The consortium

Four Higher Education Institutions, one Organic farmers’ association and State advisory service compose the team of institutions that joined the strengths and possibilities to contribute in overcoming part of the issues farmers face in their operations.
The personnel from HEI will be responsible for creation a series of tools which will serve the needs not only to the project’s target group, but to each and every person seeking for a solution to his/her issue related to use of fertilizers or pesticides.

The choice of priorities is due to following:

• - Agriculture as sector is the most neglected one in Macedonia. Much attention is given to the so called technical skills, while agriculture is considered as something everyone knows all about. Such attitude is reflected to the lack of support for creation new learning opportunities based on heavy IT or OER (digitally characterized) involvement.
  
  
• - Macedonian extension service and Macedonian advisors are lacking skills upgrade. Poor funding in the public sector and poor financial situation of the farmers are contributing to the situation of not being able to attend any kind of skills upgrade through attending at courses abroad or home on topics which are of interest in EU.
  
  
• - Blended courses are something which are rare. As mentioned previously there are not too many opportunities to organize such courses since the HEI budget are hardly sustainable for maintaining students' teaching process thus leaving little possibilities for HEI to find themselves oriented in organizing professional development for already graduated professionals, who had obtained their degree many years ago.
  
  
• - Digital means for sustaining current or crating new kind of knowledge hardly exist. This is due to the prejudicial belief that IT & computers have no place in agriculture. Creation of OER in digital format will be of great use by any interested individual to break these prejudices and become role model in promoting these tools as easy-to-use, time efficient, free of charge and quite useful.