Transnational FAB Learning Network : Long Term Development Plan: Deliverable WP LT D3.2

This report presents a Long Term Development Plan on how the transnational FAB Learning Network will be sustained post-project. This networks contains in the first place partners that are involved in the twelve regional FAB learning networks that were established during the Fabulous farmers project. These networks should become part of a higher level Transnational FAB Learning Network. Hence, this network connects farmers, researchers and intermediate organizations. By developing a long term development plan we aim to ensure its sustainability on the long term.

Often a network is considered ‘sustainable’ if funding is available over time. However, members of the no longer existing European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) urged us to not get trapped in the financial loop- of networks that spend most of their time looking for funding instead of working on realizing the actual objectives of the network. They strongly advised us to, in addition to the necessary funding, define clear SMART objectives for the network and to make sure the network adds value to its network members and the target group of the network.

In the development of the long term development plan we took this advice at hart. We also remained critical and continuously reflected on the added value of the network, if and in what way it could be sustained. In the remainder of this section, we describe the process of consolidating the network and preparing the to develop the long term development plan. We explain the components important for network sustainability and briefly illustrate the activaties that have taken place the last years. In chapter two we describe the long term development plan that emerged from this process.