Best Practices for Training in Sustainable Greenhouse Horticulture

Ralph De Witte, Dirk Janssen (), Samir Sayadi Gmada and Carmen García-García
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Ralph De Witte: Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria (IFAPA), Centro La Mojonera, 04745 La Mojonera, Spain
Dirk Janssen: Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria (IFAPA), Centro La Mojonera, 04745 La Mojonera, Spain
Samir Sayadi Gmada: Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria (IFAPA), Centro Camino de Purchil, 18004 Granada, Spain
Carmen García-García: Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria (IFAPA), Centro La Mojonera, 04745 La Mojonera, Spain

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-26

Abstract: Consumer demands and current legislation require intensive greenhouse horticulture to be sustainable. This poses the challenge of how to teach the concept of sustainable horticulture to all professionals involved in farming. The province of Almeria, in the south-east of Spain, is one of the major horticulture greenhouse areas in Europe, and an expert panel of relevant stakeholders was invited to look into the best pedagogical practices and methods to transfer technology and knowledge, with the goal of improving the sustainability of greenhouse horticulture. A combination of an online questionnaire, a Delphi method, and desk research was, therefore, used as the strategy to collect the data and implement the research design during 2021. On-farm/business demonstrations, virtual education, and classroom education were common pedagogical methods used. On-farm/business demonstrations, participatory education, and co-learning were identified as the best pedagogical methods to use in sustainable agriculture/horticulture training. The expert panel also concluded that participatory education and co-learning should be further explored whereas virtual and classroom education should play a less dominant role in the training activities. This knowledge can help training organizations and designers to avoid common mistakes, tailor their training activities, and be mindful of common barriers and (mis)conceptions.

Keywords: farmer training; Delphi method; co-learning; horticultural greenhouses; sustainability; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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