• CIHEAM Zaragoza organises in Seville and Huelva (Andalusia, Spain) the Autumn School of the European project SafeHabitus

29 October 2024 - CIHEAM Zaragoza has organised the Autumn School of the SafeHabitus project, funded by the European Union, in their capacity as international partner of the project, of which is part since January 2023.

The three-day event took place in the provinces of Seville and Huelva (Andalusia, Spain) and brought together project partners and guest experts to exchange knowledge and explore new ideas to improve occupational health and safety conditions in the agricultural sector. In total, 57 people actively participated in the activities organised.

The School coincided with the European Week of Health and Safety at Work, the central theme of the SafeHabitus project, which works on these aspects in the agricultural sector.

Throughout the event, which was also organised in collaboration with Oxfam Intermón and the Comillas Pontifical University, the project partners were able to learn about the work that agricultural companies carry out to facilitate the working conditions of seasonal workers, but also the point of view of groups of migrants who lack labour protection and prevention measures and who, with difficulty, live in shantytowns near farms. To this end, the project members travelled to the Huelva towns of Almonte and Lepe, and held a round table discussion on how to improve the working conditions, health and safety of seasonal and migrant workers in the agricultural sector at the Cartaya Town Hall (Huelva).

The Autumn School was complemented by two working days at the Las Torres IFAPA Centre in Seville, which is part of the Andalusian Regional Government, which focused on safety culture on farms in relation to the use of machinery and tractors, one of the key issues identified by the SafeHabitus working groups in each of the member countries of the consortium.

The School served to discuss tractor accident statistics and the role of awareness and digitalisation in mitigating these risks. In addition, experts in agricultural occupational safety provided a real-life demonstration of tractor safety.

The SafeHabitus Autumn School is one of the activities planned in this project, funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe programme and involving nineteen public and private entities from twelve European countries: Ireland, Belgium, Finland, Estonia, Slovenia, Spain, Germany, Slovakia, France, Lithuania, Romania and Poland.