"In a global context of climate change, erosion of biodiversity and the over-exploitation of natural resources (with consequences for the food systems, the environment and the health) there is a range of international settlements available to support the eco-sustainable transition of the rural areas, promoting “alternative” models, like that of the “eco-regions”, to meet the global challenges of the XXI century. Among the main ones, for the purposes of the project, there are: the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UNFCCC and UNCCD conventions of the United Nations for a science-based adaptation strategy to climate change and desertification, the European Landscape Convention, the European Habitats Directive. Recently, the EU Commission calling for concrete action for the Planet, with the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Europe Plan. Furthermore, the EU aims to assure a high level of food safety and animal & plant health through coherent “Farm to Fork” measures and adequate monitoring, while ensuring an effective internal market. Also, the “Farm to Fork” will contribute to achieve the circular economy and the control on the safety of the Agri food chain.In Europe there are about one hundred eco-regions (source IN.N.E.R., 2020, www.ecoregion.info) already settled down, which have good perspectives of development but are at different stages of implementation. At this purpose it is of fundamental importance to create a common and co-shared baseline system of local policies and good practices besides common training methodologies for the local communities involved in these experiences.The target groups are the teachers and trainers of the Agri-VET, the actors of the territories (farmers, consumers, local administrators) and the professionals of the Agri-sector (entrepreneurs, technicians). The aim of this project is to develop and share a toolbox of training instruments useful for the actors within the eco-region experiences of Italy, France, Portugal and Spain, usable also in the rest of Europe and of the World (all the partners of the ""EducEcoRegions"" project are members of the ""Global Alliance for Organic Districts"", established on February 6, 2020 in Rome, with the signing of the MoU at the Ministry of Agriculture.This partnership shall provide a common baseline of methodologies and tools, enriched with very different examples in order to develop an innovative Teaching Tool Kit. The transition from uniformity to diversity profoundly modifies territorial development, research and training strategies, moving from a system that over-exploits resources in all its forms, to a logic of cooperation with nature that calls for designing development projects that respect the life and agriculture that puts in place productive and resilient technical pathways for each ecosystem.The two main objectives of the project are:-improve quality of continuous vocational training and facilitate the access, in order to promote and reinforce the contribution to the process of innovation, economic growth and social cohesion;-bring skills and competencies for people that are (or intend to be) involved in the eco-sustainable transition of the territories (i.e. Eco Regions), and that don’t have experience and knowledge in the area. The project includes 3 transnational meetings, 3 training of trainers, 4 dissemination events and 2 intellectual outputs:O1 - Report on Eco-Regions in Europe (coordinated by the Italian partner - Cilento Bio-district); it is a report divided into 2 parts:•O1-A1 Summary document, resulted by the aggregation of the 4 national inventories developed by the project partners, including: comparative state of eco-regions; summary of the brakes and levers for the creation of eco-regions according to 3 axes -public policy component (CAP, national/local policies), technical aspects (recognized scientific approaches and consequences on agricultural practices), training components;•O1-A2 Summary document including the common denominator of innovations and changes related to eco-regions and the related indicators. This step is based on the work carried out during the O1-A1 and it would be an opportunity to collectively build and propose an ""Eco-regions Charter"" that could serve as a support for the construction of new local experiences.O2 - Teaching Tool kit, consists of 3 tools:•O2-A1 Teaching tool on eco-regions as written support. •O2-A2 E-learning tool.•O2-A3 Educational tool as an audio-visual medium. It will reflect the diversity of approaches and experiences encountered in the form of portraits."

Beekeeping is an agricultural activity plays a very important role in the sustainability and development of rural areas. As it is an activity that requires a low economic investment and does not require large areas of land or land ownership, it can be practiced by small farmers and by families linked to the rural world. It is also an excellent option for creating one's own job or to allow an extra income as a second activity in areas where the labor supply is scarce. Furthermore, it is an activity that might contribute to empower rural women and reinforce her role in agriculture as it is easily adjusted given the multifunctional role they play and the fact that they are more exposed to unemployment. In Europe, beekeeping is an activity mainly developed by beekeepers with a low level of professionalism, who have little knowledge in the area, often acquired only through experience. Given the importance of this activity for rural development and for the preservation of biodiversity, their promotion is of utmost importance. The “beeB - Foster for beekeeping bridges through innovative and participative training” project will count on with the contribution of six European countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Norway and Estonia) to contribute for the acquisition and development of basic skills and key competences in smart beekeeping, based on continuing vocational training, in order to facilitate the process of innovation, economic growth and social cohesion, through education, training and personal development; to reduce disparities in the access to and engagement of groups with less opportunities, like family and women beekeepers, and unemployed people in rural areas, promoting inclusion and gender equality through formal and non-formal education, based on the use of innovative and digital technologies and continuing VET; and to develop and structure partnerships to promote work-based learning for the beekeeping sector and bring forth skills and competencies for people that are or intend to be beekeepers, and that don’t have experience and knowledge in the area.Thus, it is intended to provide family and non-professional Beekeepers, with training in the area, which often does not exist or is scarce and encourage new publics, especially women and unemployed people from mainly rural areas, to practice this activity. It is intended to meet the training needs of each beekeeper, using innovative and attractive methodologies that can be used at workplace, such as adaptive learning, micro learning, community learning, gamification, innovation spirals, cross visiting, pills of knowledge, infographics. It is planned to draw up a course curriculum, based on a flexible b-learning adapted to different realities and regions and on the exchange of experiences and knowledge among peers (beekeepers, technicians, teachers/trainers) and guaranteeing national and European certification / qualification. It also provides for b-learning training aimed at personalized learning and. This project will provide beekeepers and future beekeepers with a reference of skills in the area of beekeeping. In the end of the partnership, the beekeeping and educational sectors will have available an innovative course curriculum in beekeeping, both from a technical and an active learning point of view, that will result from innovating in education and training with the deep engagement and contribute of partners from different parts of Europe, combining knowledge, work organization, social and cultural differences, heritage, through an intensive exchange of experiences and common training, that will allow the team and participants to grow intellectually, technically, socially and contribute for deeper European self-knowledge and cohesion.The project will bring positive and long-lasting effects on the participating organisations and persons directly or indirectly involved in the organised activities, as well as on the beekeeping sector, specially at the nonprofessional, family and women beekeepers’ levels, also creating a positive trend towards the adhesion of new beekeepers. It is also expected to have an impact in other European countries and in countries sharing the languages adopted in the project, with special relevance to Portuguese and Spanish.