AN ONLINE NON-FORMAL EDUCATIONAL MODEL - A PROPOSAL FOR LIFELONG LEARNING IN THE FIELD OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

As the markets are continually developing, people must also keep up with updated skills and knowledge. Lifelong learning is an important issue of European Union educational programs, the European Council from Lisbon setting it as base component of the European social model. Through lifelong learning, the cognitive barriers, forbidding the access of different members of society to the workforce market, are lowered or eliminated. The professional progress is encouraged through lifelong education and training. In this context, online non-formal education is a very convenient and affordable method for a large share of the population. This form of education presents a series of advantages that make it particularly suitable for those that are already engaged in the work field and wish to further develop their careers. Organic agriculture is a field of activity registering an increase in popularity both in numbers of consumers and in the numbers of those involved in the production and selling of respective products. To this purpose, organic agriculture is very well suited as an area of expertise in which online software can be successfully used to acquire up to date information and knowledge. The present paper brings in discussion the use of an interactive software that will act as step by step guide for those who wish to learn and apply the methods of organic crop culture. The software integrates the legal European Union requirements in the field of organic agriculture in a way that is both user friendly and adequate for non-experts willing to learn.