Work-Based Learning on Bioeconomy in Farming in the RELIEF Project

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Farming is essential for the European Union (EU), both in terms of food security, which ensures access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food, and employment opportunities, as well as rural development. At the same time, farmers are facing numerous challenges, including climate change and competitive global markets. The pandemic, energy crisis, and inflation have had an impact on the agricultural sector as well. Bioeconomy emerges as a possible solution to address these challenges by improving farms' resilience and creating job opportunities. At the same time, it will contribute to the environmental sustainability of EU farming. 

Bioeconomy is a system that relies on renewable biological instead of fossil resources, and as such, it “covers all sectors and systems that rely on biological resources,” as defined by the European Commission, including agriculture. Yet, for the EU to transition into a circular bioeconomy system, farming professionals need to possess the relevant knowledge and skills. To this aim, twelve organizations, companies, and universities from Greece, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, and Cyprus have developed an open-access course on bioeconomy in farming within the RELIEF project, co-funded by the EU. 

Between September and December 2024, the Malmö-based social enterprise SwIdeas has piloted three learning modules on bioeconomy, circular economy, and green skills for vocational education and training learners. The pilot phase included three work-based learning activities consisting of two workshops in collaboration with Alnarp’s Farm and a study visit to Nordvästra Skånes Renhållnings AB’s (NSR) recycling facility. “The activities were a great opportunity to meet local stakeholders and learn about circularity and bioeconomy in practice,” says Emily Hanna, who works as a project manager at SwIdeas. 

A Food Jam to Explore the Impact of Food on the Climate 

In October, SwIdeas invited the pilot participants to a food jam at STPLN, a co-working space and creative hub in Malmö. “The idea was to have a workshop to discuss the impact of food and food production on the climate while encouraging people to purchase local, organic produce,” recalls Emily. “To make it more hands-on and tangible, we decided to order from Alnarp’s Farm and cook together.” 

During the workshop, the participants and the SwIdeas team worked together to use the available seasonal, local, and organic vegetables in creative ways. The experience allowed them to get a feel for what to do when resources are limited while at the same time exploring the many possibilities of a limited number of resources. While cooking, discussions were focused on motivations for the choice of products that were used, how these choices can contribute to mitigating climate change, as well as Alnarp’s Farm’s work as an agroecological farm.  

“It was October, so there was a limited choice of vegetables,” says Emily. “But it also included things we had never seen or cooked with before. It was great fun, and it brought the workshop to a personal, individual level.” 

Learning About Biochar at NSR 

A month after the food jam, SwIdeas offered a study visit to NSR—a company owned by six municipalities in the north-west of Scania, which is in charge of recycling centers for waste ranging from compost to plastic—to the participants of the RELIEF pilot phase. The decision to visit NSR was motivated by their research and innovation center, where different ways of turning waste into new resources are explored. A particular focus was their production of biochar from garden waste. 

Biochar is a form of charcoal that is made from biomaterials, including garden waste such as wood from bushes and small trees. In a thermochemical process called pyrolysis, this biomass is turned into a fine-grain charcoal using high temperatures and restricted oxygen levels. It is a circular process in which “useless” waste is transformed into a valuable product. During the study visit, the participants learned about this process and the many uses of biochar, which include carbon sequestration, the improvement of soil health, and its use in reducing the spread of footpad (a disease that affects chickens). The group received an introduction to NSR’s overall work as well as the work of the research and innovation center. A bus tour provided insights into different parts of the recycling facility. 

“It felt like there are endless possibilities with garbage,” reflects Emily. “When you read about the things we do in the RELIEF course, it’s interesting. But when you are actually at a study visit, you realize how many initiatives and projects there are, what is happening, and how it works.” 

“It’s great to go out and meet local stakeholders,” she adds. “They are so engaged in what they are doing and so proud of what they do, which they should be!” 

Circular Economy and Agroecology at Alnarp’s Farm 

The last work-based learning activity, held in December 2024, was a workshop with volunteers from Alnarp’s Farm. The workshop covered several aspects relevant within the RELIEF project as well as to the farm, including an introduction to bioeconomy, the impact of food on the climate, circular economy principles, and entrepreneurial skills within a bioeconomy context.  

The workshop participants explored these aspects hands-on by using Alnarp’s Farm as a case study. In a practical activity, they identified how the farm includes circular principles. On this basis, they then analyzed the farm’s potential to become more circular and discussed the entrepreneurial skills needed to ensure the farm’s sustainable future. Their discussions led to ideas on how to improve the farm’s water management or include renewable energy, and how to set up tool sharing systems and build networks with other local actors. At the same time, questions were brought up on the meaning of growth and the possibilities to explore permaculture to a greater extent. 

A Look into the Future 

The RELIEF project is nearing its end, but Emily hopes that it will have a long-term impact. “The project was very helpful to introduce the idea [of bioeconomy] to people,” she explains. “It is interesting to me that despite the overall high knowledge level in Sweden, a lot of concepts are new to people when it comes to sustainable agriculture.” She hopes that the participants of the RELIEF pilot, as well as future users of the learning materials, will take with them the possibilities of circular approaches and the inputs on how to think differently about farming to make it sustainable as well as profitable.  

If you are interested in learning more about the bioeconomy in farming, you can sign up for the free RELIEF e-learning platform, where you have access to the entire course on vocational education and training as well as university-level education in five languages. To access the course, click on “log in” in the top right corner of the RELIEF platform’s website and create an account. On LinkedIn, you can join Sweden’s Bioeconomy Hub, which provides regular updates and informational material on bioeconomy in farming in Sweden and the EU. And if you are curious about SwIdeas' pilot phase of the RELIEF learning materials, you can find out more here.

On RELIEF  

The euRopean bio-Economy aLliancE in Farming (RELIEF) project is an Erasmus+ Alliance for Innovation which brings together 12 partners from bio-economy markets with different maturity, either more developed (Italy, Sweden) and/ or emerging markets (Greece, Portugal, Cyprus). Read more about the project here.  

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.  

Project Number: 101056181 

Written by Merle Emrich.

Cover photo by Emily Hanna.

About the author

Merle Emrich works as analyst and programme officer at SwIdeas and is actively involved in the RELIEF project. She is also the publisher of Cálice Magazine.