The first training for the 40 COCOREADO Ambassadors network was held in Brussels on the 28th of March. During these days, the selected participants received several sessions and workshops based on different fundamental topics of the project. These people passionate about food and agriculture, will receive a total of three trainings throughout the project, with the aim of enabling them to facilitate sustainable changes in food systems.
The three days were full of workshops and some activities to break the ice, such as the one they had once they arrived at the venue in Brussels, when they shared typical desserts from their country. It was a great moment to introduce a little bit of themselves and their gastro culture.
During the first sessions, they learned about good practices. In the previous months before the training, the consortium selected a total of 61 good practices. Ambassadors then received the list of them followed by some factsheets with the information of each one of these initiatives. By the end of the session, they selected the best 35, based on replicability criteria that the consortium prepared. These good practices help (re)connect consumers and producers and/or strengthen the position of the farmer in the food chain.
In addition, the training focused on how to initiate seed initiatives, first explaining to the Ambassadors the definition of these initiatives and letting them share some experiences about their own countries. They also received some basic knowledge about how to prepare a Communication Plan and how to make a video, which they will have to produce by the end of the project. All of this was completed with a visit to Le Champignon de Bruxelles where they learned about the underground mushrooms, and they did a tour through the Cellars of Cureghem ending with a tasting of the local products.
The next training will be on the 10th of October and this one will be celebrated in Pamplona, Spain. During the period between these two trainings, Ambassadors will have to submit their seed initiatives proposal and they will participate in an online workshop where the final 5 seed initiatives will be selected.
To discover our Ambassadorship, follow this link.
About COCOREADO
COCOREADO is a Horizon 2020 funded project. The title – “COCOREADO” – is inspired by Esperanto for co-creation. It’s designed to rebalance the position of the farmer as an individual actor, as a key player in innovative food supply chains, and as a supplier for public procurement. Based on the multi-actor approach and a deep understanding of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS), the project applies a three-fold approach to maximise impact, relying on ambassadorship, good practices, and a focus on youth. The project involves both academic and close-to-farmers partners across Europe, recognising regional differences and barriers in terms of replicability of good practices and regional opportunities in terms of solutions.