Agriculture 4.0 (2022)

Agriculture is currently experiencing a new technological revolution that is supported by policy makers around the world. While smart technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and the Internet of Things could play an important role in increasing productivity and eco-efficiency, it is impossible to ignore this impact in vocational schools and organisations working in the field of agriculture. It was impossible to remain indifferent while such dazzling technological and digital changes were taking place in the world and in agriculture.

In addition, the concept of Agriculture 4.0 and the technological/digital change in agriculture is not the same in every country. The fact that 6 different countries see each other in the project and benefit from each other is another reason for supporting the project. In this way, it will be possible to identify and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of institutions and countries.

The main direction of future development is "precision farming" in conjunction with technical progress in the field of navigation systems, electronics and IT. As a result, new mechanisation will be produced and used. As a result of advancing automation and digitalisation, there will be some significant changes in the labour market, which will also place new demands on digitalisation and on a graduate's knowledge and skills. It is necessary to implement new elements of vocational preparation with regard to the new needs of the labour market. It is important to strengthen cooperation between schools and the labour market by organising student and teacher excursions or expert workshops.

The project is aimed at agricultural students, educators and experts working in agricultural organisations. The project develops their skills and knowledge of agricultural practices in a European context and fosters mutual relationships between participants. The consortium includes some of the most innovative European agricultural education institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises and vocational schools in the field. In this way, the different resources can be freely combined to develop cross-sectoral initiatives suitable for different target groups, thus fostering synergies between the different actors and sectors involved. The mobilities take place in the partner organisations and the mobility phases abroad also include a workshop and a training phase. Such a combination creates synergies between the academic and professional experience abroad. In addition, all participants are prepared to integrate best practices and new methods into their daily work.

It is planned that the training of trainers/experts/employees will be carried out by institutions that have in-depth knowledge on the topic of the project. In this way, the employees of the partner institutions will learn about and experience current approaches to Agriculture 4.0. On the other hand, studies for this target group will be carried out as part of the educational activities for students. Vocational students who want to become a sought-after employee on the labour market will acquire 21st century skills through their education. In this way, they will familiarise themselves with the applications of Agriculture 4.0 and will be able to use them in their own company after graduation.