Social agriculture: experimentation of a sustainable inclusion laboratory (original) (raw)
Related papers
Social Farming in Italy. Analysis of an «inclusive model»
2018
The growing understanding of potential role of agricultural and rural resources to enhance the social, physical, mental and economic well-being draw the attention of an increasing range of stakeholders on Social Farming. The contribute discloses the main results of a study focusing Social farming in Italy: actors, activity, networks of relationships within which the initiatives are implemented, agreements among heterogeneous actors, etc. The main aim is to provide a whole analysis of the possible processes of social and working inclusion in agriculture activities, including purposes and methods, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses in the framework of the current welfare and rural development systems.
The Development of Sustainable Social Farming in Italy: A Case Studies Analysis
Sustainability
Social Farming (SF) is a rising practice that offers various typologies of initiatives involving different actors. Peculiarities consist of the types of networks organized at the territorial level and in the innovation processes they implement. In this study, through a cross-case analysis, we take into account six Italian social farms as case studies, interviewing them to understand the activities provided and their organization with the aim of highlighting both the strengths and the criticalities that may limit possible further development of Social Farming in Italy. The results of the analysis pointed out the specificities of the services offered by the social farms and the points of view of the farmers in the sector. Reflecting on these cases in light of the innovation system theory, it was possible to understand both the innovation system in which they developed and the enabling and the limiting aspects for Social Farming initiatives, as well as to codify useful lessons regardin...
Challenges and Perspectives of Social Farming in North-Eastern Italy: The Farmers’ View
Sustainability
In the European framework of multifunctional agriculture, Social Farming (SF) has constantly been spreading. In Italy, these practices are legally connected to Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI), creating new perspectives and challenges for farmers and their territories. In this paper, we report the results of a pilot study conducted in the Veneto Region to understand farmers’ opinions about the opportunities and challenges of SF and AAI. Participants were convened by the Italian farmers’ trade organization Coldiretti. All of them provide social/healthcare services on their farms, including human–animal interaction, and have attended the regional training courses for Social Farming providers. Data were collected during two focus groups that were videotaped and subsequently analyzed by two researchers to categorize and dope out relevant topics. Results show a mismatch between what is stated by national and regional laws and the current situation reported by farmers. They are faced w...
The development of social farming in Italy: A qualitative inquiry across four regions
Journal of Rural Studies
In Italy, social farming (SF) did not develop homogeneously across the national territory. In this context, actors with SF aspirations may benefit from knowledge of the factors that fostered the development of SF in the areas in which it showed more remarkable progress. This study adopted a multi-level perspective in order to understand how SF developed in Italy, and to examine its evolution across regions at different stages of development. In order to achieve such aim, a literature study about the development of SF in Italy was carried out, and was followed by in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 29 stakeholders coming from four Italian regions (Tuscany, Latium, Abruzzo and Molise). The findings indicate SF practices at the niches level managed to establish connections with the regime as positive results emerged, networks and support organizations were set up, universities became interested in SF, and policymakers started recognizing and funding SF. The different degrees of support coming from the public sector, SF and agricultural organizations, universities, and policymakers, contributed to the differences between the SF practices in the four regions under study. In particular, in the southernmost regions, several SF's stakeholders showed less entrepreneurial skills, while the public authorities tended to have less knowledge about SF, and sometimes diffidence towards it. In conclusion, some recommendations to foster the development of SF are to make SF practices' success visible, to cultivate entrepreneurial skills, and to build and support networks between actors with different backgrounds, thus facilitating knowledge exchange.
Organic social agriculture: a tool for rural development
Quality - Access to Success
The upcoming of an agricultural model based on multifunctionality and closer complementary relationships between rural and urban areas is fully represented by the very social agriculture, which uses agricultural resources to carry out social activities, such as work introduction, rehabilitation, etc... This introduces opportunities for a new rural model, which more and more combines social activities with organic ones sharing the same sustainable economic, environmental and social targets, affinities and motivations. The S.A. phenomenon has also interested Sicily, where social agriculture has acquired special connotations since farms that have decided to commit themselves in social activities had already chosen to adopt the organic production method. This study includes the results on an agrarian-economic survey of some Sicilian organic agro-social structures where the synergic action between organic farming and social activities has amplified the advantages and reciprocal benefits ...
Social Agriculture in Selected EU Countries: A Market Outlook
European Countryside
Social agriculture is a fast-growing sector in Europe. There is a great diversity in the social agriculture landscape across Europe, depending on the national contexts. The settings in which social agriculture takes place, namely social farms, are innovative because they combine health care and social services with agricultural production. Different participant groups find their place on these social farms. Social agriculture can be beneficial for participants, providers, the environment and the wider society. In this paper, we give an overview of the social agriculture market situation in a selected number of European countries, namely the Netherlands, Flanders (Belgium), Italy, Austria and Ireland. The country focus is largely dictated by the composition of, and the resources available to the project team undertaking this study. To explain how social agriculture is organised in the different European countries reviewed, three main frameworks are used: a multifunctional agriculture...
New approaches to sustainable rural development: Social farming as an opportunity in Europe?
HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography
The so-called "Green Revolution" has marginalized and depopulated many rural areas, but economic diversication has emerged since the 1980s. Consumer appreciation for organic farming and proximity sourcing has increased, and farmers have responded to this market. Since 2008 the economic crisis has led to importation of low-quality food products at an unsustainable level of energy costs, and the lack of employment opportunity has led people to seek economic opportunities in the countryside, producing foods with ecological criteria for short food supply chains. Within this scenario, Social Farming (SF) has appeared as a multifunctional innovative strategy. It gives a return to society through the production and processing of agricultural products by incorporating direct social benets in employment, training, and therapy or rehabilitation of groups at risk of social exclusion. SF offers social cohesion, empowerment of vulnerable groups, local development in rural and peri-urban settings, and an equitable balance between revenues and costs to society.
2009
A special thanks goes to all the people who were actively involved throughout the SoFar Project-particularly in the national and EU platforms activities and in videomaking. This work comes directly from their contributions and from their voices. The project could not have existed in the absence of these existing practices on the ground. To all those involved in social farming at grassroots-level and through their day-today commitment as members of society we address our sincere appreciation. To Arsia who offered significant technical support throughout the entire process, we also express our appreciation. * Refers to Irish family farms. ** Refers to Direct funded institutional services, 3 rd Sector, Camphill Community farms.
Sustainability, 2020
Rural areas are facing vulnerabilities and changes caused by negative social, economic and ecological externalities resulting from industrial agriculture systems. Locally embedded farms and bottom-linked approaches such as social cooperatives that act in the field of social agriculture are small, but valuable models to counteract these trends. This article is based on a case study conducted within the transdisciplinary research and development project Unlocking the Potential of Social Agriculture (UPAS), 2017–2020—financed by the Free University of Bolzano. The main focus of the case study is to determine the impact of social agriculture initiatives on social and healthcare systems, the natural environment and the communities in which they act. Data collection includes a literature review, observations and interviews carried out on 35 case studies of social agriculture initiatives, mainly located in Italy. The field research points out that actors in the sector of social agriculture...