Quality of Agricultural Products and Protection of the Environment: Training, Knowledge Dissemination and Certification. Synthesis Report of a Study in Five European Countries. CEDEFOP Reference Series.

This book examines existing European environmental education and agricultural practices friendly to the environment. Focus is on studies conducted in five countries Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain--that aimed to define new knowledge qualifications related to environmental issues in producing alternative agricultural products without agrochemicals (organic farming). How these qualifications can best be acquired, including curricula design, are discussed. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the background, objectives, and design of the study. Chapters 2 and 3 describe European policies related to agriculture and employment and the practice of organic farming. Chapter 4 examines the state of agricultural education, environmental education, and vocational training within the European Union. Chapter 5 discusses processing, distribution and consumer information for organic products, specifically wine, olive oil, and fruit juice. Chapter 6, which constitutes over 1/3 of the book, presents the five national case studies. These include interviews with agronomists; agricultural inspectors; agricultural extension workers; teachers and directors of agricultural training centers; and retailers and consumers of organic products. Chapter 7 presents conclusions and suggestions for the formation of a common policy. Chapter 8 is a summary of the study. A list of 10 Web site addresses is appended. (Contains 75 references and 55 figures and tables.) (AJ)