There are a number of different factors that force hundreds of millions of people around the world to leave their homes. The most common factor for forced migration around the world is war and conflict. These factors, however, lead to one common goal: To have a better and safer life.

In April 2011, the world saw the arrival of the first wave of migrants and refugees escaping from the war in Syria causing a rapid increase in the number of Syrians entering initially Turkey and European countries.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2017/09/07/syrian-refugees-and-the-slow-march-to-acceptance/. 

Since then, large numbers of migrants and refugees have moved across borders and sought for employment to make a better living for themselves and their families.  

Due to the labour force requirements in the field of agriculture, migrants and refugees are generally employed in this field in host countries. Migrant workers in rural areas and particularly in agriculture do not know how to manage effectively production processes or do not have the capacities and experiences needed regarding harvesting. UN data show that 75.2% of M/Rs are willing to return their countries (Hamsici, 2019). In case of reverse migration, M/Rs should have acquired the knowledge, experience and motivation to produce efficiently and quality products in their countries. Thus, they will be able to contribute to their country’s food security and economy by contributing to the realization of agricultural production in their own countries.  

Until reverse migration occurs, they will contribute to closing the qualified workforce gap in sustainable food production, increasing production and increasing the country’s GDP in the countries hosting refugees/asylum seekers. As a result, until the M/Rs return to their countries, it is important to provide them with economic safety by creating employment opportunities, which will allow them to live in harmony with the society in the host country.

It is important to provide immigrants who will work in the agricultural sector with training and awareness-raising activities to avoid erroneous production processes, inefficient production and environmental damage that may result from wrong production methods applied due to lack of experience or training. 

Thanks to the support and funding to be granted, our project will: 

• enhance the capacity of  M/Rs in the field of agriculture,
• deliver professional training to M/Rs,
• create better employment opportunities to improve standards of living,
• protect the environment due to optimised agricultural production,
• provide M/Rs with knowledge, skills and capacity that are conducive to their integration into the host society.

Overall objectives of CAMRAS project is to provide professional training to M/Rs, provide better employment opportunities and to living conditions, develop the knowledge, skills and capacity to help fast track integration to hosted communities.
The specific goals of the project are

• to enhance the knowledge, skills and capacities related to agricultural production of M/Rs older than 18 who work or want to work in the agricultural sector
• to determine the characteristics of qualified workforce in the sector
• to improve and teacher training and enhance the capacity and skills of trainers
• to develop an online platform, to deliver online education and increase its visibility
• to provide access to the database on the platform to employers and job seekers
• to deliver online training to enhance the capacity of M/Rs
• to contribute to the agricultural and economic development of the host country of the M/R’s
• to prepare a guidebook about the agricultural sector
• to raise M/Rs’ awareness of natural sources in agricultural production and the need to protect the environment in M/Rs through training.

Further goals of the project are

• to develop an inclusive and participatory e-learning platform in the field of agricultural education
• to create a strong employer and workforce network in the sector
• to create a safe online environment built on inclusion, diversity, equality and equity
• to contribute to the education of future producers by qualifying M/Rs
• to contribute to the appreciation of M/Rs as individuals in the society by enhancing their knowledge, skills and capacities related to agricultural production
• to contribute to the integration of M/Rs into the society and to the social peace.

The most important expected results of the project are that M/Rs find employment in the agricultural sector based on their knowledge, skills and capacities enhanced in the online training and increase their standard of living as they earn a regular income. The producers’ incomes and standards of living will increase due to the increase in production efficiency and quality as an outcome of the integration of M/Rs in the sector. Thus, the gross national product of the host country will increase. If the migrants return to their countries, they can apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in the online training and will contribute to the economic development of their countries.

Bringing together stakeholders of the sector and M/Rs will emphasise the importance of employing migrants as qualified workforce in the sector. By establishing contact between employers and qualified workers, by professional training and qualifying workforce, needs of the markets are addressed. The meetings provide novelty for professional training and development.

The educational materials will be multilingual so that content is not only accessible in the partner countries but also to M/Rs in many other countries creating a much more powerful impact of the project.