A presentation about the SEED project at the final peer review meeting at the University of Ghent, Belgium on Wednesday 8th September 2021. The meeting was in a hybrid meeting format (face to face and via Zoom) due to remaining Covid travel restrictions. The Smart Entrepreneurial Education and training in Digital farming – SEED project develops skills in agriculture by introducing a digital transformation in the profession. The project facilitates the development of skills and competences to meet labour market needs and also to be more flexible in anticipating future skills’ gaps for the digital agriculture sector. This presentation identified the roots, work and outcomes of the project for participants at the peer review event. The purpose was to establish an exploitation plan after the conclusion of the project and to present this plan for comment and discussion at the final conference held on Thursday 9th September at the Umbria Region office in Brussels.

1. SEED PROJECT FINAL EVENT
«New educational perspectives for the
digital entrepreneurship in
agriculture»
8-9 September 2021, Ghent, Belgium
www.digitalseed.eu

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The SEED project
Altheo Valentini – EGInA

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Why SEED
Study conducted by CISCO and the
Digital Transformation Institute “The
impacts of digital transformation on
the Agri-food supply chain”
Importance for professionals involved
in the farming sector to have a wide-
ranging view and think about all the
processes of the production system.

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• How the digital transformation is impacting
on the Agri-food chain?
• What is the state of the art about the
digitalization of agriculture, agrindustry and the
overall Agri-food sector?
• Which digital technologies have achieved a
bigger impact on the different sectors’ chains
(meat, fish, milk, vegetables), on the cross-
chain contact points and on the elements that
transversally interests all the sectors (logistics,
security, traceability, public controls,
management, envirnmental impact, trade)
• How to assess the impacts of Digital
Transformation on agri-food chains to to
highlight the cross-chain contact points and
the socio-economic consequences of it?

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supply chain process
technology
used
production processing &
transformation
storage
wrapping &
packing distribution transport
Selling /
communication
consumption
precision agriculture
meat

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supply chain process
technology
used
production processing &
transformation
storage
wrapping &
packing distribution transport
Selling /
communication
consumption
precision agriculture
milk

7. fish supply chain process
technology
used
production processing &
transformation
storage
wrapping &
packing distribution transport
Selling /
communication
consumption
precision agriculture

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supply chain process
technology
used
production
processing
&
transforma-
tion
storage
wrapping &
packing
distribution transport
selling /
communica-
tion
consump-
tion
precision agriculture
cultivation harvest
ware-
housing
vegetables

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Smart Entrepreneurial Education and training in
Digital farming
CALL KA3: Joint Qualifications in Vocational Education and Training
DURATION 3 years (September 2018 – September 2021)
PARTNERS 7 partners from 4 Countries (Italy, Belgium, Slovakia, Spain) + 13 associated
partners
TARGET VET centres, companies and students/apprentices involved in EQF5 Agri-
food training paths
ACTIONS • Development of a new VET qualification profile: “Advisor in Digital
Agriculture” (built on modular units of LOs mapped on both EntreComp
and DigComp)
• Enhancement of work-based learning activities in existing curricula
• 3 months transnational mobility for 10 beneficiaries in each Country

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UMBRAFLOR
CIUFFELLI (IT)
Research and pilot
UNIGENT (BE)
All activities
UNINITRA (SK)
All activities
AIN (ES)
All activities
EGINA
Coordination and
evaluation
EUROGEO
Dissemination and
exploitation
Project partner
Organzations

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Analysis of existing EQF5
(4-6) Agrifood profiles
Developing and testing
(part of) the curricular path
Validation & recognition
from authorities
Units
collaboration
Experimenting
with
assessment
criteria
(Transnational
mobility)
VET (meta)
Curriculum in
Digital Agriculture
PROJECT STRUCTURE
Enhancement of work based learning
activites in existing curricula
ACTIONS
Development of a new VET qualification
profile: “Expert in Digital Agriculture”
3 months transnational mobility for 10
beneficiaries from each country
1 2 3

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Research results:
Analysis of existing EQF5 (4-6) Agrifood profiles
1

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Not only EQF5
Total coverage of the
public/formal qualifications
between EQF 4 and 6 of the
agrifood sector.
Not only Formal
Near/related field of the non
formal qualifications in the
agro-digital domain,
choosing a few relevant
cases, applying a “value-
driven” approach
Not only Agrico.
Explore the digital training
field not directly related to
the agriculture, but
identified as an enabling
innovation factor.
Desk Research, the methodology.

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287 courses
Out of which 250 are from
formal education and 37
form non-formal education.
Main agricultural domains
Few formal qualifications (EQF 5 or 6) strongly
oriented to the digital farming. Explicit or, more often,
near-implicit presence of digital contents in a broad
range of agricultural qualifications (EQF 3 or 4).
Desk Research, some statistics.
Italy, 62
Spain,
161
Belgium,
39
Slovakia,
25
91
81
48
45
20
56
0 20 40 60 80 100
Agro-forestry
Crop-farmingq
Fisheries and acquaculture
Livestock production
Not-domain specific
Other

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Main value-chain processes interested, some statistics.
32
100
193
118
41
40
38
6
4
45
0 50 100 150 200 250
Market analysis and forecasting
Production planning
Production management (use of the productive factors, environmental
impacts, sustainability)
Production quality control
Traceability and Quality assurance
Logistic (included integration in the local networks and in the value
chain of the buyers)
Selling (i.e. e-commerce)
Community Shared Agriculture (CSA)
Short-chain production (0km – Selling from the house)
Other

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Main digital domains interested, some statistics.
62
125
83
31
45
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Thinking and modelling business and productive processes
Gathering, collecting, integrating, evaluating and using
product/process data
Controlling and process automation
Identifying, buying and using digital hardware and software
technologies
Other

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Analysis main findings
•Cross-innovation between several fields
•Local innovation and domain-specific applications, not a systemic approach
•Gap between “technical” and “marketing” use of the digital technologies;
•Absence of clear and “complete” qualification of Advisor in Digital Farming.
Widespread digital
knowledge than a
specific professional
profile
•Enabling to move from incremental to disruptive innovation effects
•Modularity, scalability, integrability and re-usability of digital knowledge
•Agro-digital economy, digital marketing and selling, customer satisfaction
“Strategic thinking” is a
key for a really value-
added digital
innovation in farming
• Scarce knowledge to appreciate the advantages of the digital solutions
• Importance of easiness of use, efficiency improvement, sustainability
• Relevant influence of the cultural values,
• Importance role of the external agents, educational/training organizations
Entrepreneurial
difficulty to manage the
decision making
process

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Qualifications profile:
Digital farming agent
2

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Aim of the new qualification
The Digital Farming Agent (DFA) may be seen primarily as an
innovation agent and a firm consultant, specialized in analysis,
feasibility study, business evaluation and technology change
management, as well as an operational support in the implementing
and learning by use processes.
A network agent, playing a connective role between supply and
demand of digital applications;
Oriented to the practical application to the agribusiness sector, specifically
SMEs
Accordingly to the 5° EQF level assumed as reference by the SEED project.

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Qualification structure
→ The qualification is organised into:
a core set of competence units, expression of the global, common dimensions
 Definition and the implementation of the digital transformation into the
agribusiness firms
 Digital management of the agri-business production and market processes
a complementary set of domain-related competence units, more responsive to the
different contexts, useful also in order to innovate the more “traditional” local
qualifications
importance of the sectors/application domains specificities

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Agribusiness
the economic knowledge
foundations and skills (business
models and competitive drivers;
logic and organization of
production, logistic and selling
processes; integration in the value
chain);
Digital
the technical knowledge
foundations and skills (Information
and data literacy, Communication
and Collaboration, Digital content
creation, Problem solving)
accordingly declined to the
Agribusiness specificities
Innovation
the knowledge and skills
necessaries to understanding the
thread and the opportunities,
carrying on feasibility studies,
defining the correct approach and
implement the dues actions, in
terms of project management and
change management.
Qualification structure – CORE UNITS

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AGRIBUSINESS Agribusiness
economy
Business models
Production
models
Marketing and
selling models
DIGITAL Information and
data literacy
Communication
and
Collaboration
Digital content
creation
Problem solving
INNOVATION Foundations
Digital
transformation
Feasibility study
and project
management
Change
management
Qualification structure – CORE UNITS

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Qualification Structure – DOMAIN APPLICATION
1. Strategic
planning and
sustainable
management
2. Precision
agriculture
3. Agrifood value
and added
services
4. Digital
marketing and e-
commerce

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Strategic planning
and sustainable
management
Sustainable key
concepts
Strategy, Data and
Decision Support
Systems
Precision
agriculture
Data sensors:
platforms (drones
and satellites) and
agronomic sensors
Using data: GIS and
data modelling
Agronomic resource
management
Agrifood value
and added
services
Integrated logistic Traceability
Digital
marketing and
e-commerce
Digital marketing
E-commerce ad
customer experience
Qualification Structure – DOMAIN APPLICATION

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Qualification Structure – Main dependences

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Qualification referencing
→ Professional contents
ISCO 08 – International Standard Classification of Occupations
3339 – Business Services Agents Not Elsewhere Classified
3142 – Agricultural Technicians
→ Economic position
NACE CLIO
71830 – Services of financial and insurance auxiliaries; real estate; services of
lawyers, accountants, tax advisers, management consultants; publicity services;
computer and data processing services.
Digcomp 2.1 – The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens
Entrecomp – The Entrepreneurship Competence Framework.

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The Digital Farming Agent qualification compared to a DigComp 1.2 competencies set

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The Digital Farming Agent qualification compared to the Entrecomp conceptual model

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The impact in partner countries:
Good practices and experiences from partner
countries
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Spanish
implementation
Sonia Mendoza Orella

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Online course development 110 h
+ WBL Week – 40 h
• Module 1. Digital transformation: enabling
technologies, key drivers, and their impacts –
15h
• Module 2. Data sensors: platforms (drones
and satellites) and agronomic sensors – 20h
• Module 3. Using data: GIS and data
modelling – 30h
• Module 4. Traceability – 25h
• Module 5. Integrated Logistic – 20h

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Data and modeling
(18h)
KET introduction –
8h
- Interaction KET HUB
- Bioprinting technology
- IoT in agricultural
machinery
Logistics and
traceablity – 8h
• Decision-making platforms for
farmers and advisers
• Deep Learning applied to food
production
• Remote sensing systems:
drones
• Use of GIS and cartography in
smart agriculture
• AI in agribusiness
• Data modeling in smart
agriculture
Personal skills
– 6h
• Logistics in the agro-
industry
• Traceability in
agribusiness
• Blockchain for the
integration of information
from the agricultural
value chain
WBL Week – 40 hours (5 days)
• Digital competences
• Self-knowledge and
definition of the
professional objective
• Dynamics to develop
teamwork

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Bachelor degree
4 students undertaking:
- Agrifood engineering (1)
- Agronomic engineering (1)
- Agrifood engineering and
innovation in food processes
(2)
Master degree
4 students undertaking:
- Technology and sustainability in the
Food industry
- Agronomic engineerin
- Expert in new technologies for
precision agriculture
- Food quality and safety
PhD
2 students with PhD
in:
- Remote sensing
- Sustainable
agriculture
Students profile

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Their opinion…
- More specific
knowledge
- Duration of the
WBL (short)
- Contact with technology providers
and companies from the sector
- Working with new technologies
and their application
- Wide variety of knowledge
adquired useful for their future job
Did NOT
work
Did work

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Belgian
implementation
Luc Zwartjes

38. • A new EQF5 curriculum must
be linked to a professional
(vocational) qualification
• A professional qualification
describes the knowledge
and skills an individual
needs to exercise a profession.

39. • Step 1 Creation of a professional qualification dossier
• defining a profession, determining the required competences and describing
the context, autonomy and responsibility of the professional.
• By representatives of the labour market supported by AHOVOKS (Agency
higher & adult education, qualifications & study allowances
• Step 2 Validation of the professional qualification dossier
• Validation committee: social partners, VDAB (Flanders employment service,
Vlaio (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship), AHOVOKS
• Step 3 Classification of the professional qualification dossier
• Assigned a EQF-level
• Classification committee: SERV (Social and Economic Council of Flanders),
Vlor (Flemish Education Council), Vlaio, AHOVOKS
• Step 4 Recognition of the professional qualification
• By Flemish government
• Step 5 Registration of the professional qualification
• By AHOVOKS
5 steps towards recognition of a professional qualification

40. • Create a new professional qualification (BK)
– Time consuming
– Need analysis
• Adjust an existing professional qualification
– Faster
– Sometimes BK need to be updated
• Include parts of the Joint Digital Farming Curriculum
– in existing EQF-5 education programs
– In existing non-formal education programs
– In new non-formal education programs

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Slovak
implementation
Zuzana Palkova

42. Thank You
www.digitalseed.eu
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