Spain: C4 Training activity
evaluation report
Using plant and animal residues and waste as an alternative source of energy
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Background
The C4 Training Activity Evaluation Report is part of the regular evaluation activities implemented during the Saving water project lifetime. Their main aim is to keep a regular track on the development of the project activities and to build on them improving next actions.
The C4 Training Activity took place in Gijon, Spain in the period 4-8 May, 2022. The main objectives of the Training were to highlight:
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The importance of biogas plants in agricultural operations and their impact on agricultural production
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The specifics of water management in agricultural production using biogas plants to provide participants with effective water conservation skills.
A total of 12 representatives from three countries (Chech Republic, Portugal, and Bulgaria) attended the Training Course.
After the Training Course, all the participants were asked to complete an evaluation form on paper regarding overall training quality, achievement of training goals and outcomes, and the effectiveness of training activities. 12 evaluation forms were returned filled in to the Quality management Activity Leader – ECQ which form a 100% response rate.
Detailed quantitative and qualitative results are described in the next few sections of the report.
Personal Information of Participants
The evaluation form distributed among all the participants in the tranind started with questions on their personal profile. These questions were important regarding the transferability of the knowledge and skills obtained during the training. Completely in line with the project proposal, there were 4 participants by each country included in the training.
There are 4 responses submitted by each of the participating countries – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Portugal.
The representation of respondents per country is as follows:
Regarding the age distribution, the data collected shows that most of the respondents were at the most active age group of “26-40 years” old (58%). The second most popular age group is the one of “41-55 years” old (25%). There are also 2 representatives in the group of “41-55 years” old (17%), and no representatives in the age group of “18 – 25 years” old.
Preparation of the Training Course
The evaluation of the training course itself started with 3 questions aiming to evaluate the preparatory phase of the training. The question “How satisfied are you with the preparation before the Training Course” had to evaluate the participants’ safisfaction with the following aspects of the preparatory work done:
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Initial information about the Training
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Agenda of the Training
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Logistic information about the Training
As Figure 3 shows, all the respondents provide positive answers to all the 3 aspects of the preliminary work on the training. The positive rate on all 3 quiestions is 100%, meaning that the preliminary work on the organization of the training done by the Magenta team was highly appreciated by all the training participants.
Implementation of the Training Course
The next part of the evaluation questionnaire had to assess each of the activities included in the training programme and their relevance to the overall aims and purposes of the project. As in the analysis of the previous evaluation reports, the responses “ relevant” and “quite relevant” are considered as positive feedback, while “irrelevant” and “absolutely irrelevant” can be defined as negative. The option “neutral” is assessed as neutral feedback.
The respondents had to evaluate the following aspects of the training:
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Presentation "Using plant and animal waste as an alternative source of energy" Hands-on situation in Asturias. Examples
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Visit to Lombriastur (Grao). Ecological feltilizer through transforming composted cattle manure into worm humus
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Visit to Pellets Asturias (Tineo). Converting natural waste into energy sources ❑ Visit to eMULA project (Cabrales). Organic waste reovery project. Livestock waste treatment plant
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Botanical garden of Gijon. Sustainable agriculture
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Cider pouring workshop and uses of apple waste
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Renewable energies: geoternal and biomass classroom
As it is clear from Figure 4, most of the participants clearly state their positive evaluation of the relevance of thematic blocks included in the training. There are a few neutral answers registered.
The rates for each topic are listed in the chart below:
As visible from the table above, the average satisfaction with the relevance of the training thematic blocks is 95,95%, which is very high. Most of the participants share the opinion that the topics including in the training programme are “absolutely relevant” or “relevant”, and only a few of them evaluate some of the thematic blocks as neutral. These percentages show that the program of the training in Spain was very well structured and relevant to the overall aim and purposes of the Saving water project as a whole.
Participant's Satisfaction with the Training Course
The next section of the evaluation questionnaire was dedicated to the assessment of some major areas of the implementation of the training course. These areas are listed below:
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Duration of the Training Course
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Venue
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Quality of presentations
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Facilitation, training methodology
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Quality of discussions, group exercises
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Contribution of participants
As it can be seen in Figure 5, the majority of the respondents have evaluated positively all the areas concerning the implementation of the training activities. There is only one negative answer registered on the venue chosen for the training. All the participants are completely satisfied with the duration of the Training Course, the quality of presentations, the facilitation, and the training methodology adopted. The contribution of the participants themselves is highly evaluated with 100% positive answers on the questions regarding the quality of discussions, group exercises, and contribution of participants.
Further, respondents were asked to state their level of agreement with the following statements in order to analyse further thefeedback on the implementation of the training.
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The implementation of the Training Course met my expectations.
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The content of the Training Course was suitable to my needs.
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The activities of the Training Course provided me with sufficient knowledge and practice.
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I will be able to use and/or transfer what I learned during the Training Course.
As visible from figure 6, all the respondents “absolutely agree” or “agree” with the statements provided, stating that the knowledge and skills received during the training activities were suitable to their needs and sufficient for the specific topic of the training, and that they will be able to further transfer this knowledge. The positive rate for this section of the questionnaire is 100%.
Suggestions and Recommendations
At the end of the evaluation questionnaire, respondents were provided an opportunity to comment on the most important learning outcomes of the training in Spain. Below are some citations:
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“Knowledge of ecological farming, usage of biomas as a source of energy. Attitude of farmers to the soil and nature.”
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“Using biomas in ecological farming, alternative energy, attitude of farmers to the soil and environment.”
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“Knowledge and experience of local farmers.”
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“Secondary use of agriculture production.”
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“The organising of the provided practices.”
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“Sustainable agriculture and food and drinks production. Zero waste projects.”
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“Ecological attitude and strict populations in the region, a lot of people engaged in agriculture, the traditional food and explore of the habits.”
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“Botanical exposition is impressive.”
As can be seen from the abovementioned citations, the participants highly appreciate the Asturian approach, as well as the contact with local farmers, and the specific knowledge on the topic of the training.
On the question “What suggestions would you make for additions or improvement?” respondents expressed the following recommendations:
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“I was satisfied.”
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“I was satisfied with the program.”
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“It should be prolonged.”
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“Absolutely relevant.”
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“Sharing materials with participants via email.”
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“Not for the moment.”
As visible from the citations above, most of the participants appreciate the training. The two statements that can be viewed as recommendations concern the prolonging the training and providing the training materials via email.
Conclusions
Registering very high satisfaction levels in all sections of the evaluation questionnaire, the evaluation of the C4 training in Spain clearly shows respondents’ satisfaction with the planning, organization, and implementation of all the training activities.
The initial information, as well as the actual implementation of the training activities have been rated highly by all training participants.
