Energy efficient farms - A

Short description

This project’s aim is to enable a supra-regional exchange of knowledge and information, as well as the joint elaboration of continuing training and education events, educational products and marketing measures in order to enhance the energy efficiency on agricultural holdings/ farms.

The present project ensures that the contents elaborated in terms of the pool project are directly communicated to the farmers via educational and informational events and that prevailing synergetic effects are used for an effective and efficient knowledge transfer.

Point of departure

Due to volatile world market prices as well as due to legally binding targets of the improvement of energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficient production methods have become of central importance. The growing use of technology and the trend of specialization of the agricultural production as well as the rising energy costs implicate an increased share of energy costs in total costs.  Thus, the energy efficient production becomes an increasingly important measure of competitiveness and innovative capacity of a farm.

 

Targets and target groups

The target group is defined as follows:

-          Farmers and women farmers
-          Agricultural organizations and institutions
-          Consultants from the agricultural and forestry sector
-          Advisors and members of working groups
-          Education officers at training institutions for agriculture and forestry

Project implementation and measures

This pool-project ensures the exchange of information and experiences between all relevant actors.   Furthermore, an Expert Pool will be built-up, specific training for multipliers will be organized, a guideline for energy management within the Agricultural sector will be elaborated, two informative folders on the major key topics concerning energy efficiency for farms and forestry holdings will be composed, marketing measures in terms of energy efficiency will be developed and professional publications will be published in Austrian agricultural media. The educational products will be provided on the Internet as well as in form of hard copies.