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xFarm Education and xFarm Academy : two free initiatives to invest in the value of updating and developing new skills, for an increasingly competitive agribusiness sector.
xFarm Education has to its credit collaboration with 80 schools, totaling about 2,000 trained students. xFarm Academy, on the other hand, is a digital and live course dedicated to continuing education, has 1,200 trained professionals and aims to grow by 2023
January 2023, Milan - In the context of the climate crisis that is affecting our Planet, one of the main priorities for agriculture is to seek solutions that can ensure environmental and economic sustainability, embracing the new perspectives ofAgriculture 4.0. This is well known by xFarm Technologies which with its digital platform simplifies and optimizes the activities of farms, at every stage of production, supporting farms toward increasingly efficient and sustainable production. The extended agrifood supply chain, in fact, is an asset of strategic importance for the country's economy that generates 294 billion euros of Added Value, equal to 16.5 percent of Italian GDP1.
Digital transformation in the agricultural world, however, must be supported by the acquisition of new skills and the development of a new mindset; this comes not only from the continuous updating of the technical skills of those already working in the sector, but also from the training of tomorrow's professionals.
It was from this awareness that xFarm Technologies decided to also strengthen its training offerings, becoming a support especially for the new generations, the future and engine of this increasingly transforming manufacturing sector.
The agricultural sector, which employs more than 925,000 people, increasingly requires technical and digital knowledge, especially with a view to economic efficiency and conscious and sustainable use of natural resources. In fact, more than 60 percent of farmers in Italy use at least one 4.0 solution, and more than four out of ten use at least two, particularly management software and machinery monitoring and control systems.3The industry's demand for digital knowledge is growing.
xFarm Technologies, aware that technology can only be an effective tool for agriculture if it is implemented and used by properly trained resources, has decided to invest in two completely free training courses designed, on the one hand, to encourage the updating of those already working in the sector and, on the other hand, to implement the training offerings of agricultural technical institutes, higher technical institutes (ITS) and faculties of agriculture.
With the project. xFarm Education , xFarm Technologies enters, in fact, schools and universities to train students on the topics ofAgriculture 4.0, digitizing participating educational farms. At the moment, the project has to its credit the collaboration with 80 schools, for a total of about 2,000 students trained, and the intention is to strengthen this activity during 2023, reaching all Italian regions and starting to internationalize the project by expanding the audience of participating schools.
To date, in fact, more and more agricultural institutes are feeling the need to adapt curricula and put, from the very beginning, young people in contact with companies and the basics ofAgriculture 4.0. For example, theIstituto Superiore di Istruzione Agraria "Duca degli Abruzzi" in Padua has decided to join the educational project proposed by xFarm , with which it is carrying out both an educational activity directly with young people and the digitization of the institute's educational farm.
In particular, several environmental monitoring sensors and a weather station have been installed to help students become familiar with new technologies, making teaching more concrete and 4.0. "In many institutes," says Marco Golino, who is in charge of the project xFarm Education - together with teachers, students have created their own profile onapp xFarm. In this way, each student can create his own virtual farm, going to simulate the management of a real business." This is one way to bring students closer to the world of work in a practical way, bridging the gap often present with education.
"We are convinced that there can be no digital transition without adequate training of those working in the field. That is why we have decided to promote targeted activities that go precisely in this direction, starting with schools. Agricultural institutes are the beating heart of our country and represent very important hubs of innovation, as well as the fertile ground in which the talents of the future flourish. We are really satisfied with the initiatives carried out so far and we are honored that so many schools continue to choose us to support the path of young people "-continues Golino.
However, the initiatives of xFarm also go in the direction of continuing education andconstant updating of professionals working in the field. For these needs was born xFarm Academy, a totally free online course open to all, consisting of five live lectures, already in its seventh edition and with more than 1,200 professionals trained. With a view to expanding its offer and proposing content increasingly responsive to market needs, an implementation ofAcademy, a second level with the addition of two new lessons that will make the course even more complete, will also be launched at the end of February 2023.
In addition to these projects, in 2023 xFarm Technologies plans to continue its training activities at various ODAFs (Order of Agricultural and Forestry Doctors) and its outreach work on social channels in the field of Agriculture 4.0 technologies and opportunities.
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