I attended a two-day AgriLink training event held in Leuven, Belgium. The purpose of the event was to provide the training required to successfully develop a Living Lab. In particular, the focus was on facilitators and monitors of the Living Labs, who were encouraged to share their progress, practices, experiences and approaches.
The event was attended by all Living Lab teams. A total of six Living Labs will be developed as part of the AgrilLink project. Each Living Lab will be in a different country (Norway, Latvia, Italy, Romania, Spain, Netherlands) and focus on a different aspect of agriculture.
A number of practical techniques were introduced at the event. The participants were taught different ways of engaging partners and stakeholders in a collaborative process of articulating the aims of the Living Lab. What is more, facilitators and monitors were encouraged to reflect on their respective roles in the Living Lab process.
My impression was that the guidelines as regards the division of responsibilities between the monitor and facilitator were intentionally open-ended. There were two parallel sessions on the second day of the event. One was focused on the monitors, whereas the other one was dedicated to facilitators. A number of monitors expressed confusion as to what was expected of them. However, the presenters encouraged us to establish a contextually sensitive division of labour.
On the whole, I found the training event to be useful, even though some questions remain. The techniques we were introduced to as part of the event have the potential to streamline the process of developing Living Labs and tease out useful ideas from stakeholders.
Best,
Emils
