I am at my third month here Radici Felici Farm, in central Italy, and my experience so far has been very positive overall. I’ve got to learn about useful tools and methods for writing a production plan, how to minimize risks of production loss and how to satisfy customer’s expectations (for both quality and aesthetics of the product). While there haven’t been any major events occurring during my stay, there have been a few challenges for me, but I’ve always overcome them also thanks to the openness of the host, and their willingness to work with me and to help me become part of the team.
The main challenge I’ve faced was at the beginning of the stay, when I had to adjust my previous experience working in such enterprises in other countries and how things actually work in this one specific company. Due to a number of reasons (climate differences, sales model, cultural standards) there were different standards regarding workflow, processing of the product and planning of production. However, by having access to all stages of work (planning, work on the field, processing and sales) and to all the documents and records regarding management and planning of production, I’ve been able to quickly understand the reasoning behind it, and to feel and act as part of the team. I do feel like the objectives of the program have been met and I don’t have any particular idea in mind about how to improve the remainder of my exchange, since I feel like it is already making both me and the host feel very satisfied with it. However I do have some insights regarding why it is being such a positive experience and how to keep it that way.
1) I have very clearly defined with the host their expectations towards my presence in the company. This process started during writing of the EYE commitment setting my goals and objectives, but we also took quite some time and meetings in the first week of my stay to better define it face to face, also trying to acknowledge the unspoken expectations or worries we had about it. I’ve found this to be tremendously useful to create an environment of trust and to move in a clear and defined field, in which I knew what my role was and what to expect from each other.
2)I’ve been given responsibility and trust with the task I have been assigned. My role is to elaborate the production plan for the next season and the strategy to expand and open a new area of production. These are very meaningful tasks, which I feel can help me gain very useful experience and can also help the host a great deal since they won’t have to do this work this winter. In this way I feel like the exchange really is mutual and we are both gaining something significant.
3)I’ve been given tools and knowledge to properly work with my task. I have full access to production records and notes from previous years, I received a good introduction about how to use their planning programmes and I have moments with the host when I can ask any more information and discuss about the choices I am making and check if they make sense for the company.
In the three months that I have left here I would like to implement further the production plan for next season, incorporating feedback I have received from HE. Also I will take on the task of making an action plan to open a new area of production.