American Farm School
The Library began a collaboration with American Farm School in 2018 for the implementation of the educational program Experiential Education and Counseling Programs, which was aimed at livestock farmers in Τhessalia, in central Greece, and was related to two groups (goat and sheep farmers, and cattle farmers). In each group, 15 participants attended without charge and received a certificate.
The purpose of the program was to reinforce the local livestock community, which constitutes the wider agricultural structure core in the region, by implementing excellent management practices of sustainable livestock units and aiming at the economic yield in agricultural and livestock farming. An additional aim was to benefit the wider livestock sector for the meat and dairy products production in the region, developing and implementing a strategic framework for the optimal positioning of the area and its differentiation with competition.
The program was delivered by the AFS School of Professional Education (SPE) in two 8-month periods in order for the farmers’ training to be naturally linked to the annual livestock cycle and the challenges they face at each productive stage. Upon completion of the program, after evaluation, one farmer from each group received a full scholarship to attend the integrated livestock management program to the American Farm School’s new, 2-year Institute of Technological Studies.