ECOLIVE Newsletter – Issue 1

Project reference number: 2015-1-TR01-KA202-022526 Funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. However, European Commission and Turkish National Agency cannot be held

responsible for any use which may be made of the information containe therein.

NEWSLETTER Issue 1

July 2016

Training for the Production of Organic Olive Oil

About ECOLIVE

ECOLIVE – ‘Training for the Production of Organic Olive Oil’ is an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships Project to be implemented between 2015 and 2018. The theme of the project is based on the recent growing trend towards organic products and growing need among Mediterranean olive producers to match the demand for organic olive oil. The aim of the project is to develop the capacity of organisations take role in each step of organic olive oil production; from farming to marketing/exports. During the course of project, 5 core intellectual outputs will be developed:

1. Transnational Training Needs Analysis which will identify the training needs of the olive producers in partner countries regarding the procedure for the certification of organic olive oil

2. Blended Learning Materials for the training of olive oil producers to the procedures of production and certification of organic oil

3. E-Learning and M-Learning Platform

4. Teacher Training Sessions 5. Blended Learning Courses

The project is being implemented by a partnership which consist of 6 organisations from Mediterranean Countries; Turkey, Italy, Greece and Cyprus. Current Activities

As a first step, the Kick-off Meeting has been organised at the coordinator’s facilities (İzmir ABİGEM) in İzmir on 26-27 February 2016. The partners reviewed the proposed project activities and discussed the procedures for effective project management and implementation.

Kick off Meeting of the project has been organised in İzmir –

Turkey on 26-27 February 2016.

Focus group meeting with farmers in Aydın, Turkey

organised within the context of national field research on 23 June

2016.

ECOLIVE Newsletter – Issue 1

Project reference number: 2015-1-TR01-KA202-022526 Funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. However, European Commission and Turkish National Agency cannot be held

responsible for any use which may be made of the information containe therein.

The partnership has completed national field research with participation of a total of 150 olive farmers and olive oil producers, and interviews with 25 experts in the field. The partners are currently developing national research reports which include valuable information about national olive oil production, markets, organic olive oil certification in partner countries and training needs of the project target groups.

What is Next?

The first project output will be delivered shortly! Following the development of national training needs analysis reports in Turkey, Italy, Greece and Cyprus, a Transnational Training Needs Analysis Report will be developed which will analyse the national results in a comparative way and make concrete suggestions for the training materials. The Transnational Training Needs Analysis Report will help determining the main topics and pedagogies to adopt for the next output Blended Learning Materials. The partners will develop one module each, among the selected topics by the target groups, which best fits their field of expertise. Lastly, the partners’ next meeting will be held in Athens, Greece on 6-7 October 2016. The partners will discuss the results of national and comparative training needs reports, decide on the development of training materials and review the future program.

Project Partners

İzmir ABİGEM A.Ş., Turkey

MAKRO Consulting Ltd., Turkey

Action Synergy. S.A., Greece

Ε.A.S.K.I. (United Agricultural Cooperative Kefalonia & Ithaca),

Greece

SVI.MED. (Sustainable Development Association), Italy

Eurosuccess Consulting Ltd., Cyprus

A meeting with an expert from Zeytindostu Association in İzmir

about the training needs of olive oil producers within the context of

national field research (14 June 2016)

Interviews with organic olive oil experts led by Svimed in Italy, in the

cities of Ragusa and Catania (June/July 2016)

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www.organicolive.eu

@ecolive.oil