Empowering Sustainable Precision Viticulture: The VTskills E-Learning Platform ^†

Abstract

European wine production is undergoing a significant transformation, with precision viticulture (PV) emerging as a vital strategy for its long-term viability. Viticulture can benefit from the integration of digital tools and smart technologies. The VTskills project responds to this shift by promoting the adoption of environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable practices in viticulture among SME actors to achieve the objectives of the Green Deal, CAP, Farm-to-Fork, and Biodiversity strategies. One of the main goals of the VTskills project is to develop new e-learning courses for HEI and VET trainees to enhance their skills and entrepreneurial activity in an innovative environment. This paper presents the VTskills e-learning platform for sustainable precision viticulture.

1. Introduction

Agriculture is the largest land user in the EU, placing it at the forefront of Europe’s transition to a sustainable economy. The European Green Deal [1] aims to address climate and environmental challenges through efficient and sustainable growth. Its major goal is that Europe become the first continent to reach zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Commission has thus set in motion a number of initiatives, such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Farm-to-Fork strategy [2], the Biodiversity strategy [3], and adopted policy recommendations, like those issued by the World Food Security [4], that address issues relevant to agriculture and rural areas to support and encourage a transition to fully sustainable practices. In addition to the foregoing actions, COVID-19 has shown the collective fragility of the European system, which calls for an urgent restoration of natural–human balance, as well as for a well-functioning and resilient food system [5].

The EU leads global wine production, accounting for 45% of vineyard area and 61% of wine production. In 2023, the EU produced approximately 150 million hectoliters of wine, marking a 7% decrease from 2022 and 8% below the five-year average. This decline was attributed to extreme weather conditions and widespread fungal diseases affecting vineyards across Europe [6]. The wine sector permeates many levels of European life, contributing significantly to socio-economic, environmental, and societal aspects: where vineyards grace the landscape, the wine industry employs millions of European citizens, helping sustain the fabric of rural societies and a lifestyle that is characteristic of European culture [7].

Climate change, extreme weather, and the COVID-19 crisis have disrupted wine production and supply chains, raising costs and highlighting the need for resilience. Meanwhile, consumer demand for sustainably produced wine is rising, putting pressure on the sector to adopt eco-friendly practices.

The long-term viability of European wine production depends on the preservation of natural assets through environmentally sustainable practices. This objective could be achieved by adopting new technologies and sustainable practices. Precision viticulture (PV) coincides with the main objectives of PA, the application of site-specific techniques to vineyard production to improve crop variability, grape quality, and yield, and minimize the adverse effects on the environment [8].

The transition to digital technologies is a major constraint, as it requires an adjustment in terms of not only the economic structure of the farm but also human capital competencies and technology introduction capacity [9]. Providing appropriate training to strengthen skills and lifelong learning for long-term and sustainable growth is another key essential for this transition.

VTskills, an acronym for Cooperation for Upskilling and Building Regional Ecosystems in sustainable precision viticulture, is an Alliances for Education and Enterprises project, co-financed under the ERASMUS+ project. VTskills is a project focused on viticulture in the Mediterranean region. The consortium is composed of 14 partners from 4 different countries (Italy, France, Greece, Spain):

• Four universities: UNIFI (IT), US (ES), AUTH (GR), UGHENT (BE)
• Three VET institutions: ITS (IT), COAG-Jaèn (ES), Elgo DIMITRA (GR)
• Two research centers: RESOLVO (IT), BIODISTRETTO (IT)
• Five labor market actors: AGRO (ES), Hatzisavva Vineyards (GR), IFV (FR), ErreQuadro (IT), TR (IT).

The general objective of the VTskills project is to promote the adoption of environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable practices in the viticulture industry. The VTskills project’s ambition is to move one step further, from precision viticulture to sustainable precision agriculture (SPV), an initiative that requires a paradigm shift. SPV combines PA and organic farming, enabling efficient technological use while maintaining a healthy agricultural environment. Training is necessary to support the adoption of new technologies and the implementation of sustainable practices in vineyards. The project develops a new transnational curriculum in viticulture studies that offers digital, green, and resilience skills to train HEI students, VET learners, consultants, managers, technicians, and farmers on SPV.

In this paper, we present the VTskills e-learning platform for SPV, a primary outcome aiming to implement educational packages for different stakeholders to help them grow specific learning outcomes on entrepreneurship and SPV.

2. Methods

VTskills stems from a previous project called SPARKLE (Erasmus+ project 2018–2020), which dealt specifically with sustainable precision agriculture (SPA) and resulted in the creation of a new training program on SPA for HEI students, agro-entrepreneurs, and academics. The SPARKLE e-learning course has proven to be a successful experience, as it is still part of the academic offer of the partners that worked on its creation, thus suggesting a strong demand in the market for the themes addressed by the project and for the methodology it adopted.

To reach VTskills concrete results, during the project’s first phase, a training needs analysis of emerging technologies and societal/environmental drivers of change within the viticulture industry was carried out, which led to identifying the skills that will be in demand in the future. These skills were classified as green, digital, and resilience. The next step was a comparative evaluation. The evaluation was assessed against the SPARKLE training materials, which already provide training content to develop digital and green skills for Agripreneur 4.0 [10]. Partners determined the gap between the SPARKLE course and the training needs analysis covered in VTskills. The suitable content was identified and updated to develop VTskills green, digital, and resilience skills. The rejected SPARKLE material was replaced with alternatives oriented to viticulture. Topics not covered by the SPARKLE project were identified and developed. VTskills consortium prepared the training material, including PowerPoint presentations, AI avatar videos, open-access scientific articles, YouTube or other platform videos, and quizzes. The training materials were translated into the consortium’s national languages to increase the possibility of circulation among stakeholders. VTskills online courses will be recognized with ECTS for the students attending.

3. Results

The training materials were uploaded to the VTskills e-learning platform, a dynamic educational journey tailored to HEI and VET students eager to cultivate their skills in SPV practices and business acumen. There are two e-learning courses for HEI and VET trainees (including consultants, managers, technicians, and farmers). These courses are designed for a large number of participants. Throughout the training modules, users explore a variety of courses, actively engage in learning activities, and eventually demonstrate acquired knowledge with downloadable certificates. The process is structured into intuitive sections, ensuring accessibility to everyone, regardless of technological expertise. At this point, the platform has not yet undergone pilot testing or collected user feedback. These activities will take place in the upcoming Work Packages.

While HEI and VET courses share the same structure, modules, and topics, they differ significantly in terms of content and approach (

Table 1. Key differences between HEI and VET courses.

	HEI	VET
Target audience	Typically includes students pursuing academic degrees who may later enter research, academia, or high-level professional roles requiring strong analytical and theoretical foundations. HEI students need a more theoretical framework around SPV and sustainability.	Primarily targets learners who want to enter the workforce quickly, or professionals looking to upskill or reskill in their careers, focusing on direct employability. VET learners benefit from concrete, practical applications that can be immediately used in vineyard operations.
Level of specialization	Students usually explore topics at a more abstract and theoretical level. They engage with cutting-edge research, new theories, and comprehensive analyses of industry trends.	The focus is on specific job roles, with training directed toward the immediate application of knowledge and skills in the workplace. VET courses avoid complex theoretical discussions in favor of practical, step-by-step guides.
Course objectives and learning outcomes	Focuses on deeper theoretical understanding and critical analysis. Students are often expected to engage in research, develop analytical skills, and contribute to knowledge in the field.	Emphasizes practical skills and direct application in the workplace. The goal is to ensure that students can perform specific tasks or use techniques relevant to their jobs.
Curriculum design	The curriculum tends to be broader, covering a wider array of concepts, theories, and methodologies. There is a stronger emphasis on interdisciplinary thinking, problem solving, and academic rigor.	More specialized and task-oriented, focusing on practical tools, techniques, and knowledge that can be immediately applied in real-world settings. The curriculum is often streamlined to meet the specific needs of industry professionals.
Teaching approach	Lectures, seminars, research projects, and discussions are used. There is more independent study, critical thinking, and exploration of abstract concepts.	Learning is hands-on, with workshops, simulations, on-the-job training, and case studies that simulate work conditions. The teaching methods are typically more guided and structured to ensure skill acquisition.

).

The courses cover four different areas: SPV overview, Resilient skills, Green skills, and Digital skills.

Area 1, SPV overview, is an introductory module presenting the SPV, challenges, and benefits leading to its adoption. This topic includes the definition and principles of organic farming and examples of sustainable agricultural practices specific to vineyards, related to organic farm management. This area includes 1 module and 1 topic (

Table 2. SPV overview.

Module	Topic
1. Understanding Sustainable Vineyard Management	T1.1.1 Understanding Sustainable Vineyard Management

).

Area 2, Resilient skills, teaches the principles of risk management and decision-making, such as identification of risks like crop failures or market fluctuations, the continuous monitoring and adjustment of farming practices, through adoption of new technologies and their management, the business and financial management, as agro-entrepreneurs need to have control over finances, marketing and business planning. This area includes 4 modules and 7 topics (

Table 3. Resilient skills.

Modules	Topics
1. Farm Management	T2.1.1 Principles of Farm Management
	T2.1.2 Risk Management & Mitigation Strategies
2. Business Management	T2.2.1 Business Strategy
	T2.2.2 Marketing Strategy
3. Communication and Leadership	T2.3.1 Social Leadership
	T2.3.2 Communication Channels
4. Social Responsibility	T2.4.1 Legislative Constraints

).

Area 3, Green skills, introduces the soil management (knowledge of soil science, nutrient cycling, composting), water management, as all forms of sustainable agriculture require careful management of water resources, including practices such as rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation conservation tillage (knowledge of hydrology, irrigation systems, water-use efficiency), pest and disease management through biological control techniques, knowledge of ecology, ecosystem services and land-use planning. This area includes 3 modules and 6 topics (

Table 4. Green skills.

Modules	Topics
1. Soil Management	T3.1.1 Soil Health and Regenerative Agriculture
	T3.1.2 Alternatives to Herbicides
2. Water Management	T3.2.1 Water Management Principles
	T3.2.2 Water Recycling and Reuse in Vineyards
3. Crop Care (Protection and Nutrition)	T3.3.1 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Vineyards
	T3.3.2 Quality control of grapes

).

Area 4, Digital skills, train how to acquire relevant crop-soil data, collecting data from sensors and actuators and the skill to “clean” the data by selecting only the information that is truly useful for carrying out subsequent actions, precision technologies such as georeferenced information management (GIS), variable rate application (VRA), insights analysis from an agro-tech perspective (generating in-depth data analysis, integrating it within organizations, and effectively communicating the information generated will be crucial in digital agriculture). This area includes 4 modules and 9 topics (

Table 5. Digital skills.

Modules	Topics
1. Introduction	T4.1.1 SPV Technological Overview
	T4.1.2 Study Case
2. Monitoring	T4.2.1 Proximal Sensors (Soil and Vegetation)
	T4.2.2 Remote Sensors
	T4.2.3 Weather Monitoring
3. Decision Support Systems (DSS)	T4.3.1 Data Analysis
4. Application/Manipulation	T4.4.1 Smart Irrigation Systems
	T4.4.2 Variable Rate Application
	T4.4.3 Robotics/Autonomous Vehicles

).

4. Conclusions and Discussion

There is a clear need to build a culture based on continuous learning in Europe, where everyone should have access to up- and re-skill training. Sarri et al. [11] investigated the educational level of different viticulture actors. The results showed a low level among the workers and manager technicians who play active roles inside farms. In detail, in significant cases, it is linked to the accumulated experience of the workers over the years, whereas for technical managers, only 18.5% had training in enology or agriculture. The results also showed that technical training, which bears the most significant responsibility for increasing knowledge, is unfortunately often absent in small (<5 ha) and medium-sized enterprises (<50 ha) and sporadic in large ones (>50 ha). This scenario represents a limit to openness to knowledge and the risk of spreading standardized practices that are not replicable and effective in every operational context. Training key staff with extensive and multidisciplinary knowledge that provides a broad view of production processes and, consequently, a better problem-solving ability can ensure that workers work independently and competently. Trained staff is strategic for the wine-growing sector, where production is generally decentralized.

In the viticulture sector, the decision-making process in farm management is affected by several variables, which include production protocols, geographical constraints, administrative rules, end-users, and supply chain stakeholders, as already stated by Plà et al. [12]. The use of lean methods in smart farming cannot be separated from the overall knowledge of driving sustainable performance.

Viticulture is an important area of research and innovation within the agricultural sector. Advances in viticulture research and technology can help improve the quality and sustainability of wine production and increase the efficiency and profitability of vineyards. Within the VTskills project, e-learning courses open to all actors in the viticulture landscape will offer training on SPV and equip them with green, digital, and resilience skills. The e-learning platform, central to this effort, will continue to spread knowledge about SPV after the end of the project, ensuring the ongoing development of skills and expertise in the sector.