνικές εφαρμογές και προσεγγίζουν τους παραγωγούς ως τελικούς χρήστες μηχανημάτων και εισροών.

Στη φυτική παραγωγή, οι επιδείξεις εντοπίζονται στην ολοκληρωμένη διαχείριση και τη γονιμότητα του εδάφους, ενώ, εξίσου σημαντικές είναι και οι δραστηριότητες που εστιάζουν στην κλιματική αλλαγή, τη διατήρηση της βιοποικιλότητας, και τη διαχείριση των υδατικών πόρων. Η διαχείριση των επιπτώσεων της κλιματικής αλλαγής είναι εξίσου σημαντική και στη ζωική παραγωγή, όπως και η διαχείριση των βοσκοτόπων και η επεξεργασία και μεταποίηση γαλακτοκομικών προϊόντων. Η νέα γνώση, η κατάρτιση και πληροφόρηση, η διατήρηση του περιβάλλοντος και η διάχυση καινοτομιών είναι μεταξύ των κύριων στόχων των επιδείξεων. Προτεραιότητα είναι η δραστηριοποίηση των παραγωγών στη διοργάνωση και φιλοξενία επιδεικτικών αγρών καθώς μια τέτοια εξέλιξη αναμένεται να έχει θετικές επιπτώσεις στη συνεργασία και την από κοινού μάθηση. Το εθνικό Πρόγραμμα Αγροτικής Ανάπτυξης αναμένεται να έχει κομβικό ρόλο σε αυτή την κατεύθυνση για την κάλυψη των αναγκών των παραγωγών και την κινητοποίηση και προώθηση μιας συμμετοχικής και εκ των κάτω ανάπτυξης επιδεικτικών αγρών.

In Denmark the majority of on-farm demonstrations are organised by local extension services and farmer organisations. Extension services organise field events showing solutions for current problems in crops or barns, on commercial farms.

Farmers’ organisations often focus on more general but practical farm-centric topics like nature, nitrogen leaching, soil fertility, or new barn designs.

The farm demonstrations are usually organized by the local advisors, who occasionally invite country ex-perts from SEGES, and scientists from agricultural universities.

Sometimes the farm demonstrations are finalized over a cup of coffee, where more general topics like sys-tem change or economy are discussed.

The farms chosen for the demonstrations are usually different from year to year, however when the demon-stration concerns a perennial issue or development of innovation which evolves over the years, the same farm can be used several years in a row.

Besides these there are organised farm demonstrations by industrial companies, showing their new prod-ucts and their potentials. The topics for these on-farm demonstrations are usually the attempt to inform the farmers about innovative mechanical ideas, new fertilizer or pest disease control, varieties for cereals, grass, rapeseed, etc..

I Danmark organiseres de fleste demonstrationer af de lokale rådgivningscentre eller landmandsorganisatio-ner. Rådgivningscentrene organiserer markvandringer, hvor løsninger på landbrugsmæssige udfordringer fremvises på kommercielle landbrug.

Landmandsorganisationerne fokuserer ofte på mere generelle med praktiske landbrugsemner såsom natur, kvælstofudvaskning, jordfrugtbarhed eller nye stalddesigns.

Oftest er demonstrationerne organiseret af de lokale rådgivere, som indimellem inviterer landskonsulenter fra SEGES eller forskere fra landbrugsuniversiteter.

Nogle gange afrundes demonstrationen over en kop kaffe, hvor mere generelle emner såsom systemsæn-dringer eller økonomi diskuteres.

De gårde der udvælges til demonstrationerne er oftest forskellige fra år til år. Dog kan demonstrationer afholdes på den samme bedrift flere år i træk, hvis de omhandler flerårige emner.

Der organiseres desuden demonstrationer af industrielle virksomheder, der fremviser deres nye produkter. Her er hensigten oftest at informere landmændene om innovative mekaniske ideer, nye gødningstyper, plan-tebeskyttelse, sorter mm.

Germany has a large number of demonstration activities organized by and for farmers. Farmers receive most of their information input from public advisory institutions as well as farmer associations. In Germany, both of these institutional bodies are very large in size, range and political influence, and therefore organize a great number of demonstration events. Furthermore, there are numerous farm-networks on specific topics or farming systems and many of them receive public funding.

So far, 58 farmers and 12 organizations have joined the PLAID network. The participants cover a variety of topics. 64% undertake demonstration activities on crops/trees, 56% on animal husbandry and 33% cover topics that are not related to a specific crop or animal. The percentage overlap of demonstration activities on crops and animal husbandry can be explained by the many farmers implementing mixed farming systems and their focus on the whole farm approach. Most popular among farmers are demonstration activities on cereal and maize (crops) and dairy cattle and pig (livestock). The registered organizations are mainly focussing on vegetable production.

According to the farmers’ and organizations’ experience, the audience of demonstration activities mainly consists of farmers and public/private advisors. The gender distribution is to a greater extent male dominated, but the age pattern is quite equally distributed. According to the organizations’ estimations, they have offered more than 76 demonstration activities per year, reaching about 3,500 attendees, and according to the farmers’ estimations, more than 1,100 demonstration activities per year have been offered, reaching about 54,000 attendees.

In Deutschland gibt es eine Vielzahl von Demonstrationsaktivitäten von und für Landwirte. Die Landwirte erhalten ihre Informationen größtenteils von öffentlichen Beratungseinrichtungen und Bauernverbänden. Beide Institutionen sind in Deutschland reich an Mitgliedern und organisieren eine Vielzahl von Demoveranstaltungen. Zudem gibt es zahlreiche landwirtschaftliche Netzwerke zu verschiedensten Themen, von denen einige, je nach Thema, aus öffentlichen Mitteln gefördert werden.

Bisher haben sich 58 Landwirte und 12 Organisationen dem PLAID-Netzwerk angeschlossen. Die Teilnehmer decken zahlreiche Themen ab. 64% haben Demoaktivitäten zum Thema Nutzpflanzen/Bäume, 56% zu Tierhaltung und 33% zu anderen Themen. Die prozentuale Überschneidung der Demoaktivitäten bei Nutzpflanzen und Tierhaltung lässt sich darauf zurückführen, dass viele Landwirte Gemischtbetriebe führen. Am häufigsten bieten Landwirte Demoaktivitäten zum Thema Getreide und Mais (bei den Nutzpflanzen) und zum Thema Milchvieh und Schweinemast (bei der Tierhaltung) an. Die Demoveranstaltungen der eingetragenen Organisationen konzentrieren sich auf die Gemüseproduktion.

Basierend auf den Erfahrungen der Landwirte und Organisationen besteht das Publikum bei Demoaktivitäten hauptsächlich aus Landwirten und öffentlichen/privaten Beratern. Die Geschlechterverteilung ist eher männerdominiert, das Altersmuster allerdings ist recht ausgeglichen. Laut Schätzungen der Organisationen wurden von ihnen mehr als 76 Demoaktivitäten pro Jahr angeboten, mit etwa 3.500 Teilnehmern und laut Schätzungen der Landwirte wurden mehr als 1.100 Demoaktivitäten pro Jahr angeboten, mit etwa 54.000 Teilnehmern.

The most common topics and purposes for demonstration in CZ are recorded for category on arable land with combinable crops. Highly linked to sustainability are activities: conservation agriculture on arable land with combinable crops, root crops and fodders mainly due to a reduction of soil erosion within crop production and animal health management and welfare for dairy within livestock production. The Ministry of Agriculture has prepared a subsidy program to help farmers in the form of illustrative practical demonstrations of comprehensive sustainable farming practices.

The main added value to the end-user if the generated knowledge is implemented are to strengthen the knowledge transfer system in agriculture focusing on practical demonstrations and presentation of sustainable farming systems and soil protection in practice.

Practitioners who would like to get support for their demonstration activities see info on: http://eagri.cz/public/web/mze/puda/demonstracni-farmy/

Intentions supported in 2018:

• Presentation of integrated farming systems with an emphasis on soil protection and water retention in the landscape

• Technology of erosive crops cultivation

• Organic matter in the soil and its influence on erosion, water management and its retention in the landscape

• Integrated plant protection as a comprehensive arable land management system using agrotechnical practices

• Organic farming as a comprehensive arable land management system based on the principles on organic production.

Links to websites

http://eagri.cz/public/web/mze/

http://www.dotacni.info/narodni-program-zivotni-prostredi-vyzva-c-22017…

http://www.risy.cz/cs

Nejčastější témata a účely demonstračních aktivit v ČR jsou zaznamenány pro kategorii orná půda s kombinovatelnými plodinami. Úzce spjaty s udržitelností jsou aktivity typu: „konzervační zemědělství“ na orné půdě s kombinovatelnými plodinami, kořenovými plodinami a krmivy především v důsledku snížení eroze půdy v rámci rostlinné výroby a managementu zdraví zvířat, včetně welfare u dojnic v rámci živočišné výroby. Ministerstvo zemědělství připravilo program dotací na pomoc zemědělcům ve formě ilustrativních praktických demonstrací komplexních udržitelných zemědělských postupů.

Hlavním přínosem pro konečného uživatele, pokud jsou zavedené poznatky realizovány, je posílení systému přenosu znalostí v zemědělství se zaměřením na praktické demonstrace a prezentaci udržitelných zemědělských systémů a ochrany půdy v praxi.

Pracovníci, kteří chtějí získat podporu pro demonstrační aktivity, ji najdu na adrese: http://eagri.cz/public/web/mze/puda/demonstracni-farmy/

Záměry podporované v roce 2018:

• Prezentace ucelených systémů hospodaření s důrazem na ochranu půdy a zadržování vody v krajině

• Technologie pěstování erozně nebezpečných plodin v souladu s DZES

• Organická hmota v půdě a její vliv na erozi, hospodaření s vodou a její zadržování v krajině

• Integrovaná ochrana rostlin jako komplexní systém péče o ornou půdu s využitím agrotechnických postupů

• Ekologické zemědělství jako komplexní systém péče o ornou půdu podle zásad stanovenými v nařízení Rady (ES) č. 834/2007 o ekologické produkci.

Odkazy na webové stránky:

http://eagri.cz/public/web/mze/

http://www.dotacni.info/narodni-program-zivotni-prostredi-vyzva-c-22017…

http://www.risy.cz/cs

The Cypriot public extension services are the most important, if not the only, drivers behind any demonstration activity currently held in the Country. Their scope is to embed the demo approach into farmers’ culture by focusing on emblematic cultivations such as the taro, on high value added products (sheep and goat dairy products and potatoes) as well as on topics related to the draught climate and -the high cost of- irrigation. Demonstration activities in Cyprus are concentrated in areas with intensive agriculture (taro, potato and vegetables in the past). While public farms are also located in such areas, their demo activities are developing to cover also the needs of more scattered areas and topics especially in animal husbandry (i.e. goat breeding). Although the situation observed reflects a rather dominant top-down approach, the structural characteristics and consequent limitations of the Cypriot agriculture underline the need for public led extension services to continue acting as a driving force in shaping the demonstrations landscape in the country. Recent efforts to organise demonstration activities in farmers’ farms are quite encouraging. Farmers are increasingly taking the lead as the main demonstrator/instructor, an active role that increases the potential of peer learning in the field.

Ο Κλάδος Γεωργικών Εφαρμογών του Υπουργείου Γεωργίας, Αγροτικής Ανάπτυξης και Περιβάλλοντος, είναι ο κύριος, αν όχι ο μοναδικός οργανισμός που επενδύει στην ανάπτυξη των επιδεικτικών αγρών στην Κύπρο. Στόχος του είναι να καθιερώσει τις δραστηριότητες αυτές ως σημαντικό εργαλείο στην καθημερινή πρακτική των γεωργών της χώρας, εστιάζοντας είτε σε εμβληματικά και υψηλής προστιθέμενες αξίας προϊόντα όπως το κολοκάσι, οι πατάτες και τα γαλακτοκομικά προϊόντα, είτε στα προβλήματα που δημιουργεί το ξηροθερμικό κλίμα και το κόστος της άρδευσης. Τα δημόσια αγροκτήματα και επιδεικτικοί αγροί εντοπίζονται σε περιοχές εντατικής γεωργίας, αλλά οι σχεδιαζόμενες δράσεις περιλαμβάνουν και πρακτικές που ασκούνται σε εκτατικά γεωργοκτηνοτροφικά συστήματα των περιφερειακών αγροτικών περιοχών. Παρά γεγονός ότι οι διαρθρωτικές αδυναμίες και τα χαρακτηριστικά της Κυπριακής γεωργίας ουσιαστικά επιβάλλουν τον κυρίαρχο ρόλο της δημόσιας παροχής γεωργικών εφαρμογών στην ανάπτυξη επιδεικτικών αγρών, οι πρόσφατες προσπάθειες κινητοποίησης των ίδιων των παραγωγών στη φιλοξενία επιδείξεων στις αγροτικές τους εκμεταλλεύσεις είναι πολύ ενθαρρυντικές. Ο ενεργός ρόλος που αναλαμβάνουν οι παραγωγοί στις επιδείξεις που φιλοξενούν επιδείξεις είναι η καλύτερη ένδειξη ότι οι δραστηριότητες αυτές μπορούν να προωθήσουν αποτελεσματικά τη συνεργατική μάθηση στην πρωτογενή παραγωγή.

The most frequent providers of demo activities in Switzerland are organisations/institutions engaged in education/research/consultancy. Most of the events are cooperations between organisations/institutions (often from research to consultancy, but also with interest groups, farmers' organisations, industry...). In principle, it can be said that the most important promoters are state funds (federal government and cantons). At the same time as they were founded at the end of the 19th century, institutional providers began to organise demonstration activities, because this was part of their specifications. Field trials on varietal characteristics with variety approvals or fertilisation trials were often the trigger for comparative events. Regularly conducted, state-organized field inspections are reported, although it is not clear who took part in them all. For historical reasons and even so today, there are more demonstration activities on plant cultivation. The demonstration activities on animal husbandry are dominated by species-appropriate husbandry, health and breeding. After all, almost half of the questionnaires collected cover topics from animal husbandry. Not included are events such as animal shows or breeding events, because the demo portion is small or not present. Experience has shown that it is precisely these events that reach many farmers. There is a clear contractual relationship between institutions and farmers for carrying out demo activities on demonstration farms. Some institutions even own, operate or lease their own demo farms, this is due to historical reasons.

Die häufigsten Anbieter von Demo-Aktivitäten in der Schweiz sind Organisationen/Institutionen aus dem Bereich Bildung/Forschung/Beratung. Die meisten Anlässe sind Kooperationen zwischen Organisationen/Institutionen (oft von Forschung zu Beratung, aber auch mit Interessengemeinschaften, Bauernorganisationen, Industrie …). Grundsätzlich lässt sich sagen, dass die wichtigsten Förderer staatlich sind (Bund und Kantone). Die institutionellen Anbieter haben zeitgleich mit ihrer Gründung ab Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts begonnen, Demoaktivitäten zu veranstalten, weil das in ihr Pflichtenheft gehörte. Feldversuche zu Sorteneigenschaften mit Sortenzulassungen oder Düngeversuche waren oft der Auslöser für vergleichende Veranstaltungen. Berichtet wird von regelmässig durchgeführten, staatlich organisierten Feldbesichtigungen, wobei nicht klar ist, wer daran alles teilnahm. Historisch bedingt und auch heute noch stärker vertreten sind Demoaktivitäten zum Pflanzenbau. Bei den Demoaktivitäten zur Tierhaltung dominieren Themen der artgerechten Haltung, Gesundheit und Zucht. Immerhin knapp die Hälfte der erfassten Fragebögen decken Themen aus der Tierhaltung ab. Nicht erfasst sind Anlässe wie Tierausstellungen oder Zuchtveranstaltungen, da dort der Demoanteil klein oder nicht vorhanden ist. Gerade diese Anlässe erreichen jedoch erfahrungsgemäss viele Landwirte. Für die Durchführung von Demoaktivitäten auf Demobetrieben besteht ein klares Auftragsverhältnis von Institutionen an Landwirte. Einige Institutionen besitzen, betreiben oder pachten eigene Demobetriebe, dies ist geschichtlich bedingt.

The history of agricultural demonstration activities in Bulgaria is divided into two periods. The 1st is until year 1989 (state property of the land). It started the period of socio-economic change in the countries of Eastern Europe. The 2nd is after 1990, when private commercial companies for machinery, seeds, preparations for agricultural production start to enter the agricultural sector and make demonstrations in private farms and cooperatives. National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAAS) starts the organization of demonstrations after its establishment in year 1999.

The results from the PLAID Project inventory of on-farm demonstration activities and demonstration farms and associated network-supporting organisation in Bulgaria describe that the main providers of demonstration are individual farmers, NAAS, Agricultural Academy, Agrarian Universities, Foundation for Organic Agriculture „BIOSELENA” (on the environmental issues) and supply chain companies. The farmers’ associations rarely organize demonstrations. The main types of demonstrations are related to new fertilizers, plant protection products, new varieties, new machines, new technologies, new equipment, and demonstrations on specific topics such as innovations in organic farming.

Most demonstrations are led by actors different from farmers (experts from NAAS, researchers from Agricultural Academy and agrarian universities and representatives of supply chain companies). The main participants in the demonstrations are farmers and students from agricultural universities and more young farmers.

Demonstrations are not evenly distributed across regions. Most demonstration are organized in well-developed agricultural regions.

Историята на демонстрационните дейности в България в областта на земеделието е разделена на два периода. Първият е до 1989 г. (държавна собственост на земята), когато започва периодът на социално-икономическа промяна в страните от Източна Европа. Вторият период е след 1990 г., когато частни търговски дружества за земеделски машини, семена и препарати навлизат в земеделието и започват да провеждат демонстрации в частни ферми и кооперации. Националната служба за съвети в земеделието (НССЗ) започва организирането на демонстрации след 1999 г.

Резултатите от проведеното по проект PLAID проучване на демонстрационните ферми, мрежи и подпомагащи демонстрациите организации в България показват, че основни организатори и инициатори на демонстрации са земеделски търговски компании, НССЗ, Селскостопанска академия (ССА), земеделските университети, фондация „Биоселена“ по проекти в областта на околната среда, както и че земеделските асоциации рядко са инициатори и организатори на демонстрации. Основните видове демонстрации са за нови торове, препарати за растителна защита, нови сортове, нови машини, технологии и ново оборудване, като и има демонстрации по специфични теми, като иновации в биологичното земеделие.

Демонстрациите се водят основно от представители на търговски компании, научни работници и университетски преподаватели, съветници и много по-рядко от фермери. Основни участници в демонстрациите са фермери и студенти от земеделски университети, като повече млади фермери посещават демонстрации. Демонстрациите не се организират равномерно във всички региони на страната, преобладават демонстрации в по-развитите земеделски региони и области.

Demonstration activities in agriculture have been carried out in Belgium since 19th century. Mid 1850’s, politicians, scientists and notables agreed that change in agriculture should start at the farmer, at the base. The Belgian government invested in education and advisory and opted for a demonstrative approach: “First see, then do”. They organized lectures, demonstrations, the installation of trial fields, mainly for food safety and hygiene.

In Belgium, three main mechanisms behind on-farm demonstrations are at play: the ones organised by different projects (European/national/regional level), the ones organised by experimental research institutes and the ones organised by farmer networks and organisations. The FarmDemo inventory provides an overview of this diversity. Demonstrators are usually the farmers themselves, advisors (both public and private) and researchers. Organisers are usually the farmers themselves or research institutions. Main reasons for organising demonstration activities are information gathering and sharing, knowledge creation, innovation development, research implementation, innovation uptake and improved environmental conditions. Most of the visitors are male. Demonstration activities don’t seem to target specific age groups. Attendees are usually not under 25, which is not surprising taking into account the demography of farmers in Belgium. There may however be differences in the audience composition depending on topic and sector: arable farming topics are considered typically ‘male’, while demonstrations on e.g. organic farming, alternative marketing, fruit production tend to attract a younger audience, with a higher female presence.

Demonstratie in de landbouw worden in België sinds de 19e eeuw uigevoerd. Rond 1850 waren politici, wetenschappers en notabelen het eens dat verandering in de landbouw moet beginnen aan de basis, bij de boer zelf. De overheid investeerde in onderwijs en advies en koos voor een demonstratieve aanpak: "Eerst zien, dan doen". Ze organiseerden lezingen, demonstraties, de installatie van proefvelden, voornamelijk voor de voedselveiligheid en hygiëne. In België worden demonstratieactiviteiten georganiseerd in het kader van projecten (Europees/nationaal/regionaal), georganiseerd door proefbedrijven en georganiseerd door netwerken en landbouworganisaties. De FarmDemo inventaris laat deze diversiteit zien. Demonstranten zijn meestal de boeren zelf, adviseurs (zowel publieke als private) en onderzoekers. Organisatoren zijn meestal de boeren zelf of onderzoeksinstellingen. Belangrijkste redenen voor het organiseren van demonstratieactiviteiten zijn informatieverzameling en -deling, kenniscreatie, innovatieontwikkeling, onderzoeksimplementatie en verbeterde milieuomstandigheden. De meeste bezoekers zijn mannelijk. Demonstratieactiviteiten lijken niet gericht op specifieke leeftijdsgroepen. Deelnemers zijn meestal niet jonger dan 25, wat niet verwonderlijk is gezien de huidige demografie van boeren in België. Afhankelijk van het onderwerp en de sector kunnen er echter verschillen zijn in de samenstelling van het publiek: onderwerpen uit de akkerbouw worden doorgaans als 'mannelijk' beschouwd, terwijl demonstraties op bijvoorbeeld biologische landbouw, alternatieve marketing, fruitproductie de neiging hebben om een ​​jonger publiek aan te trekken, met een hogere vrouwelijke aanwezigheid.

Derzeit wird der Seiteninhalt nach Möglichkeit in der Muttersprache angezeigt

Contacts

Project coordinator

  • Project coordinator

Project partners

  • Project partner