This publication is an official product of project no. 2011-1-PL1-LEO05-19891 EU Lifelong Learning Programme, Transfer of Innovations under the title “Interactive Strategic Management (ISM) methodology for improvement of agricultural entrepreneurship in Central-Eastern Europe”. Here introduced the content of the project and members of the team from four countries. In this book, the set-up of interactive strategic management trainings is described. Selected dairy farmer and farmer-student cases from three countries are presented. Training results, strategic choices, critical success factors and the learning process are introduced. An analysis is presented of the effects of the ISM trainings on the participants and concluding remarks of the project are drawn by the project team.
The European agricultural sector has experienced many changes in the last decade. These changes are expected to continue in the near future. In such circumstances, the ability to make and apply long-term decisions and entrepreneurial skills are key factors of success. With this in mind, a Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation project was formulated and finally approved. The project was entitled “Interactive Strategic Management (ISM) methodology for improvement of agricultural entrepreneurship in Central-Eastern Europe”. This so-called ISM Project aimed to introduce innovative instruments to help professionals deal with entrepreneurship and strategic management development. This was intended to apply to those working in the advisory/ consultancy sector and the vocational teaching environment. In addition, the second target group, the farmers themselves, would be affected because they had been invited to participate in the ISM training sessions, which would be facilitated by the newly trained professionals mentioned above.
The project team members come from organizations, like universities, institutes, extension services and cattle associations in one Western European country (The Netherlands) and three Central and Eastern European countries (Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia). The international meetings in each country, including open seminars, were a great experience. The project output was also presented at a session about cattle husbandry in Eastern Europe at the congress of the European Association for Animal Production (EAAP) in August 2012 in Bratislava, Slovakia and at a special seminar devoted to the ISM project as part of the International Farm Management Association (IFMA) Congress in Warsaw, Poland in July 2013.
A main dissemination product of the Leonardo da Vinci ISM project involves producing a book which describes the method of interactive strategic management, the role of the facilitator and the main items of the web application of this web-based tool. At the same time, this book presents the results of the ISM trainings using the ISM method. The project content and the participating institutions and associations from the four countries are presented in the first introductory chapter, as well as the principles behind the Interactive Strategic Management method. The set-up of interactive strategic management trainings is described in the second chapter. In the third chapter, selected dairy farmer cases from all three countries and also farmer-student cases from two countries are presented, along with some interviews of participating farmers with businesspeople from other sectors so as to learn from each other’s views. The fourth chapter deals with the training results, i.e. strategic choices, critical success factors and the learning process. In the fifth chapter, an analysis is presented of the effect of the ISM trainings on the participants self perceived competencies and entrepreneurial features. The final sixth chapter presents concluding remarks, as drawn by the project team.
This book to those farmers who would like to improve their entrepreneurial skills and observe some positive examples of their business colleagues; vocational teachers and agricultural advisors who deal with teaching and advising farmers in the strategy-building process and entrepreneurship; scientific workers to observe the transfer of the innovative methodology; policy makers who may wish to use this approach to stimulate the process of the strategic development of the farming sector; and to all other interested stakeholders who may benefit from the method, tool and new approach.
Beldman, A.; Malak-Rawlikowska, A.; Stalgienė, A.; Kuipers, A.; Tomson, N.; de Lauwere, C.; Lakner, D.; Žekalo, M.; Klopčič, M.2013. Supporting farmers in making strategic choices : the method and implementation of interactive strategic management in Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia. The Hague: LEI Wageningen UR; Domžale: Biotehnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science. 100 p. ISBN 978-961-6204-61-3.
