An capacity building workshop on sustainable pastoral practices and artisanal cheese making was held in Portianou of Lemnos from 18-21 of October 2018 as part of the Terra Lemnia project. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the Agricultural University of Athens and ran through four evenings with different topics each day.
On the first day, the Associate Professor from AUA,Mr Antonis Kominakis introduced the topic of “Best practices in livestock genetics and animal husbandry”. The second day, the Associate Professor from AUA, Mr Yiannis Hatzigeorgiou spoke to the practitioners about “Animal feed for sustainable sheep and goat stockbreeding. The third and fourth days, the Associate Professor from AUA, Mr Theofilos Masouras, elaborated on the topics of “Dairy farming & cheese making” and “Production of local, high quality milk and dairy products”
The workshop provided an opportunity for professional practitioners of the island to enrich and deepen their knowledge on the aforementioned topics, talk and discuss with theprofessors and colleagues of the Terra Lemnia project as well as among themselves, exchanging views, stories, hints and tips of their trade.
At the end of the fourth day, those that had attended the entire workshop received a certificate of attendance and an evaluation questionnaire so that the project team can assess their level of satisfaction and training needs.The workshop saw the participation of over 35 practitioners, exceeding original expectations and providing a clear indication of the need for training opportunities for practitioners in the primary sector.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to the Municipality of Lemnos for the permission to use the multipurpose hall of Portianou, as well as the president, the cultural association of Portianou village and everyone else involved for their valued help and support