In the period 17-20 May 2021, a training was conducted under Activity 8 for agricultural producers from Haskovo region, on the topic: "Environment and Ecology". The lecturer was Prof. Alexi Alexiev, a longtime lecturer at the Agricultural University - Plovdiv, with experience and interest in the field of environmental protection, sustainable agriculture and EU policies in this area.
The first day / May 17, 2021 / started with registration of participants. This was followed by a short greeting from Mr. Stefan Dimitrov - Chairman of KRIB-Haskovo, who expressed his gratitude to farmers for their interest in training and invited them to turn to science whenever have problems in their work. Then the lecturer was presented - Prof. Alexiev, who before retiring was also head of the Department of Economics at the Agricultural University - Plovdiv. He started the first day with "Basic Environmental Problems and Atmospheric Pollution: Fundamentals of Ecology" and "Ecological Equilibrium". After the lunch break, the issue of air pollution was considered - nature, forms and main sources.
The second day / May 18, 2021 / of the training was dedicated to "The essence, use and protection of water resources." Topics covered were "Water as a source of life", "Water pollution - nature, forms and main sources", "Possibilities to reduce water pollution" and "Modern technologies for water purification and use". The guest lecturer was Prof. Ivan Manolov, again a longtime lecturer at the Agricultural University - Plovdiv in "Agrochemistry" and "Soil Science and Agrochemistry".
On the third day / May 19, 2021 / "Waste management and soil pollution" was the leading topic. In the morning the training was visited by foreign students from different parts of the world, studying soil science at the Agricultural University - Plovdiv under the program "Erasmus +", who at the same time visited Dimitrovgrad, together with their teacher Prof. Ivan Manolov. They expressed a desire to stay and listen to part of the lecture, as an English translation for foreign students, Prof. Manolov did again.
A little later, farmers were introduced to the nature and role of soil for agricultural development; main sources of soil pollution, as well as the possibilities for limiting the pollution. They were introduced to modern models for waste management and storage of soil fertility. Time was also given to present the composting of organic waste.
The last day of the training / May 20, 2021 / began with a presentation of the basics and opportunities of sustainable agriculture - basic characteristics, modern models for sustainable development, EU regulations and restrictions in the field of agriculture, presented by the guest lecturer Assoc. Prof. Rada Popova, lecturer in Soil science at the Agricultural University - Plovdiv. After the lunch break, the farmers were acquainted with the laboratory equipment purchased under the project.
 
The training on "Environment and Ecology" was accompanied by numerous discussions provoked by the participants on some of the topics. The most common reason for this was the issues of carbon emissions generated by the agriculture sector, as well as the benefits and harms of stubble burning.
All farmers received certificates for their participation in the training. They filled in questionnaires in which they expressed their satisfaction with the training. According to them, the information provided was useful and they would apply what they learned in their practice.