Shepherds' School: Training Programme

Ruris worked on the School for Shepherds, an activity forming part of the Programme to Add Value to the Cheeses of the Centro Region and a highly strategic action for the integrated development of both the area and the sector.

Given that one of the main problems faced by producers of DOP cheese was the difficulty of accessing raw material meeting the qualification requirements, this activity was designed as a way of boosting milk production capacity for the DOP cheese sector.

Building on the need to tackle these difficulties, the Programme to Add Value to the Cheeses of the Centro Region sought to promote (sheep) livestock production on the basis of four main pillars:

• Implementation of quality-based milk payment systems;
• Payment to shepherds for ecosystem services;
• Guaranteeing access to land to allow farms to be efficiently sized;
• Training and qualifying shepherds.

The main actions carried out by Ruris were:

• A study evaluating the impact of the school for shepherds:
  • Characterisation and analysis of the current implementation models of the school for shepherds;
  • Satisfaction surveys to consult the stakeholders involved (producers, companies, public bodies);
  • Analysis of the impact of the school for shepherds on economic activity and on the area, using indicators to be established;
  • Focus groups to establish the sectors' needs in order to increase the production of milk and D.O.P. cheese;
• Proposal for new school for shepherds models to be implemented in future editions.