This research project aims to establish and stabilize the information structures for sustainability assessment between the HBLFA Higher Federal Institute for Agricultural Education and Research) and the Austrian educational landscape. As the FarmLife tool is used more extensively, it is also subject to ongoing monitoring and quality assurance.

The following agricultural education institutions should be involved:

1) Agricultural vocational schools (LFS) with an agricultural focus

2) Higher Federal Educational Institutions (HBLA and HBLFA) – especially with a focus on environmental and resource management

3) University and college: University of Applied Sciences for Agricultural and Environmental Education Vienna (DI Veronika Hager), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (Institute for Organic Farming, Dr. Gabriele Gollner)

4) Adult education: Rural Training Institute (LFI), Environmental Education Centre (UBZ)

Initial contact steps have already been taken. An implementation plan has also been developed, outlining the schedule for the planned seminars or courses and implementing the necessary technical requirements on farmlife.at.

Two rails are required:

1) The FarmLife farm management tool is intended for interdisciplinary use in agricultural schools, thereby promoting its integration into agricultural practice. Regular professional development workshops for teachers (especially subject coordinators for specific subjects in the agricultural school curriculum) will provide optimal support for their teaching work with FarmLife. Furthermore, educational and teaching materials will be made available through various digital channels.

2) The path to increasing the use of FarmLife in agricultural practice in Austria can lead directly through the training of farmers and thus concerns the field of adult education. The existing implementation concept should be applied in agricultural training institutions. An Austria-wide communication network should ensure that those responsible for the eco-efficiency research group at the HBLFA , together with those responsible for education in the national agricultural sector, develop a long-term educational concept in the area of ​​sustainability assessment that is then incorporated into the various agricultural training institutions.

In the long term, a steady impact should develop through the multipliers in order to support the widespread use of FarmLife both in agricultural (training) education and in practice.

See also www.researchgate.net