People with special needs are in danger of segregation and their chances in the labour market are very limited. Promoting their professional inclusion is of the utmost significance, as it provides realization, autonomy, inclusion and a better quality of life.

In this context farming appears as a good niche for their inclusion, as long as the right kind of training contents, methods and qualified professionals are put into it. This has been widely proven by the FMM and many organizations in the field of Social Farming, which includes activities based on the interaction with agricultural environments to produce social services promoting social inclusion (e.g. therapy, life-long education, employment integration, etc.). Among other groups, Social Farming is addressed to people with special needs, and has proven effective in enhancing their health, quality of life, social inclusion and skills development.

Among the objectives of these workshops will also be the exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices to enable the improvement and adaptability of Vocational Education and Training and other training systems, materials and curricula for people with special needs.

The workshops will have a very participatory and inclusive approach, promoting discussion on the needs and challenges of socio-professional integration of people with special needs, thus facilitating a better understanding of these issues and of the adaptation requirements for training strategies.

Therefore, a strong interaction between all participants is expected to foster interpersonal relationships and ultimately contribute to the achievement of another of the project’s objectives, namely the establishment of a synergistic transnational partnership for the socio-professional inclusion of people with special needs in the green agriculture sectors.