2 – Multi-actor approach

WP2 aims to guide the process of change towards a greater animal welfare at National and at European level. Key concepts here are participatory research and co-creation, and the One-Welfare concept. Participatory research is a collaborative process of research, education and action explicitly oriented towards change. It involves all actors working together to examine a problematic situation or action and trying to find a solution that is of interest for everybody. Co-creation is the process of creating ideas and solutions together with the relevant actors. It is the opposite of solutions produced outside the system, “for” the system actors who accept and implement them with no other role (top-down approach). The creation of National Practitioner Groups (NPGs) in different partner countries is representative of the European diversity of pig and poultry low-input and organic production systems.

Participatory research and co-creation are complex processes, and for each NPG facilitators were selected with the challenging role of initiating and guiding the co-creation process, ensuring that everybody in the group has the possibility to participate and without interfering in the group dynamics, without imposing ideas or judging participants. At the same time, the facilitator manages the co-creation process so that it ‘remains on track’ towards the predetermined goals.

All work packages in the PPILOW project interacted with the NPGs and several work packages received feedback from the NPGs to complete their work. For these reasons, the NPG creation and facilitation was of prior interest for the success of the project.

Deliverable D2.1 Description of each NPG

Practice Abstract n. 8 – Methodology and process facilitating the National Practitioner Groups during Covid-19